disrespectful hospital nurses.....oh I am so mad

[ChinaDoll]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

It is just something that happened over the weekend that really pissed me off and made me think about transferring to another department..

I was going to volunteer at the ER yesterday as usual...I got some questions in my head that I need to ask the person (director) I usually deal with in the ER...When I went to his office, he was not there and two nurses were talking to each other in his office(???)...So I approached them and politely asked where the person was...
One nurse looked at me and said he was not there and if I had any questions...I said yes...
So the nurse said " what do u need to ask?"
I explained part of the question (about some of my duties and concerns)
The nurse replied " Well I dont know but do u want to ask someone else?"
I said "No, I will ask when I come next week."
Then the nurse gave me this weird look and repeatedly asked twice " Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else???? Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else?" (second time much louder than the first time..)
I was just wondering maybe she didnt hear my answer so I said no again...and I said thank you and bye and started walking out...

Just at that time, I heard the nurse told the other nurse "Well, I think the hospital should get rid of these ******s (I am not exaggerating, she said ******) once and for all..Like we Really need them here..." and both of them started laughing...I could not believe she just said that...

I was so mad and I cant stop thinking about it...😡
I know they are so full of themselves and think our volunteers know nothing...I expect neither an award nor a trophy from them...but a little respect would be nice...for the time we committ to the hospital and all the work we have done for them...for who we are and what we do...

something like this ever happened to you guys???

 

[harrothere]

When I volunteer at MGH they make me wear a pink jacket... Respect may be asking a bit much. Some common decency is what you should expect from the staff. It sounds like just a few bad apples.

 

[235009]

are you a girl or a guy?

i wonder what your question about your "duties and concerns" actually was ...i think it might shed some light on what happened.

also i find it shocking that you didn't have the balls to go back in there and tell them off when you heard them call you a "******". i mean sure you are only a volunteer but that doesn't give them the right to completely disrespect you like that.

i'm still curious as to what your questions were....that could change my opinion of what happened significantly

 

[redlight]

lmao, no that's never happened to me. i wouldn't take it personally if i were you. it seems as though there was some miscommunication and she thinks you are slow... im betting she was just trying to be funny and look cool infront of her friend haha. it was a rude comment for sure, but if you didnt stick up for yourself then, let it go. resolve the situation next time if it happens again (id confront her calmly and respectfully, asking why she made that comment, and if that was due to the miscommunication).

 

[Concubine]

It is just something that happened over the weekend that really pissed me off and made me think about transferring to another department..

I was going to volunteer at the ER yesterday as usual...I got some questions in my head that I need to ask the person (director) I usually deal with in the ER...When I went to his office, he was not there and two nurses were talking to each other in his office(???)...So I approached them and politely asked where the person was...
One nurse looked at me and said he was not there and if I had any questions...I said yes...
So the nurse said " what do u need to ask?"
I explained part of the question (about some of my duties and concerns)
The nurse replied " Well I dont know but do u want to ask someone else?"
I said "No, I will ask when I come next week."
Then the nurse gave me this weird look and repeatedly asked twice " Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else???? Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else?" (second time much louder than the first time..)
I was just wondering maybe she didnt hear my answer so I said no again...and I said thank you and bye and started walking out...

Just at that time, I heard the nurse told the other nurse "Well, I think the hospital should get rid of these ******s (I am not exaggerating, she said ******) once and for all..Like we Really need them here..." and both of them started laughing...I could not believe she just said that...

I was so mad and I cant stop thinking about it...😡
I know they are so full of themselves and think our volunteers know nothing...I expect neither an award nor a trophy from them...but a little respect would be nice...for the time we committ to the hospital and all the work we have done for them...for who we are and what we do...

something like this ever happened to you guys???

Sounds pretty unprofessional. Volunteers actually contribute a lot. Does your hospital have a volunteer coordinator or someone that oversees volunteers throughout the hospital? If so, I would approach them and let them take care of it. They usually have good ties and can make life very uncomfortable for the nurse.

 

[wangdoodle18]

Don't take this stuff personally. You can never tell if the nurse just had a bad day and she is actually a decent human being or if she is just an ***hole and loves to talk about people behind their backs. Believe me, this isolated incident will be insignificant with the abuse that is heaped on you when you get into medical school and residency.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Dealing with grumpy RNs is as much a part of becoming a doctor as learning how to dose antibiotics unfortunately.

Their profession is largely exempt from behavior modification except in the cases of the most gross offenses. I don't know why this is but it happens everywhere. As you become a med student and resident the only possible approach is to be firm, polite, professional, and NEVER get into a confrontation with an RN.

