What is your biggest nursing pet peeve?

KarafromPhilly · Mar 25, 2004

I hate getting report on a patient who was admitted for "COPD exasperation". Hello, that doesn't make any sense.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Mar 25, 2004

Just want to reply to this from my personal experience. I am a BSN student graduating in May and until I started my preceptorship 4 weeks ago, no one had ever shown me how to answer a call bell. Not in 2 years! So next time this situation comes up, you might want to make sure that the student knows how to do this. I know it seems simple, but we all have to learn at some point.
I get so frustrated during my preceptorship when I am expected to follow rules that I don't even know exist. Not saying this is the same situation, but I didn't even know that I was allowed to answer the call bell or the telephone for that matter until I asked someone. Sorry about the rant.

Everyone that does clinical at this facility gets a booklet (i say booklet but it's actually a policy manual that weighs 5 pounds). It had picture insturctions and words on how to answer bells, phones, etc. and it also plainly states that anyone can answer a light. Orientation is 1 week of classroom and one week of "floor" (required before students are even allowed to touch a patient). After all that orientation you have to sign a paper saying that you've read and understand, etc.

When i refer to the students that don't answer the emergency call lights, i'm thinking of two last week that just STARED at it and stayed out in the hall, even though they've been on this floor for days, went through the orientation, and in this building since September 2003. In other words, this group SHOULD know by NOW, but i don't have the time to make a demonstration when i'm working.

lady_jezebel · Mar 25, 2004

emotional-based, unreasonable neediness and dependency on the part of my pts &/or their family members. hate childishness/regression.

oh -- and being treated like a slave/waitress. hospitals are not hotels!!!!!

ShelleyERgirl, LPN · Mar 25, 2004

Oh - one more... I work in OB, and I just love it when a pt asks for pain med, and when I am about to give it they ask "WILL THIS HURT THE BABY?"
???????????????????
Yes, it's going to kill your baby, that's why we give it to you!!!
Or maybe I should say...
WHAT??!! Your're PREGNANT?? For God's sake why didn't you tell me????? I can't give this to you, it's poison!!!
I know, I know... they are right to worry and they are just being protective, but it still make me laugh (inside of course!)

:rotfl: :rotfl: Don't you just looove sarcasm?

Tadpole · Mar 25, 2004

Pet peeves....Nurses who like to cut down other nurses. Come on now, it's bad enough that we are all stressed out and streched out to the max with the high patient/nurse ratios and high accuity factors that we have to deal with day after day. We need to learn to be kinder to each other and a bit more forgiving. I truely believe that each and every one of us are trying to do our best at the jobs we have to do. So let's just get along and make life easier on ourselves.

DannyD · Mar 25, 2004

Tadpole, That's exactly what everyone should be doing, be nice to each other.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 25, 2004

It drives me when people expect all the information to be spoonfed to them. Orienting to a new unit and not digging around in cupboards so they know where things are, or asking questions about situations they didn't understand, not looking through the unit specific policy book to see what they needs to learn about.

If you see something happening and you don't know anything about it, get up and observe, or ask questions. We can't read your mind!

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2004

People who chart with the "big"words... Had a nurse chart Ptosis of eyelids... (Took a few of us a while to figure it out) on a resident who was cirlcling the drain. Nurses who spend 2-3 hrs ot charting after their shift and the DON who tells us we should be more like her!

DietCokeAddict · Mar 25, 2004

Apathy!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Mar 25, 2004

People who chart with the "big"words... Had a nurse chart Ptosis of eyelids... (Took a few of us a while to figure it out) on a resident who was cirlcling the drain. Nurses who spend 2-3 hrs ot charting after their shift and the DON who tells us we should be more like her!

If the nurses on our floor stay 2-3 hours overs, it adds up, and at the end of the month here comes the "let's watch our overtime letter" fromt eh vice-president. Fine, they'll watch the overtime if you stop with the 1:7-8 ratios then.

mattsmom81 · Mar 25, 2004

Tadpole, That's exactly what everyone should be doing, be nice to each other.

ITA. The biggest measurer of how I can stand my job today is the people I work with. When they start to nitpick each other I want to move on.

I can understand WHY frustrated people nitpick. But I feel we should support one another more, as we are the only ones who truly understand our jobs and our 'vents', and can make or break the workplace in how we manage our stress.

mattsmom81 · Mar 25, 2004

It drives me when people expect all the information to be spoonfed to them. Orienting to a new unit and not digging around in cupboards so they know where things are, or asking questions about situations they didn't understand, not looking through the unit specific policy book to see what they needs to learn about.
If you see something happening and you don't know anything about it, get up and observe, or ask questions. We can't read your mind!

OOH yes yes yes!! Watched several new contract nurses sit on their orifices and gossip while they were being paid for orientation. After THREE nights of seeing them do this, when they took a patient load, they whined on the job about not being able to do paperwork, or couldn't find stuff, etc...