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Nurses hear it all: The good, the bad, and the (very, very!) ugly. From pushy patients to bossy doctors, nurses handle it all with grace. But there are some things that can get under the most tolerant nurse’s skin.

NursingLink talked to healthcare professionals, one another and (of course!) nurses to find out what phrases or questions were most irritating. Ever felt like strangling someone with your stethoscope? Then you probably heard one of these 10 things.

10. “Helloooooo, Nurse!”

You’re not an object to be fawned over. You’re saving lives here! You don’t have time to be ogled. Luckily, younger generations probably have never heard the phrase, so you can hope that it will be phased out soon.

Okay. We get it. We’ve all seen the cartoons with the buxom nurse who is swooned over by a wolf, or a man, or an Animaniacs character. It wasn’t funny or original the first dozen times you heard it, and it certainly hasn’t made a positive impact 10 years later.

9. “Do You Only Date Doctors?”

Puh-lease. Anyone who has actually spent any time around a doctor knows that dating one is next to impossible. Crazy hours. Constant stress. Big egos. Who wants to put up with that? Plus, everyone knows you shouldn’t “dip your pen in the company ink.” Spending 12-plus hours with someone can make you form an incredibly close bond, but that doesn’t mean your coworkers will make the best significant others.

Anyone who asks a nurse this is clearly watching too much Grey’s Anatomy and needs their head examined.

8. “C’mon. Nursing is Just Like on TV!”

What were we just saying about people who watch too much Grey’s Anatomy? While medical shows are a great form of entertainment – tons of nurses watch them, too – that doesn’t mean they are an accurate portrayal of when hospital life is like. Nursing organizations have even taken up arms against nurse-centered shows like Nurse Jackie and HawthoRNe. Prior to these shows, nurses were almost never the focus of a medical TV show. Nurses were merely in the background emptying bedpans or taking orders.

But we know the truth. Nurses are the foundation of any good health system. They don’t have time to be the center of attention because they are always cleaning up a (metaphorical) mess a doctor has left!

7. “Nurses Take Orders From Doctors”

Nurses work alongside other nurses. They report to other nurses. They belong to organizations and unions just for nurses. Edie Falco of Nurse Jackie put it perfectly when she said “Doctors diagnose. Nurses save lives.” When it comes down to it, nurses are the ones in the trenches. Because they spend the most time with patients, they can be counted on to know when something is wrong or if a patient has made any progress.

Doctors and nurses may work side-by-side, but nurses are responsible for nurses.

6. “What’s Taking So Long?!”

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Patients depend on nurses to keep their healthcare experience a positive one. But we all know that things can get hectic in the medical field. Emergencies and unpredictable accidents can happen on a daily basis which means patients may not always be seen when they thought they would.

Having a patient gripe at you and ask “What’s taking so long?!” can be irritating, especially if you are trying your hardest to make sure everyone is taken care of. It’s in stressful situations like this that it’s sometimes easier to snap instead of calmly explain that you are doing your best.
And the top FIVE (drumroll please)…

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The hospital can be a political minefield. While you may work as a team, you’re all most concerned with your own job, right? How your supervisor sees you can determine a raise, a promotion — or even if you keep your job. Navigating hospital politics is not an easy task, but avoiding potentially negative situations should be your first priority.

If you find yourself trapped in one of these situations, you need to know how to best defuse it with minimal damage to your professional nursing reputation. Here are some tips on how to get out of five of the most common hospital minefields.

1.  In the Middle of an Hospital Argument

Whether a coworker is ranting at you about her boss or you get caught right in the middle of a shouting match, the best thing to do is keep your mouth shut. Taking sides in a situation like this can only lead to trouble. If another nurse is just venting to you (especially about a problematic patient), be empathetic but don’t agree. You never know who is going to be promoted, and you don’t want to be on the bad side of your new manager. Similarly, if an argument is raging around you, resist the temptation to join. In inter-personal battles, nobody wins.

2.  Assigned a Patient You Can’t Handle

You never want to tell your boss that you can’t take care of a patient, but if she assigns you something outside of your working knowledge, what are your options? Ask for help! Nursing is a team effort, and that means relying on your coworkers in times like these. Suck it up and ask for an extra hand in dealing with your problem patient. And remember to return the favor! Don’t be afraid to ask to switch patients if the situation is getting out of hand. It happens to the best of us! You have the resources to complete any task inside you, you just need to not panic and keep a calm head.

You’re in trouble –>

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Celebrities. We love to hate them. We also love to watch their every move, laugh at their mistakes and scrutinize their decisions.

Like them or not, their celebrity status means not only have they achieved career success, they’ve also got a hell of a lot to lose. And sometimes, whatever actions have helped catapult them to fame or rendered them B-list can provide valuable lessons for the careers of regular nurses like you and me.

Here are 20 career dos and dont’s from celebrities. Yes, some lessons are good, some are bad. And some are just plain ridiculous.

#1: Madonna

Lesson: Reinvent yourself often. Always stay fresh and relevant.

Never one to let things get stale, Madonna has reinvented herself over and over again since she first stepped into the spotlight in the mid 80s.