I actually think that speaks volumes about the professionalism of nursing in general. No one ever says that you can't confront a fellow resident. We have spats and arguments frequently but at the end of the day most of us are able to get over it, realize that we have a stressful job, and keep moving forward with patient care.

 

[dr zaius]

Sounds pretty unprofessional. Volunteers actually contribute a lot. Does your hospital have a volunteer coordinator or someone that oversees volunteers throughout the hospital? If so, I would approach them and let them take care of it. They usually have good ties and can make life very uncomfortable for the nurse.

Personally, I wouldn't do this. It seems like it would make your time in the ER more tense. The moment has passed. I would try and forget about it. Prove them wrong by working incredibly hard and making their jobs easier. Then they'll see that you are not a "******," and that volunteers do serve a purpose.

 

[DrYoda]

Personally, I wouldn't do this. It seems like it would make your time in the ER more tense. The moment has passed. I would try and forget about it. Prove them wrong by working incredibly hard and making their jobs easier. Then they'll see that you are not a "******," and that volunteers do serve a purpose.

Agreed. There isn't anything to gain from rocking the boat.

 

[DrReo]

When I volunteer at MGH they make me wear a pink jacket... Respect may be asking a bit much. Some common decency is what you should expect from the staff. It sounds like just a few bad apples.

Is this so they do not hit you with an incoming stretcher/bed?

 

[Pinkertinkle]

ya get used to it

 

[NoLongerALurker]

I had several experiences like the one you just mentioned when I volunteered in an ER and many many more at my current job (clinical research coordinator). Sadly, there are a lot of RNs out there that love power trips. You will develop a tough skin after awhile. I actually brought up a couple of instances in med school interviews and how I dealt with them and I think it served me well. Turn a negative experience into a positive.

 

[Slowpoke]

wow, I just recently had an encounter with an ER tech that was on a power trip - I know exactly how belittled you feel.

But fwiw, you can't really expect to run into nice people all the time. Learn to let situations like this to roll off your shoulder, the more you don't care, the better off you will be.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

nurses suck that's why they get disrespected by the docs, except in the OR those nurses are extremely friendly/ nice.

 

[Crazyday]

Just pretend it never happened. Maybe she was having a bad day, maybe she is a bitch, does it matter either way? You're there to volunteer and get some clinical experience, not fight nurses.

If she ever says anything to your face or acts derisive towards you, just smile at her in a "oh that's cute" face and move on.

 

[supergumbo]

Well, I dunno about the ER (although I volunteered in one and the people were nice enough) but I've worked as a medical assistant in a Pediatric office for two summers and there were one or two bad apples. The rest of the nurses were pretty nice though. I think you just ran into the wrong people. Then again I was working for my dad (who was the Pediatrician) so the nurses probably didn't want to mess with me haha.

 

[supergumbo]

Just pretend it never happened. Maybe she was having a bad day, maybe she is a bitch, does it matter either way? You're there to volunteer and get some clinical experience, not fight nurses.

If she ever says anything to your face or acts derisive towards you, just smile at her in a "oh that's cute" face and move on.

I think it's embarrassing when nurses have to go on a power trip on freakin' volunteers. I'd definitely try to make the nurse feel pathetic for it.

 

[Crazyday]

I think it's embarrassing when nurses have to go on a power trip on freakin' volunteers. I'd definitely try to make the nurse feel pathetic for it.

The smile will piss her off more than anything you can say. While she may not hold the keys to your career as a volunteer, as a med student they definitely will. Fighting back with her is playing right into her game.

You can't fight someone who won't fight back.

 

[Dissected]

nurses suck that's why they get disrespected by the docs, except in the OR those nurses are extremely friendly/ nice.

I've actually found this to be true too. Wonder why?

 

[Dapper Dan]

I'm betting they were fat and/or extremely ugly. Nurses that are cute are usually pretty nice and have good attitudes. It's the ugly bitches that tend to be bitter and pissy...

 

[buju]

Just don't worry too much about it. I haven't had anyone call me a ****** yet but there are times when I felt I was being disrespected, especially by the nurses. Most of them don't bother to even talk to you. It is the support workers that are always willing to help you and let you do things. There were times where I felt like **** in the ER, walking around doing absolutely nothing. I can only imagine how the nurses will treat us in during residency.

I guess you can use this instance to talk about something interesting in your interview and how you reacted to it.

The person that said that you should have confronted the nurse. If this wasn't a hospital, I would have.

