To be fed up with the nurse-bashing going on here this weekend

[fledtoscotland]

Just that really.

Most of us are hard working people who do our best to remember everyone's name and not eat kettle chips when we should have a broom up our arses to ensure we don't slack

I just want to be treated with respect as I do my patients and do my job.

Thinking back.....not meaning to bang our own drum but maybe the fact that we took the time to thank each nurse as individuals contributed hugely to our experience. In the end they were calling us by name and likewise we took the time to ask about them, how they were, you know general friendly chat and smalltalk,but they loved it. We saw those nurses as human beings who were motivated by us engaging with them.

SoleSource calling people "vile" is typical of why people have a bad experience. I recognise that when people are ill, or in pain, they are distressed and maybe don't behave in the same way as when they are well, but it doesn't help to use such emotive language

I agree that most nurses are great, but there are definitely some very bad apples. When I was in the high dependency unit after having my son my catheter leaked and I was stripped naked and humiliated while my bed was changed. I was left unable to eat or drink as my table was taken away, and my buzzer and medication were deliberately left out of my reach. There were lovely people too, I will never forget the nurse who found me crying and sorted out a drink, a table and painkillers for me. So I wouldn't give a damn about a nurse eating crisps, but not every nurse is a saint either, no profession is free of bad eggs.

As has been said previously most nurses are great, & do a brilliant job in a woefully underfunded profession, but some are shocking and shouldn't be in a caring role in any way.

I've also had positive & negative experiences (I've a son with a lifelong condition), & unfortunately the negative experiences affect you so much more deeply. It does the nursing profession no favours to discount others negative experiences as simply nurse bashing. Sometimes they have a genuine point. In our case we did make an official complaint & my heart would sink if I saw that nurse anywhere near my child again.

YANBU.

I have read lots of posts on MN along the lines of 'today a did so all are .

These posts really annoy me because I strongly feel that professional A shouldn't get the blame for the actions of professional B.

Occasionally I don't even think what's been done is bad. When it is the anger and complaints should be directed at the individual or group of individuals who are guilty of bad practice.

I am really glad you nurses do what do you do.
Thank you.

I saw the threads mentioned. Most professions get slated as some point : feckin over paid police officers and their big pensions, teachers and tas and their end of term presents - "I hope they declare it for tax reasons", supermarket staff - "how very dare they wish me a pleasant day", cafe staff who tell small children to stop running.

I think if you do one of these jobs, you can feel a bit the world's against me - I'm a cleaner. Apparently on MN I'm overpaid, probably doing the double, using your intetnet while at work and nosying through your knickers and jewellery box

I've had sporadic contact with nursing staff and hospitals in general and have no complaints. Most nurses have been helpful, funny and reassauring. My husband had an emergency appendectomy last year and his care was fantastic.

I can't scroll back on the phone, but when I had my babies I always left in sweets, biscuits and a card for the staff.

YABU,because starting a thread asking whether nurses could think twice on one particular aspect of care is in no way 'nurse bashing', and if you read the thread you would see not only that there wasn't any bashing, but that several nurses agreed and some said they would indeed think twice about.

Nurses do a very good and useful job, and they care and work hard, but that doesn't mean they can never be questioned or reflect on anything. They're not actually ministering angels above criticism.

just for now, I have been a qualified nurse for nigh on 17 yrs now so 20 yrs including my training I,m sorry your relative and yourself had such a bad time for six yrs I worked on a dementia ward I cared about the patients I did all I could for them however I got told on numerous times I needed to stay out of the day room [and actually nurse] and get back in the office on the sodding computer blame managers and systems not me

Thanks and best wishes to all the wonderful nurses.

The sweetheart, darling complaints are just so petty.

I know grandparents who call all their GCs 'sweetheart' or 'darling' because they can't think or the name quick enough.
Names are often similiar, Susie, Sarah, Sandra sort of names.

justfornowitwilldo I am a nurse in a position of responsibility. I work tirelessly to ensure the very best care for the patients in my department. Basic patient care is not beneath me but, these days, trained nurses get so little chance to carry out "basic patient care" they are inundated with machines, paperwork, training etc. the basic care is often done by untrained staff. It is my job to ensure that my untrained staff work to the very highest standard and that every one of of our patients is treated as we would wish our relatives to be treated.

We carried out an anonymous survey in our department covering all aspects of the patients hospital visits and the nursing came out very highly with very few suggestions of things that could change and absolutely no complaints.

We try very hard and it is disheartening to see 'nurse bashing'

I'm sorry for you or anyone else who has had a bad experience.

Justkeeponsmiling

I stayed with my son while he died and washed and dressed his body and I really didn't need anyone patronising me throughout his death. So do be careful with that sweetheart, darling, lovey stuff. Thanks.

Justfornowitwilldo there is nothing anyone can, would or should say to make you feel better about that, that is the most disgusting thing I have ever read. I can assure you that would not ever happen where I work, that doesnt help you, I promise you every nurse I work with cares for loves and goes over and above for every single patient in their care. I am only a support worker, like Mammtj I have come to care later (6 months ago) so that i can make a difference, I love my job and come home from work every day grinning from ear to ear becasue I have made someone feel better, one kind word from a patient makes my day. I am sorry that your relative experienced that and I hope all the nurses and support workers responsible are strung up. Most of us would be as disgusted by this as you are.

