We all have our pet peeves, something that we are SURE is rude whether it bothers others or not. So I'm wondering -- what bothers you?
Things that bother me:
In a nurse's station with four or five unused computers, why does anyone have to sit down at the one I'm using, clearly marked with my scut sheet, my pen, my drink and my charting all pulled up and not finished? They take my spot, log me off (so I have to start over with any charting I didn't sign before the arrhythmia alarm jolted me out of my seat) and log in over me. Then when I return, they tell me "I didn't see your name on it." Why not just use the computer with the screensaver up and no ones stuff there?
People who put their feet up on the chairs in the nurse's station. Not only does it look totally unprofessional to anyone who visits the station, including families, but the C. Diff that that they' we picked up on their shoes is now transferred to the impossible-to-clean fabric chairs in the nurse's station.
Saying "no prob" in response to a thank you.
Taking the nurse's chair. Our rooms has a sofa and two chairs for visitors, a recliner for the patient and a chair at the computer station for the nurse to use when charting. So why do the visitors always have to take the nurse's chair? Clearly, the nurse can't chart from the sofa.
After you've taken the nurse's chair, why give me attitude when I ask you NOT to sit in front of my computer, but to sit in one of the five spots provided for visitors?
Visitors using the patient bathroom.
Staff who let patients use the staff bathroom. I've never been able to figure that one out.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Nursing: when checking a residents blood pressure, blood sugar, giving a PRN- whatever the task I'm doing for the resident, and visitor wants a B/P check or blood sugar, or " can ya grab me some Tylenol?". I hate that!
Non nursing: someone at a grocery store who takes the entire aisle, then gives me a dirty look for saying excuse me.
I hope you don't actually check the visitor's BP or blood sugar! Our policy is to offer them a trip to the ER in our wheelchair accompanied by our staff. Or, they can go home. What they don't get to do is continue to sit in the patient's room complaining about how terrible THEY feel.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Nursing and not: asking about my personal life first thing after saying "hi". How many kids, why I do not have more, where I come from, how it turned to be, how long I am married, where is my family, etc., etc. No, sorry, you are not just "curious". You are nosy, plain and simple.
I am kinda fine with using "wrong" bathroom. After all, urgency happens, we all know it. But, please, keep it CLEAN after you were granted the privilege of using staff bath.
I absolutely cannot stand people eating/drinking in the presence of another human being who is totally here and NPO. Been there, done that (meaning NPO role), it SUCKS like not many other things in life. Even worse, I guess, to come smelling as a tobacco barn to someone who is told daily about quitting it for the sake of dear life.
We really love music therapy, it is great for TBI, long weans and pretty much everyone, but please use headphones. Not everyone around you loves gospel/rap/whatever other genre you seem to enjoy so much.
Same goes for that VERY smelly lotion you just brought. And for nail polish remover, too.
Nursing: wearing pants too small a size so that, when the wearer bends, everybody sees... well, almost everything.
Asking me for help and in 5 min wondering why I am not still there. Unless it is an emergency, I'll be happy to do it right after I at least finish the task I got on my hands now.
P.S. Ruby Vee, what responce do you prefer on "thanks very much"? Just wondering:yes: I like "you're welcome".
I prefer "you're welcome."
The eating and drinking in front of an NPO patient really bothers me, too. I was NPO for a week one time -- CSF leak, so I was battling constant nausea and a headache unlike anything I had ever experienced before. And the woman in the next bed kept having her multiple boyfriends and multitudinous children go out and get her fried chicken or some other fragrant food. I was so thirsty, and they kept walking back and forth past my bed with Big Gulps -- and sucking noisily on their straws. It was torture! (And the rap music was torture, too!)
When I was a kid it was considered the height of rudeness to eat and drink in front of someone -- now it seems that no one thinks twice about it.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Co-workers who go outside to take smoking breaks repeatedly during a shift, leaving the non-smoking staff to cover everyone's patients. This is my favorite: "I'm gonna run to the bathroom", then returning twenty-five minutes later reeking of tobacco smoke when the bathroom is within a few steps of where they were working.
Nurses who discuss their personal lives loudly at the nurses' station or make off color jokes or comments within earshot of patients and families. I used to work with a nurse who would yell out things like "Hey, why don't you take me out to dinner and a movie? I put out!" across the nurses' station where family members, doctors, and who knows who else could hear her. Very professional.
