Play Nice

[Sasha]

Actually... Nursing home nurses are one of the higher paid nurses because no one wants to do that job.

Being run by crooks doesn't excuse poor care and bad attitudes. My company is cheap and sometimes dishonest but i would never scream at or degrade my patients like I've witnessed nursing home nurses do. I would also never leave a patient sitting in filth like I've witnessed a nursing home nurse do. Patients are dirty? Because they can't clean themselves and the staff isn't helping them!!!

I don't buy the "they have too many patients so they don't know their patient" BS. I have had CNAs who are more knowledgeable than the LPNs and they've got tons of patients too. I also don't buy the "i just got on" "I'm never on this hall."

Story for you. We arrived to take a patient to radiation. Went to get report from nurse. She told me this is the first time she had the patient and she didn't know anything about her. Nada. Every question I asked "i don't know"

Patient asks if we want her to walk out to the stretcher, we tell her we would bring it in closer. She stands, her legs go out. We guide her down to the floor and I send my partner to get staff.

Nurse comes in shrieking that you should never trust the patient you should ask us before you try to walk them we would have told you she couldn't!

I asked her: you couldn't tell me a single thing about her, would you have even known if she could? She looked sheepish and told me that she knew she couldn't walk and that she says she can.

Next week I get the patient again. Same nurse. She tells me its her first time on this hall and she doesn't know anything about the patient. I told her wow! Your twin had her last week when she ended up on the floor, then, can you ask her to fill out my pcs?

I have taken patients to nursing homes who cry the entire way because they receive such horrid care.

Granted there are great nursing homes and great nursing home staff but they're the exception and not the rule and I am delighted when I meet them.

 

[Sasha]

What frustrates me to no end is going to pick up a patient and I can't get report because the nurse is on lunch.

She's on freaking lunch? Are you kidding me!?! Guess what? My partner and I have been starving all morning because we are busting our butts with calls. Now we are waiting 20 minutes for someone to go find the nurse and bring her back to do HER JOB. That 20 minutes may make us late to our next call or it could have been the 20 minutes we would of had to get lunch or even something to drink.

And my last pet peeve, bringing in a patient and staff shrieks at us about not getting report. And instead of letting me give report they b..ch and moan about not getting report.

 

[tnoye1337]

In my opinion, all three professions are equally important, but we get jealous of each other because the other profession has an advantage. It's just stupid.

 

[Remeber343]

In my opinion, all three professions are equally important, but we get jealous of each other because the other profession has an advantage. It's just stupid.

I would have to disagree. I know for at least me and my coworkers, it's not jealousy. It's us not tolerating incompetence.

 

[Veneficus]

I would have to disagree. I know for at least me and my coworkers, it's not jealousy. It's us not tolerating incompetence.

That is a rather harsh statement I think.

 

[Remeber343]

Harsh? Perhaps. But honest. And I'm not generalizing. There are a lot of magnificent nurses out there that go out of their way for us. But they never get recognition, you only hear about the bad ones.

 

[tnoye1337]

I would have to disagree. I know for at least me and my coworkers, it's not jealousy. It's us not tolerating incompetence.

Yes a lot of them are incompetent, but do you want to do that job? I certainly don't. I'm all for letting them do what they do, because at the end of the day they're cleaning butts and I'm not.

 

[VCEMT]

In my opinion most people in EMS who bash nurses are jealous because nurses have higher pay, better hours and in general are more respected.

:rofl: I'm jealous that I don't get paid to wipe dirty ***.:rofl: Yes, very jealous.:rofl: Very.:rofl: Last I heard, not one male nurse I know, has women coming out of nowhere and give them their number. Nor get paid to sleep, walk around the beach, and workout.

 

[medichopeful]

:rofl: I'm jealous that I don't get paid to wipe dirty ***.:rofl: Yes, very jealous.:rofl: Very.:rofl: Last I heard, not one male nurse I know, has women coming out of nowhere and give them their number. Nor get paid to sleep, walk around the beach, and workout.

There's more to being a nurse than wiping ***

 

[tnoye1337]

There's more to being a nurse than wiping ***

They always seem to get stuck with those kinds of duties though

 

[STXmedic]

They always seem to get stuck with those kinds of duties though

Heh... I see what you did there...

 

[medichopeful]

They always seem to get stuck with those kinds of duties though

I as well see what you did there

I won't argue it's part of the job, but there's definitely more to it than just that!

 

[epipusher]

These are the type of threads I miss not getting in a first reply. Oh well I'll keep trying.

As far as a nurse being more respected or better educated due to the amount of education required? I have several co-workers now that have obtained their RN in less than a year, one in approx. 8 months, via the online route. Two of them work in the 5th busiest er in the country. That part of the argument, is therefore, invalid.

 

[mycrofft]

Been both, retired, spend my time throwing raw meat into EMTLIFE and watching the turmoil.

When I worked convalescent (three short stints) we were the worst paid because we were mostly part time, short-term employees, and many of us were outcasts from other jobs. That said, a good convalescent nurse, or interfacility EMT or nursing home tech or whatever, is a saint. I hope they and good home care givers do get their due fiscally and beneficialy.

