whinny nurses

[Nurse-One]

I can't stand it when im giving report to nurses who whine about their job duties.

the stress and some of the nonsense of the work environment comes

with the territory.

"Oh my gosh, another admission"

"why do I have so many peg tubes"

"Omg I have so many wounds to treat"

etc...

yes its stressful

yes the drug seeking patient can be annoying

but stop acting like you didn't know what you

where getting into when you entered nursing school.

See, my feet hurt after most of my shift (even with the best shoes)

I do my job to the best of my abilities including skills

and go home not expecting a phone call about me missing something

or not completing a task.

We are human and we can make mistakes but nursing is WORK.

If you cannot handle stress dont go into nursing (or any other

profession) which requires you to mulittask, think critically, and

serve it all with a smile and keeping a compassionate heart.

My advice, find your balance.

Let the stuff that took place from the previous shift go. start new again.

Don't hold any grudges against a patient or coworker. you see them everyday (most likely)

Empathize, sympathize. how would you want to be treated if you were in their position.

when I feel myself getting annoyed and stressed I think to myself, "I thank God Im not the one in that bed with that Dx. I am an able boided person who can treat and help this human-being inspite of their such and such..." you get the point.

anyway i didnt mean to write so much. lots of misspelled word, I know. later.

[systoly]

I get a mental picture of horses with scrubs on whenever I see the title of this thread. You must mean "Whiny" nurses.

Yes, nursing is a hard job and a lot of work. Maybe your coworkers are just venting, like many of us feel the need to do at some point. One day it will be you needing to vent. Hopefully you treat your coworkers as you would like to be treated, so that when it's your turn to "whine" to them, they will lend you an empathetic ear.

As most responders have.

[JeneraterRN]

This has been a big trend in our hospital lately, as well. There are only a few of us who do OB, and we've had more than double our normal amount lately. Instead of saying hello to me when I walk in, I've been greeted with, "I had to do such and such delivery, you have to do OB tonight!". Never mind that I had done OB the last three shifts and, if asked politely, would not have had a problem doing it again. I hate being told by someone other than the supervisor what I am going to have to do because their attitude is bad. Not that mine doesn't need regular maintenance, mind you :).

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

Yes, the irony is kind of humorous. A vent about venting!

[BMNurse85]

Venting is O.K.

Too much venting is a little annoying

Whining is really annoying.

[KareBear0609]

I disagree that students know what they are getting into before they enter nursing school.

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

:yeah: Couldn't agree more with you OP.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Let the "whiny" nurse vent for a minute. Then validate his/her feelings by saying, "Wow. You sure did have a rough shift! Tell me what's going on with our patients so I can get started. It sounds like I need every second for this shift!" You are at once recognizing the frustration of the nurse while at the same time setting a subliminal boundary that you don't have all day to listen to ranting.

There are lots of nurses that I work with that do nothing but complain. I can't stand this-it sets a negative tone for the team and leads to nothing but bad energy. When I work with these nurses, I listen for a minute and then change the subject. I will talk about something that they love (their kids, their hobbies, etc) and the transformation that commences leads to a more productive and positive work day. I try to keep this vibe going, and more times than not, it works. If you have a nurse who is only in their glory when they are complaining, you simply have to walk away. Some people feel best when they are miserable, when they feel victimized, when they commiserate with others who are just as miserable. You can't change that-but you CAN choose to walk away from it. A simple, "uh huh, I know what you mean." can let you off the hook without feeling like a tool when walking away.

If you can, avoid these Debbie Downers. A non-committal comment like the one above will let your co-worker know that you HEAR them, but don't necessarily want to become involved in whatever drama they are compiling. Don't worry about feeling like a jerk for not engaging them; oftentimes people who complain ad nauseum are ones that are generally self centered and don't really care what you have to say...they just want to rant. To anyone.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

^^^ Awesome advice.

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

Whinny? Neigh, say it ain't so.

[Nurse-One]

Okay I got some good laughs out of the "whinny" reply post. To correct myself it's "whiny"

I did write a disclaimer at the the bottom of my original post that there are misspelled words. I must admit I didn't bother to try to correct, so sorry :) But its good to be able to laugh at yourself.

I was venting a bit, yes. But unlike some coworkers I've come across it's no longer venting when it's done every time they come on their shift. I can't even get through my report without getting interrupted. I've worked at other facilities so, no, it's not only this current facility.

I have tried to sympathize with the nurse's responses and of course I relate with what they say, but it's when they have the attitude like they didn't realize they walked into a building with sick people and they carry the title of a Nurse.

I get questions like, "Why did they put such and such patient on my wing?"

How do you answer such a question?...woman, I don't know maybe the admission department doesn't like the shape of your head and they want to make your shift miserable....okay, I'm just kidding.

I do give empathetic responses. I'm done :)

I love being a nurse and I do love my fellow nurses, just for the record. later.

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

My boss calls them BMW...it has nothing to do with cars. Sadly, I work with two really bad BMW's.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Big major whiners? BMW...?