6 Pet Peeves All Nurses Would Understand

Nurses take care of people through the vomit, urine, and cursing without flinching. That patience still has a limit. Here are six things that test it.

1. When the patient doesn't get the pain scale

To gauge pain, you ask the patient to rate it from 0 to 10. The scale helps, but the behavior doesn't always match the number. The patient who rates his pain a 10 while laughing with his visitors is a familiar one.

2. When the patient thinks he owns you

Some patients confuse a hospital with a hotel. They'll ask for things well outside your job, like cleaning up after their relatives or running across the street for snacks. A reasonable request is one thing. That isn't it.

3. When coworkers complain instead of working

Whiny coworkers drag down the whole team's energy. The ones who burn the shift complaining are usually the same ones asking for help at the end because they never finished their own tasks.

4. When everyone treats you as a walking drug reference

Nurses know medications, so patients, friends, and relatives assume you have every answer, and some even ask you to write a prescription. Scope of practice varies by role and state, so stay inside yours and never hand out medication advice you are not authorized to give.

5. When a coworker walks off with your pen

For nurses, a pen is nearly as essential as a stethoscope. Some people never carry their own and borrow yours instead, then walk off with it. Doctors do it too, sometimes to another floor or another hospital entirely. Labeling your pens with your name starts to look reasonable.

6. When parents use nurses to threaten kids

We poke people with needles and make kids cry doing it, but that doesn't make us the villain. Parents who turn nurses into a threat plant a fear that makes every future visit harder, even a simple checkup.