I hope the "Who shot John" about this subject (above posts) is mostly in jest.

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

#1 You complain about the nursing home nurse but those places are owned and run by crooks. Understaffed underequipped and never taken care of. Patients that abused their bodies all their life end up there. They treat staff like crap, they can be dirty, some are homeless scamming the system for a place to live. yes they are not great at handling emergency situations but that is not what the do day to day, They did nursing school years ago and dont handle emergencys everyday. thats the point of 911, Oh crap I dont know what to do let me call 911.

Perfectly Legit. Emergencies are not your forte so you call for someone else whose expertise is in handling emergency care.

Meanwhile she has an impossible patient load and cant meet you at the door with a fresh baked pie. EMS gets use to being "all eyes on me" because of going to someones house and having the whole family looking at you and asnwering any questions. GET OVER IT. You have 1 patient they have 50.

I don't expect them to meet me at the door with anything more than their keys, but I do expect them to let me in. After all, they did call for me...

I will refuse to get over a nurse not knowing anything about her patient. I'm ok waiting if she needs to look up something in the chart when I ask a question, but if you can't even tell me the name of the patient and their current (acute) medical history, then you quite frankly either suck at your job or just don't care about it. Either way, I'm not getting over this!


#2 You get to the emergency room and the nurse is being rude. IT'S AN EMERGENCY ROOM

There is no excuse for rudeness. I'm never rude to nurses, and I expect the same treatment from them. There are days when It's my 22nd straight hour awake, according to your logic, I should then be allowed to be rude to her? I think not. The other night I rolled into the ER at 0445 having been on since 0600 the previous day and getting maybe about a 30 min nap around lunch. While the nurse might not have gotten a smile, and the report may have been delivered in a monotone, I accomplished my job while maintaining a level of professionalism, and I expect the same from them.

remember your past 3 calls you dumped off on that nurse? ya she has to monitor 2 patients waiting to be sent to the ICU, 1 patient that doesnt need an ER that keeps asking for ice and every little thing. You say she is mad at you for bringing her another patient? This happend to my girl last night. EMS brought in back to back trauma's 1 serious car crash and one guy who got drunk and fell down a flight of stairs (they arrived within 20 minutes of eachother) 1 hour later a guy walked in with a gunshot to the abdomen. She had to contact security and law enforcement while running her 3rd trauma in under 2 hours. You know all the attention you show your 1 or maybe 2 patients during your 30 minutes with them? You know all the documentation you have to do without even pushing a med sometimes? Try that when your average patient spends 6-9 hours under your care getting Meds, MRI, X-ray, vitals every 5-30 minutes (They have to track and note those even tho a machine takes it).

So what's your point? That's her JOB. If she can't handle it, then she should try another job. I hear McDonald's is hiring burger flippers. That is a job that does not require professionalism and treating other members of the healthcare team with respect. Her job is to take patients regardless of how they come or what they need. If she is upset doing so, then she needs to find another profession. Taking out her unhappiness on all of those around her is not a valid option. Maybe she doesn't to go all the way back to flipping burgers, but it sounds to me like she needs a change in career because either she is unhappy in her current role (and is taking out her unhappiness on those around her), or is just an unpleasant person (in which case making a career out of helping sick people is probably not the best match for her)

I love EMS but honeslty the reason why EMS doesnt get the respect it deserves is because people in EMS dont show other health care providers the respect they deserve. EMS is rapid response and acute care. Stabalize, keep the pt alive and get to the hospital. Nursing is long term care and the nursing model is about caring for more then just the injury or illness. They try and make the person comfortable and happy when they can.

How long have you been out of basic school? Most of your runs are going to be more about reassuring patients than stabilize and just keeping the patients alive to the hospital. If that was all my job was, I wouldn't have to touch patients very often!


EMS=Tough job

Nursing=Tough job

Doctor=Tough job

I would argue that EMS is an easier job--more breaks! But it doesn't give nurses the right to go yell at others. Some doctors have very stressful days, but you don't see them walking up to the nurses stations and yelling at them all day?

In my opinion most people in EMS who bash nurses are jealous because nurses have higher pay, better hours and in general are more respected.

Well, you did say it was an opinion, and opinions by definition can't be wrong, but I know many nurses who also enjoy their days in EMS more, so it's definitely a very personal opinion.

That "incompetent nurse" has in general 1-2 years of college just for her prerequisites before she could apply to her 1-2 year nursing school. maybe if medics did the same they wouldnt feel spoken down to.

I don't care how much schooling anyone has. Once again, you SHOULDN'T BE SPEAKING DOWN TO ANYONE. Period. And at a Bachelor's Degree, and partially towards a Medical degree, I probably have more education than them, but I don't talk down to them!

Play nice or don't play

First thing I read that I wholeheartedly agreed with in your post. Sounds like great advice for your friend who thinks it's ok to be rude because she is being overworked!

3char min

 

[emt seeking first job]

Ok I know this is an old topic covered in other threads but this is better then posting in an old thread.

