23 Things that drive Nurses crazy

by · August 28, 2016

Nurses, just like other healthcare professionals, are regard as modern day heroes nowadays. We are people who help save lives, who are capable of juggling a lot of tasks at the same time, who have unlimited patience. Well, that last part might just be a little untrue.

Yes, we can handle being bombarded by a heavy workload, we can do night shifts or go from one shift to another, we can handle seeing life and death situations every day, yes we can handle those. But there are just some things that can test our patience sometimes. Yes, we love our job, we do. But there are just things in it that drive us make crazy no matter how petty they seem.  Below are some of them, let’s see which of these you can relate to.

  1. The IV pump alarm for “air in line” that continues to go off when there is absolutely no air in the line. What is your problem, IV pump?
  2. Medications that will not scan. Uh, seriously, now?
  3. Time change that occurs on a work day.
  4. Patients constantly ringing out less than a minute when you just left the room. We have other patients to take care of, too.
  5. Obnoxious, demanding, know-it-all, in your face family members. Nothing you do is ever right for them.
  6. Nurses on the previous shift leaving things for you to do, picking up their slack.
  7. When you’re giving medicines, realize you’re missing one, and have to go back and get it.
  8. When a grown man has the pain tolerance of a four year old girl.
  9. When you finally get to sit down, and a coworker asks for help transferring someone.
  10. When someone keeps asking questions, but interrupts as you answer. If you know so much then why are you asking?!
  11. When you’re taking a telephone order from a doctor who either mumbles, talks insanely low, or has a really thick accent.What was that again, doc?
  12. When a doctor knowingly asks you to do something outside of your scope of practice simply because they don’t want to do it.
  13. Patients who are non-compliant, and wonder why they keep getting sick.
  14. When you call multiple doctors about a really sick patient’s problem, and each one wants to pass the buck.
  15. Giving Lactulose. Because, well you know what happens after giving lactulose.
  16. Tangled lines. It feels like my life is messed up, too.
  17. The fact that all sterile kits contain insanely large gloves. Help. My fingers are lost!
  18. When you get pulled to another floor, and you get there and everyone is sitting around doing nothing.
  19. Patients who think it’s a good idea to lie to their healthcare team about how much alcohol they drink. You do realize we’ll find out eventually, right?
  20. Mandatory meetings. On my day off. That only last 15 minutes.
  21. Doctors who feel the need to touch nurses inappropriately.Uh, no, just no.
  22. Tube feeding.
  23. The new nurse who knows everything.

To some, these may sound petty, but you’ll never know how annoying they can be until you experience it yourself. But still, at the end of the day, despite all these pet peeves, we are still nurses who are dedicated to our jobs and do our best to help save lives. At the end of the day, our duty to help both the sick and the well always prevails, and that’s what matters the most.

Sources:

Liane Clores, RN MAN

Currently an Intensive Care Unit nurse, pursuing a degree in Master of Arts in Nursing Major in Nursing Service Administration. Has been a contributor of Student Nurses Quarterly, Vox Populi, The Hillside Echo and the Voice of Nightingale publications. Other experience include: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Obstetric, Emergency and Recovery Room Nursing.

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