What grinds your gears about your coworkers?

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · Jan 18, 2015

It grinds my gears when I have a vented patient and a non-vented patient, and day shift chose to bathe the vented, sedated patient. So, if I bathe the vented patient at 0400 nobody gets woken up, but the day nurse decided it makes more sense to wake up a sleeping, non-vented patient in the middle of the night instead. Sleep is my pet peeve because I have such bad insomnia myself. I only wake sleeping people at night when I have to. A bath is not an emergency. It should not be a reason to bother people who are trying to sleep.

I worked at at a few hospitals several years ago over the course of 8 years. It was each of their policy that day shift did the bath. Some were 8 hour shifts, some 12 hours. I worked day shift. Now, no days we have surgeries, MD rounds, at least 2 meals, and a lot of times maybe only one patient less (I never understood the ratio thing there). Now, if I have everyone dry, all orders up to date, fed, all admissions completed and pain medicated, should the later shift complain if I did get to bath the completely disoriented patient that finally fell asleep during the day shift but bathed the other seven patients that I'm giving him/her?...The patient is clean, just not scrubbed down...I wish more hospitals would share the baths between the shifts. I do agree with you that the more alert patients should be done during the day, but if there aren't that many alert patients then some others can be done earlier on to make it fair.

edmia, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2015

My favorite is when they not only chart the same incorrect assessment as before but chart about medical devices that the patient doesn't even have like Chest and NG tubes...that were never there! And we wonder why so many people are scared to death of hospitals.

Yes! This is the best type of crappy documentation! I love to suddenly see on the screen that I somehow missed a PICC line while assessing my patient...

Sent from my iPhone -- blame all errors on spellcheck

FineAgain · Jan 19, 2015

^^THIS^^

Insulin too...

dream'n, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2015

I hate when I have to micromanage my CNAs. Some CNAs are so good, they have what I need before I even need it...but some I have to remind, chase, then remind again to do their job; like q 2 hour turns, charting I/Os, getting VS. These are things ALL of the CNAs know, but some just won't do it unless you are on top of them and it drives me CRAZY! And yes, I've reported it multiple times.

I also hate seeing my nurse coworkers playing around on the computer while one of their colleagues is drowning. I just tell myself that what goes around will come around and Karma can be tough.

amoLucia · Jan 21, 2015

Something else - when medications are left out when they should have been REFIRGERATED.

I speak most especially of PPD juice. When I find the little bottles, I throw them out. I have no idea how long they've been left out. I don't trust anything like immunizations or biologicals. And then when we get billed for the exorbitant amt of PPD juice that we need to order - another issue.

Also there was a wound ointment that was mucho mucho $$$ that needed refrigeration and it was being constantly left out. Glad I wasn't the one needing to use it next. I just couldn't bring myself to toss that one! I would let the head honchos know.

Karou · Jan 21, 2015

Just a few things that bother me...

Unlabeled IV tubing. Or when it's such a mess that I have to spend ten minutes untangling and sorting it all out.

Old, outdated PIV's. It happens. But it would be nice to know that in report so I could change it at the beginning of shift and not at midnight (when I actually have time to look at the date in the chart) when the patient is asleep.

Incomplete vital signs. If the patient is every four or eight hours then that means temperature and pulse ox recording also, not just BP and HR. Usually RN's do vitals at night but when the PCT does them (when we are short a nurse), I often have to go back and recheck those things.

Intake/output. Those who should have hats in their bathroom rarely do.

Missed orders. I actually always check my orders at the start of shift so I am able to ask the off going RN about this. It's more frequent with specific nurses.

Being told in report about the patients best friends sister, their love interests, exactly what they are at dinner or how big their bowel movement was.. Before even telling me why the patient is here.

Lately it's been nurses who report to me that they are told one thing by the doctor during rounds, but there is something else ordered. Like being told to advance the diet but there is no order and it's not in the physicians notes. I ask the nurse in that situation to please enter a verbal order. But why don't they do that in the first place? Same nurses.

I can think of many more. On an individual and infrequent basis none of these are huge deals. Mistakes happen. We all have bad shifts and get rushed, forget the small stuff. It's when a specific nurse frequently does these things, or when it's the same situation for multiple patients/rooms that I get frustrated. I will speak up if necessary... If it's small I just fix it and move on.

As for the OP's "0" intake for I&O, I do that. That way it's clear. But I know we all have those things that bug us.

Gooselady, BSN, RN · Jan 21, 2015

Thanks to those who actually answered my question instead of trying to teach me a life lesson about letting the small things go. I definitely don't lay in bed thinking about this after work. I slept very well after my shift!
I hate messy rooms too!

Aw c'mon, never let an opportunity go by to encourage a nurse to take a chill pill :) Especially when it will make focusing on patient care so much easier.

RainMom · Jan 21, 2015

Liars. Really, REALLY can't tolerate a nurse who lies in report.

Everybody has bad shifts where things get missed or passed on to the next guy. I usually don't have any issues with anyone I work with, at least not on a regular basis. Until recently....

One nurse, new to the floor, is routinely lying in report about dressing changes (not done), orders to keep foleys (no order entered & in one incident I clarified with the MD that he said no such thing), etc. Wondering what else she lies about that we aren't catching.

Beatlefan, BSN · Feb 14, 2015

I became a nurse in my early 40s. I was surprised at the amount of people who come to work needing attention. I do not like loud, lazy, immature attention-seekers, which I have found in the last 8 years of nursing, is prevalent in health care. Oh- and the know-it-alls. :)

NOADLS · Feb 14, 2015

Anyone bringing their drama filled personal life to work. I don't want to hear about it.

Beatlefan, BSN · Feb 14, 2015

I am surrounded by these types, Emergent. Frustrating when I need to interrupt in order to get help to get something done. After my first year of nursing, I began to keep my head down, eyes averted, and just do my job. I started to feel almost angry at the amount of time these arrogant blow-hards were taking from my life and from me and others doing our jobs. They will suck you in!

Jewelsforme · Mar 6, 2015

Grinds my gears. Hmmm. We have to work in sometimes a close environment to one another, so I'm positive each of us can do something that grates on others. Yes, the "I am the greatest thing that ever lived and breathed" attitude is very difficult to swallow. The "Yeller" is also another toughie to endure, someone whose "indoor" voice is actually a "Super Bowl" voice {sigh}. But what is the hardest for me to take is the real life, 100% bully psycopathic behavior type anyone. This is not the "I'm having a very bad day, stay out of my way" person. It's the "I'm a Tyrant, have always been, and always will be. If you don't like it, get off my planet" type attitude. The one who refuses to work with anyone or who might play favorites while displaying aggressive action and speech to the select "privileged." They may throw items across the nurses' station, shout and slam items around, hoarding supplies that are in need by everyone, etc. They are condoned by the administration for whatever their reasons. For years, they are known as "Oh, THAT nurse." You don't even have to name them. They are known throughout the hospital or facility for their "Go ahead, make my day" attitude. The kind you wish you could pick up the nearest stick and put his lights out, but that's just fantasy thinking. There's always at least one, everywhere you work. Everywhere. I mean everywhere. It only takes one to disrupt an entire department, make new grads cry, new nurses transfer, and supervisors heave sighs without disciplining or firing the broomstick riders. Ok. Off my soap box now.