Co-workers who call off a lot (and are not dealing with illness) and cause everyone else to constantly get nagged to come in on their days off. If you don't want to work, quit your job. You don't have the right to leave holes in the schedule every time you have a party to go to.
family members who expect to be waited on as if they were the patient. "Honey, can you please bring me some pop and a cup of ice from the kitchen? Oh, and I need a blanket too." So out of line but God forbid you upset anyone who might be filling out a Press Ganey survey in the near future.
The only time I've ever been close to being fired as a nurse was the time I told the family member who was staying the night to "help" that I was too busy to fetch drinks and snacks for her, that the thermostat was right where it had been all day and that I had 16 sick patients to take care of and she wasn't sick. I probably wasn't as tactful as I could have been, but damn! I had 16 hematology patients, all of whom had multiple IV antibiotics, TPN and blood products. Two of them were in protective isolation follow bone marrow transplants and the NA had called in sick. My manager told me that hematology probably wasn't for me, and the next week, I found myself somehow interviewing for a transfer to MICU. They didn't ask me why I wanted to work there; they asked me why my manager wanted me to work there.
The co-workers calling off is infuriating as well. One time when a popular coworker was getting married, everyone requested the weekend off. Of course not everyone got it. Several staff members called in sick and went to the wedding anyway; the floor was covered with floats, agency personnel and brand new nurses off orientation for mere minutes. One of the "sick" staff members even caught the bouquet. The manager saw them there and shortly thereafter, they were all unemployed. There was talk of protesting in termination (Union hospital) but the photo of them all standing around grinning while Carla held up the bouquet she'd caught was pretty damning!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
My biggest pet peeve came up in another thread: People who throw buzz words around thinking they are impressing everyone. Meanwhile, their application of half the terms they use are off by miles. Critical thinking and holistic care seem to be the two this happens with a lot.
Some people just sound more intelligent after they stop speaking.
Second thing would be somewhat related: People who trumpet on and on about teamwork. Yet, they have no clue what that is. And they don't want to know, they just want other workers to carry and accommodate them.
Teamwork is a two way street. If it's always someone else helping you, don't call it teamwork. That's a one way street. And me always covering your shift when you call off on holidays isn't teamwork either.
Last peeve: People who abuse caffeine all day then are having panic attacks and running around like Chicken Little. My gosh, put the Mt. Dew down, it's gross anyway.
The only time I've ever been close to being fired as a nurse was the time I told the family member who was staying the night to "help" that I was too busy to fetch drinks and snacks for her, that the thermostat was right where it had been all day and that I had 16 sick patients to take care of and she wasn't sick. I probably wasn't as tactful as I could have been, but damn! I had 16 hematology patients, all of whom had multiple IV antibiotics, TPN and blood products. Two of them were in protective isolation follow bone marrow transplants and the NA had called in sick. My manager told me that hematology probably wasn't for me, and the next week, I found myself somehow interviewing for a transfer to MICU. They didn't ask me why I wanted to work there; they asked me why my manager wanted me to work there.
Sounds like that manager did you a favor! How awful!
Nurses that talk and or face time in tagolog when in the break room and your trying to deflate a little with your down time with the 15 or 30 minutes you have for break or lunch. It's more aggravating and stressful. Please just walk to a " private" area so no one has to listen or hear your conversations with your mouth full of food as its falling out of your mouth while your speaking in another language. It's just rude and everyone else in the room is quiet because you turn your voice up louder and louder one notch at a time so the person on the other end can hear you....... Unacceptable....
I work in LTC, aka the land of paper charts, so...
FOR THE LOVE OF GOSH PLEASE PUT THE CHARTS BACK ON THE SHELF WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH THEM.
I'm not even a particularly tidy person myself, but I hate coming on a shift to charts sprawled all over the place with random papers shoved into or onto them, not sure if I need to do anything with them, with no room to do my own thing. It wouldn't hurt if they were in some sort of order, either, so I don't stare forever at a pile trying to find a particular chart.
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
My pet peeve, right at this moment, is my super loud neighbors. The children, teens and adults are outside literally screaming. Why?!?!?!?! I dread starting nocs with this problem. It's not a weekend and it's around 1730!! I think they are playing football in the parking lot!!!
Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,051 Posts
I hope you don't actually check the visitor's BP or blood sugar! Our policy is to offer them a trip to the ER in our wheelchair accompanied by our staff. Or, they can go home. What they don't get to do is continue to sit in the patient's room complaining about how terrible THEY feel.