Nurses do an insanely difficult and stressful job, I don't know how you do it. Some of my friends are nurses. One sat talkin to my grampa in the night time when he was dying, before she knew he was my grampa. When I had a colposcopy the nurse stood at my head, held my hand and wiped away my tears. Nurses do a great job and it's hardly their fault that they are chronically, severely under staffed - don't know why people can't see this.

I have been lucky enough to have been cared for by some wonderful nurses, and unlucky enough to have experienced some frighteningly neglectful treatment (having a nurse try to remove my drip needle, directly after changing another patient's bed pan without washing her hands in between was particularly special).

YANBU nurses deserve respect. Just because there are some awful ones doesn't give anyone the right to slate the whole profession. There are some awful employees in every profession.

My mate is a junior sister - the hours she works are insane. I'm full of respect as I couldn't do what she and her team do every day in a million years!

When DS1 was small he was in a horrible accident and spent quite a time in hospital. The staff were brilliant. People called him Sweetie/ Love etc and I didn't give a monkeys because they were just being kind. We bought a huge box of biscuits in on his last day there and I hope everyone on the ward dug in.

Some people don't realize what a fantastic thing the NHS is. Ignore them!

So, looking at JustForNows post.

What would be the reason for a patient being left half changed & exposed like that?

YANBU

thank you to the nurses to for little pay work horrible shifts, miss x-mas, birthdays weddings etc, clean up other peoples crap with compassion or care whilst being managed by pen pushers who are more worried about making profits

not sure why they (who give up a lot more of their lives) seem to be scapegoated more than even the bankers that got us into this mess

I'm a nurse myself and have been looked after by some vile nurses in the past so I know that all nurses are not angels but its so unfair that the few nasty ones out there give the rest of us such a bad name. every nurse I know loves their jobs and cares so much about their patients. there needs to be a change though so thst its easier for managers to get rid of bad nurses who shame the profession and ruin the name of the nurses who do a damn good job, who miss their breaks. get home late every day and who put patients first.

Oh this has actually made me really cross now... nurses aren't untouchable: the defensiveness in wilfully interpreting the sweetheart thread as 'nurse bashing', and thereby refusing to reflect on it, refusing to acknowledge that maybe, for some people, doing that might actually make them feel uncomfortable and unhappy, is actually worrying.

So if I said to the nurses doing it, 'thanks for everything you're doing - just a quick word: he'd never dream of saying so, but I think my grandad would really rather be called Mr Nit and is a bit awkward with 'darl' etc', those nurses would all think 'how petty, get a grip ffs, bloody nurse basher'?

Because if so, that is crap, to be honest.

This week nurse bashing, last week teacher bashing, soon enough we will be back to social worker bashing.

It remains true that in all professions you will find hard working and fantastic people willing to go the extra mile, and you will find lazy, incompetent people for don't give a shit.

If people posting on here would only realise that the rubbish treatment they got at the hands of one professional does not necessarily extend to that whole profession.

I have no problem with people posting about individual treatment - just don't tar everyone with the same brush.

If I could turn back time I would be a nurse. I feel like it was what I was born to do (corny I know)

Now I am 32 years old with five children, two with sn's I just don't think I could do all the training at this point in my life.

It makes me sad.

But who actually has made general comments about the nursing profession generally? I can think of one poster on the kettle chips thread who did - the only other generalizations I've seen have been
a) nurses are hard working caring loving individuals (because I, a nurse, am)
b) anyone who makes any observation about any aspect of anything nurses do that isn't adulatory is a 'nurse basher'.

Trouble is. there's always going to be good and bad in every profession, and the 'bad' is more interesting and controversial.

Personally, I've had fantastic care from nurses and midwives.
My DiL has had fantastic care from nurses and midwives. And some pretty poor care from midwives too.

My father had dreadful care when he was dying, from ward staff, but brilliant care from agency nurses (who usually get a bad press).

I have no issue with being called love or sweetheart or whatever if I'm poorly, though, conversely, don't use my first name unless you ask first. I'm quite happy to give you the same respect back - I like a certain level of formality and 'professionalism', it is reassuring.
It was awful hearing my father, a very old-fashioned, traditional lawyer who was never called by his first name by his staff, having it used by a staff member young enough to be his grand-daughter. He hated it.

Things do need to improve - less money spent on management and more on the front line. Nurses shouldn't need to eat on the wards - there should be enough staff that they can take a proper break. It's inhuman to expect them to do the job they do without one.

But people chose to be nurses. Lots of people work shifts, have unsociable hours, work overtime paid and unpaid, work public and bank holidays. I'm not sure nurses deserve more respect than other professions simply for being a nurse.

Nobody should be denigrated, spoken to with disrespect, under valued in their job, no matter whether it's nursing, policing, teaching, banking, cleaning, working in a shop, stacking shelves, telesales, plumbers .....

The vast majority of nursing staff I've encountered have been great but there is an over defensiveness that creeps in should you speak about a bad experience.

I have no huge issue with being called any "pet" name but my 86 year old Nana hates it, it would upset her.

Samu2 one of my best friends is the same age as you with 4 children and is currently in her first year training