3 things your nursing team is dying to tell you

Some things just get under your skin. Call them habits, quirks, idiosyncrasies, or just plain annoyances–we all have them. Better yet, our coworkers have them!

It doesn’t matter which floor or unit you work on, it doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have, and it doesn’t matter what shift you are working. There is at least one coworker we all have worked with or crossed paths with that possess some of these.

Nothing breaks down a team quicker than passive aggressive “quirks.” Here are some things your coworkers are dying to tell you:

There is a difference between delegation and flat-out shirking your duties 

Ever have that coworker who just doesn’t posses any time management skills? Or one who decides he or she doesn’t want to do something? So he or she polishes it up to look like great team work dynamics. “Let’s delegate to the unlicensed professional all the duties I don’t like to do. Better yet, since I’m bad at starting IVs, how about I just wait to the last minute and beg for help, instead of just trying myself!”

Stop pawning off the “dirty” duties 

When you ask for assistance in a room and your patient just exercised his or her bathroom privileges, STOP passively getting us to do the dirty work. No, no, no, I’ll be more than happy to hold during the turn. Besides, the last time I checked, this is your patient, and part of our responsibility is to assess and reassess. Can’t do a whole lot of assessing from the wrong side. Grr.

Taking the wheel is okay, but it’s not a permanent job 

Transporting patients is no easy task, ever. Whether it’s in a cart or a bed, pushing and pulling it is tough enough. Now add some transfusing IVs, multiple drains, tube feedings and possibly mechanical ventilation and you have an entirely different animal. Navigating down halls, in the elevator and through doorways requires a great deal of ingenuity, but it also requires a great deal of physical labor. The steering portion of this entourage is usually the least taxing. Do us a favor and be sure to have your hands full and take on the brunt of the labor some of the time.

In the end there are a TON of things that we do and see that irk us. For the most part, we can brush them off and keep moving forward, but every once in a while we need that give-and-take. Be sure to put yourself in your coworkers’ shoes the next time you need your team. You’ll be thankful you did!