to think SOME nurses are in the wrong profession.

[pink1978]

Prompted by an incident where a relative with a really bad fracture overheard a conversation along the lines of. "If she like that with pain relief" In fact pain relief wasn't working.
There have also been lots of other incidents with other people I know and things I have witnessed on the wards with other patients.

YANBU. A minority, but very noticeable to patients.

Nurses are human. They get frustrated, tired and annoyed like the rest of us.

It doesn't make it right. Unfortunately there is a limited supply of saints.

As with all professions some are crap at their job - some are great.
I have encountered both types.
But then the same can be said of doctors, oncologists, radiographers etc etc

very rare someone posts saying how wonderful the nhs/nurses/doctors have been. Quick to criticise the bad but not praise the good, it seems

True reallytired but I'll always remember the one who expressed incredulity that I wasn't putting my 5-day-old DS up for adoption due to his disability. Don't reckon that comment was born out of frustration or tiredness.

Yes thats right, they're human
And some Doctors are crap and some Social Workers are power mad and some Teachers can't teach and some IT 'e people can't explain toffee.

It's life, some people make bad job choices, it's just that you're more likily to come in to contact with these jobs, than the rubbish pot holing instructor, or the PIA Chick sexer, or any other random jobs

I hate this "shop keepers are human, doctors are human, sales assistants are human...blah blah blah" excuse that people come out with. Yes, we can safely assume that we're all human.

Making comments that could be upsetting to a client/patient/shopper whilst at your WORK PLACE however has nothing to do with being human. You're at your job and you should be expected to be professional at all times.

Quick to criticise the bad but not praise the good, it seems

'Twas ever thus Peanut - people never go out of their way to take a jumper back to M&S to tell them how comfy it is and how well it washes.

Agreed. My mum had a nurse call her a snob because she was reading the times newspaper!

well here i go.....I had an accident and was taken to A+E, I received prompt treatment and analgesia and was kept up to date with was happening regarding my theatre slot regularly. One nurse did speak to me off handedly but I acknowledge she was running around trying to do her best with very limited resources.
I was in extreme pain but was made to feel safe and reasured-I later took a card and sweets to say thankyou.
All professions have their bad apples but shouldnt all be tarred with the same brush. Prehaps if more money and thought were put in by the government nurses would be able to do the job and give the care the majority of them want to......Rant over

My husband was extremely ill and subsequently died. But there was a nurse, Tanya, in the ward and I refused to have her attend to my husband. She would go to a patient to administer an injection for something She would just go to him, roll up a pyjama sleeve and do it, saying nothing like "Just a prick coming", "all done" or a description of what she was dong. I have never met such a cold nurse.

Totally agree with you Op , although i know some people get compassion fatigue , i have had to go and bang my head against the cupboards in the sluice a few times over the years , but i always come back out with my brightest smile and most caring attitude .
At the end of the day being in hospital is shit and we are there to hopefully make it as bearable as possible ,where we can . As for pain relief , we have cupboards full of goodies , and people can have as much as they need. A pain free patient is alot easier to look after .

Some nurses need removing from the profession forthwith. Same with doctors. Same with teachers. Accountants. Lawyers....oh wait, yes, crap people are in all walks of life aren't they...

You'd be moaning if they ( health prof.) didn't exist OP.

:o nearly!

I reckon some patients can be right pains in the arse as well.

Nursing is a tough job, very tough. It doesn't surprise me that some people become quite detached / take a cold attitude to patients to get through it. It's a coping mechanism - a crap one, yes, but I don't suppose anyone goes into nursing because they like sticking needles into people or bossing them around. It's sad that a few end up like that.

I reckon some patients can be right pains in the arse as well.
That's an understatement! :o I have a paramedic friend and it sounds like a nightmare dealing with aggressive 'patients'.

You could say the same of any profession, but of course it's worse when someone in one of the the "caring" professions turns out to be anything but.

The midwife who looked after me when I had DS2 was, purely and simply, a poisonous, vile woman. She gave every impression of hating human beings and oddly enough, I was talking to my friend (who I didn't know at the time) the other day and she was talking about a midwife that she had the misfortune to have looking after her for the births of 2 of her DC's, and how she would never, ever forget her face because she was so vile. Turned out to be the same one I had.

She managed to turn what should be a happy time into one which, if I think about it for too long, I can still find myself in tears over.

If ever anyone was in the wrong job, it was that woman. I will never forget how nasty she was. Not "a bit blunt" or "in a rush and a bit bossy" - out and out, spiting venom nasty. I will always wish I reported her.

*Spitting venom, not spiting. Although it's oddly apt.

I've seen some excellent nurses in my time, and some crap ones. I always think that nurses come across as very very good at their job, or very bad. There isn't room for the in-between you get with most things.

The nurse I spoke to during my mmc was awful, even other nurses on another ward who spoke to her on the phone (I was on another ward waiting for her to ring me) commented on how rude she was, and that I should complain. Unfortunatley, I think for some nurses forget the sensitive nature of what they are talking to patients about, and it gets a bit 'laissez faire'. This nurse very much gave me the impression I was wasting her time wanting the results of my blood tests to find out if I might be having an ectopic pregnancy. Also, shrugged off my concerns with a 'whatever will be will be' attitude.

I fully acknowledge these nurses are in the minority though. My mum is a children's nurse, and I just could not do it.

Yes some are bad Nurses, but that applies to every job on the planet. I hope this isnt connencted to the general anti public sector/anti nurse thing going on particularly regarding forthcoming possible strike, "lets all talk about how bad Nurses are and how uncaring they are and they dont deserve their wages" type of thing.

YANBU, there are some who give the profession a bad name. If it's any consolation the good ones get annoyed with the horrible ones.

As a Nurse I would encourage any member of the public to report bad practice as well.