6 Things that Annoy Nurses (that patients do)

These are the 6 things that annoy nurses, that patients do. So if you are reading this, next time you see a nurse, first of all, thank them. Secondly, don’t do these things 😂. These are in no particular order, they are just things that I have heard nurses talk about over my career.

1. Telling us how to do our job.

Honestly, I am sure you have googled your symptoms but seriously I have gone to school for nursing and I might know things that you don’t. This especially goes for other medical professionals. I don’t care if you are a CNA, LPN, RN, CRNP, MD or any other acronym. If you are under my care, you are in my specialty I happen to know a lot about my specialty. So please don’t tell me how to do my job. Also, nursing is so specific to even the facility you are in. Chances are if you are in the same specialty you still are not correct in your assumptions of how I should, or should not do my job.

2. Giving us a hard time during a procedure.

From blood pressure to injections you make the task inordinately longer if you give us a hard time. If a child is scared of getting shots it is perfectly normal and expected. If you are a 400-pound man that chooses to get an injection for his health, please don’t start yelling at me about how big the needle is. The size and gauge of the needle have to do with the medication’s viscosity and route of absorption. It’s not because I just want to be mean. 

3. Save the drama! 

I am sure you are in pain when you stub your toe, but it is not 10 out of 10 pain. Also! You don’t have cancer because you have a tummy ache. I partially blame the internet for this, it leads to a lot of misinformed hysteria. Entitlement is also a part of the problem I believe. If the person next to you is having trouble breathing, they are going to be taken care of before your stubbed toe. I am sorry, that’s just the way it is. You moaning and hollering that your toe hurts will not make me work any faster with the first person.

4. Wanting to speak to the doctor for every little thing.

First off, nurses know a lot. At times we know more than doctors, especially when they are new. So you asking to speak to the doctor every 5 seconds is really not going to help you. Most questions are things that we are aware of and are able to answer. The doctor is busy seeing people or is actually not there at the moment so it would behoove you to actually just ask the nurse. Or else you will be waiting a while to have it answered. Another thing that goes along with this is it won’t change the answer from what I have told you. For example, if I tell you, you cannot get a certain medication because you are too sedate, he is going to say the same thing. Yelling will not help.

5. Not following directions, then not getting better.

I can’t tell you how incredibly frustrating this is. Nurses spend a lot of time with a patient going over medications what they are for, how to properly take them, and how it goes with your disease process. To have you come back later and give us an excuse about how you didn’t have the time or can’t take care of yourself. Somehow this turns into our fault.

We understand that disease processes are hard. I personally could not be a “good” diabetic. I love carbs too much. But, I am also not the reason why you are having your foot amputated. Things might be improving, though. Industry veteran Tailor Made Compounding Pharmacy says that telehealth is expanding and patients are now able to get encouragement and advice from home on the drugs they should be taking and how often. Sure, it means logging into a computer, but that’s better than struggling with diabetic complications or having a heart attack!

6. Telling us we don’t care.

This is one of my personal pet peeves. I work in drug and alcohol because I care about mental health and addiction. The subject has touched me personally on both subjects. I could be working in a different field I am less passionate about and getting paid much better with a lot less grief. I work in this field because I want to share my experience, strength, and hope. So that one day when you are ready you can see the crazy nurse in detox was right. You can get better, you can do this, and you deserve to live a better life. People often accuse me of this when I am enforcing a rule or refusing to give a larger dose of a medication prescribed etc. It doesn’t make me change my answer and it will just annoy me.

So, if you do some of these things don’t worry too much. We will give you the same care as anyone else, but we are human and we do have feelings. So don’t expect us to be happy with you if you do one of these things. The best thing about being human is being able to make mistakes and change our actions in the future. So next time just try to do something different. We will appreciate the growth and effort.

Until next time!