There was the virgin, the “material girl,” the Evita era, and her disco-fabulous look and sound of 2005. She’s had as many new looks as she has albums and always manages to stay fresh and relevant. Reinvention is so central to her career, she named a tour after it. And 30+ years after her debut, she still manages to be at the forefront of the global music industry.

Elaborate personal transformations may not be realistic (or helpful) for mere mortals. But there’s a lesson to be learned from this pop icon. In order to thrive in a rapidly changing economy, it’s important to stay fresh, keep your skills up to date and be adaptable to new directions in your career. Consider going back to nursing school to up your credentials, or channel your years of experience in a new way and become a nurse educator.

#2: Christian Bale →

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The nursing profession has patiently endured some of the most defining stereotypes – many of them gender-related. From typecasting this career of care as female-only to belittling nurses as wannabe doctors, there are few mistruths nurses haven’t heard.

Some of these traditional stereotypes may have been true once upon a time. But like most stereotypes, most of these ideas are outdated and silly.

Take a look at our roundup of common nursing stereotypes and laugh with us!

Stereotype #1 –>

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It’s time for the reality check. America is in a recession and nursing jobs are fewer while competition is greater. It takes even more hustle, dedication and tenacity to land a job today than it did for your parents.

Having a degree isn’t always enough and, sorry to break it to you, you aren’t likely to get your dream job right out of nursing school. While that may be disappointing, it also allows you to clarify your expectations and set realistic goals. Here are five things you’ll need to give up – or compromises you’ll have to make – to land your first entry-level nursing job. If you follow our advice and keep on building your professional credentials, you’ll be able to more effectively network, interview, and succeed in the job you are eventually offered.

#1: The Dream Job… –>

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“Everybody lies.”

That’s the mantra of Dr. Gregory House, and it’s not just true on a fictional drama like House. Are your patients lying to you? As a nurse, you’ve come across your fair share of fibbing cases, and you know some patients will go to great lengths to cover up something they don’t want you to know.

Fortunately, nurses are seasoned pros in sniffing out the truth. You’re trained to phrase questions in a specific way and remain non-judgmental, no matter how crazy a patient’s story may be. Patients who lie, cheat and mislead their way around you are nothing new. The famous physician, Hippocrates, told his students that patients often lied when talking about their meds, and that was way back in 400 B.C.!

The only thing that varies is what they lie about. Check out our list of common things patients won’t tell you, no matter what.

Your patient won’t tell you…

…How Much it Hurts

Pain is one of our most acute sensations; it’s one of the first symptoms people recognize when something is wrong. Some patients will pull Oscar-worthy performances when it comes to pain just to get a dose of Vicodin, while others dismiss the sensation entirely. Of course, you know to be aware of drug-seeking behavior, and to think twice about hopping a patient up on morphine. No pain, no gain.

WHAT happened? –>

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Passing the NCLEX exam is one of the most important steps en route to becoming a nurse.

Use this quiz (third in the series) as a study guide to see how you would fare on the real test.

Here are first and second quizzes in this series.


Please go to Would you pass the NCLEX? Part III to view the quiz

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All workplaces have people that you might not get along with. Hospitals and care centers are no different. The only difference is the stress levels can be even higher because you’re dealing with actual life and death situations.

For nurses who already have their hands full with multiple patients, long shifts and the inevitable unexpected situations, the last thing they need is a coworker browbeating them. However, for nurses who deal with overbearing doctors, it can be a common occurrence. While most physicians are excellent at their jobs and conduct themselves in a cordial and professional manner, there are some out there who take the whole “God complex” thing seriously. And these docs can be extremely difficult to work with.

So how do you deal with a doctor who treats you as an intellectual inferior, bosses you around like a child, or is just flat out mean? While every situation and doctor is different, here are a few tips that can help you when an overbearing doctor makes your work life toxic.

Don’t Get Emotional –>

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As people are staying healthier longer, many workers are choosing to remain in the workplace well into their 50s, 60s and 70s. What does this mean? That more and more, seasoned workers are working alongside fresh-faced college grads. This is equally true in our field, where each year tens of thousands of new nurses join seasoned nurses who have been in their careers for decades.

With this generational gap among health care workers widening, there’s a lot of potential for miscommunication or differing perspectives. Though you may absolutely deny that you have any preconceived notions about certain people, let’s face it — stereotypes are a reality in our culture whether we like it or not.

To ease relations between older and younger nurses, here are six things never to say to an older coworker and six things to never say to a younger coworker. Some of these may seem obvious, but you’ll be surprised to hear how many people have actually been asked these types of questions. So whatever you do, don’t say these 12 things!

1.  “Do you know how to use email?”
2.  “I didn’t know you were so old.”
3.  “So are you planning to retire soon?”
4.  “My grandpa gave me that same advice.”
5.  “You’re going back to school?”
6.  “There were some last minute changes.  Will that be too much to handle?”
7.  “Are you the new intern?”
8.  “You sound just like my son/daughter.”
9.  “How old are you?”
10. “Considering this is your first job, you probably wouldn’t understand.”
11.  “When I was your age…”
12.  “The real world doesn’t work like that.”

Read More —>