My girlfriend has been an emergency dept nurse for a few years now, she works overnights in one of the busiest and most dangerous cities in the country. I have gone out several times a month with her various coworkers over the years for breakfast or drinks. To this day I have yet to ever hear a nurse or tech at the table talk about a paramedic unless I (the only EMT) brought up a coworker. They never complain about EMS.

I go out with my own coworkers all the time or just watch their facebook. Nothing but disrespect towards nurses. It is so few and far between that you hear a good thing said about a nurse and if something nice is said it tends to be about a nurse that is dating or married to someone in EMS. :sad:

#1 You complain about the nursing home nurse but those places are owned and run by crooks. Understaffed underequipped and never taken care of. Patients that abused their bodies all their life end up there. They treat staff like crap, they can be dirty, some are homeless scamming the system for a place to live. yes they are not great at handling emergency situations but that is not what the do day to day, They did nursing school years ago and dont handle emergencys everyday. thats the point of 911, Oh crap I dont know what to do let me call 911. Meanwhile she has an impossible patient load and cant meet you at the door with a fresh baked pie. EMS gets use to being "all eyes on me" because of going to someones house and having the whole family looking at you and asnwering any questions. GET OVER IT. You have 1 patient they have 50.

#2 You get to the emergency room and the nurse is being rude. IT'S AN EMERGENCY ROOM remember your past 3 calls you dumped off on that nurse? ya she has to monitor 2 patients waiting to be sent to the ICU, 1 patient that doesnt need an ER that keeps asking for ice and every little thing. You say she is mad at you for bringing her another patient? This happend to my girl last night. EMS brought in back to back trauma's 1 serious car crash and one guy who got drunk and fell down a flight of stairs (they arrived within 20 minutes of eachother) 1 hour later a guy walked in with a gunshot to the abdomen. She had to contact security and law enforcement while running her 3rd trauma in under 2 hours. You know all the attention you show your 1 or maybe 2 patients during your 30 minutes with them? You know all the documentation you have to do without even pushing a med sometimes? Try that when your average patient spends 6-9 hours under your care getting Meds, MRI, X-ray, vitals every 5-30 minutes (They have to track and note those even tho a machine takes it).

I love EMS but honeslty the reason why EMS doesnt get the respect it deserves is because people in EMS dont show other health care providers the respect they deserve. EMS is rapid response and acute care. Stabalize, keep the pt alive and get to the hospital. Nursing is long term care and the nursing model is about caring for more then just the injury or illness. They try and make the person comfortable and happy when they can.


EMS=Tough job

Nursing=Tough job

Doctor=Tough job

In my opinion most people in EMS who bash nurses are jealous because nurses have higher pay, better hours and in general are more respected.

That "incompetent nurse" has in general 1-2 years of college just for her prerequisites before she could apply to her 1-2 year nursing school. maybe if medics did the same they wouldnt feel spoken down to.

I'm sorry but I cant stand the superior attitude of some people in EMS and there is no need to put nurses down the way I have seen far to many do. I have only once gotten attitude from a nurse and my next time at the hospital when it had calmed down I went and spoke to her and she apologized saying she got frustrated with the current patient load and some family members that were bugging her every 5 minutes.

I have been to a few MCI's and seen pure chaos among EMS. Imagine that everyday at an ED.

Play nice or don't play

TELL YOUR GIRLFRIEND TO BECOME A RAPPER. sHE HAS NO HURT.

 

[STXmedic]

Ibtl

 

[Shishkabob]

You have 1 patient they have 50.

I've never heard of a nurse in the United States having 50 patients on any normal occurrence (and no, traige nurse in waiting room doesn't count). Infact, more than 5 is rare, and even then if any one of them is truly critical, they never have more than 1. (Some ICUs allow two, but you're not talking about ICUs, you've limited it to ERs) However, I HAVE heard of, and done, my fair share of MCIs, with multiple fatalites and multiple critical patients, with limited resources. I've been the lone Paramedic, with just an EMT and some volly firefighters, on scene of multiple critical patients.

Plus, it's the nature of the beast. If every call I went on had 3 patients, guess what? Every call I'd go on would have 3 patients! It doesn't take a mathmetician to realize when one person calls for help... it's one person calling for help. There aren't depots we pick patients up in, 10 at a time, to take care of. Hospitals are where sick people congregate, hence, there are more sick people.




You REALLY don't want to go there, broseph.

That "incompetent nurse" has in general 1-2 years of college just for her prerequisites before she could apply to her 1-2 year nursing school. maybe if medics did the same they wouldnt feel spoken down to.

Oh, cool, so doing spreadsheets on a computer makes you better at patient care? I did not know that.


I once had a new-grad RN try that card on me. She got embarrassed rather quickly by her limited knowledge. You don't know what other education I have aside from my Paramedic license. You don't know if I have a BS in biology. You don't know if I have an AA in Liberal Arts. Quit assuming as much. You look foolish.

 

[usalsfyre]

I've never heard of a nurse in the United States having 50 patients on any normal occurrence

Not at all uncommon in the LTC setting....

 

[Shishkabob]

Not at all uncommon in the LTC setting....

Not ever 50 from what I've seen. And supervisory RNs over LVNs don't count, as they aren't the ones solely responsible for patient care.