Oh and maybe a few of these bitter nurses are med school rejects.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

I've actually found this to be true too. Wonder why?

idk but they are always nice to me and they don't have to be, but everywhere else besides the OR the nurses blow

 

[supergumbo]

idk but they are always nice to me and they don't have to be, but everywhere else besides the OR the nurses blow

My guess is there is more stress in an ER or non-OR setting? But yeah, my experiences have been with OR nurses and most have been very nice.

 

[MaryLennox]

Dealing with grumpy RNs is as much a part of becoming a doctor as learning how to dose antibiotics unfortunately.

That's pretty much what I was gonna say. During the short time when I worked in an OR- don't get me wrong, there were a few awesome nurses. And they pretty much ran the show. The rest were gossipy, complainy, petty, condescending, you name it. Like an overgrown clique of high schoolers. (And you all are saying OR's are the best, so I am not looking forward to meeting emergency nurses . . . lol.) anyway i don't want to generalize about nurses, as rude as some of them have been to me there have been just as many who were practically saints. they have a hard job and are probably underappreciated a lot, whereas others may be on a power trip. who knows.

I mean it's pretty much like any other job. There will be people who are like that, so you just gotta suck it up and be the better person. Don't let them get to you. There will always be people who don't like you for whatever reason, so the thicker your skin is, the better.

 

[Terpskins99]

Dealing with grumpy RNs is as much a part of becoming a doctor as learning how to dose antibiotics unfortunately.

Their profession is largely exempt from behavior modification except in the cases of the most gross offenses. I don't know why this is but it happens everywhere. As you become a med student and resident the only possible approach is to be firm, polite, professional, and NEVER get into a confrontation with an RN.

I actually think that speaks volumes about the professionalism of nursing in general. No one ever says that you can't confront a fellow resident. We have spats and arguments frequently but at the end of the day most of us are able to get over it, realize that we have a stressful job, and keep moving forward with patient care.

That said, the OP was only a volunteer. And thus, totally justified in vagina punching that nurse.

Food for thought, guys. Get your licks in while you still can. 👍

 

[Concubine]

Personally, I wouldn't do this. It seems like it would make your time in the ER more tense. The moment has passed. I would try and forget about it. Prove them wrong by working incredibly hard and making their jobs easier. Then they'll see that you are not a "******," and that volunteers do serve a purpose.

Yeah, I would agree with you to some degree if it wasn't a volunteering position, but in this case, who cares? If it gets too uncomfortable, quit. Its not like volunteer positions are hard to come by. In my opinion, if you are willing to volunteer your own time to help out in the ER, the least you deserve is some respect.

 

[vette2k10]

Dealing with grumpy RNs is as much a part of becoming a doctor as learning how to dose antibiotics unfortunately.

Their profession is largely exempt from behavior modification except in the cases of the most gross offenses. I don't know why this is but it happens everywhere. As you become a med student and resident the only possible approach is to be firm, polite, professional, and NEVER get into a confrontation with an RN.

I actually think that speaks volumes about the professionalism of nursing in general. No one ever says that you can't confront a fellow resident. We have spats and arguments frequently but at the end of the day most of us are able to get over it, realize that we have a stressful job, and keep moving forward with patient care.

So i'm confused, can nurses really screw you over as a med student and even resident. What could they possibly do? I didn't know that they were higher up on the food chain than residents

 

[Concubine]

That said, the OP was only a volunteer. And thus, totally justified in vagina punching that nurse.

Food for thought, guys. Get your licks in while you still can. 👍

Exactly. If you don't have to put up with that ****, don't. Once your a medical student, things will be different: the nurse will have a lot more power over you, so pulling something like this might not be the smartest move.

 

[JPmamd09]

So i'm confused, can nurses really screw you over as a med student and even resident. What could they possibly do? I didn't know that they were higher up on the food chain than residents

Many people tell stories about a resident being disrespectful or in some other way rude to a nurse (or occasionally becoming a target for some other reason), which results in the nursing staff paging said resident over and over during call nights for silly questions (for example, "Can Mr X have a glass of water?" when the orders clearly state he is on a clear diet). Not being a resident myself I can't say I've had that experience.

As a med student I encountered the whole gamut of nurses from super nice and helpful to just plain mean. It's like any other profession - some people are nice and some are not so nice. In defense of some nurses who are occasionally crabby, I know I sometimes would forget that what they're doing is their job and most of them have been doing it for a really really long time. Then every month or so, a whole new group of med students waltzes in (some of whom aren't so nice themselves) and sometimes I imagine nurses feel like we're getting in the way of their jobs. In addition, nurses can be just as possessive of their patients as we are (especially OB nurses), so when someone else tries to get up in the mix it's somewhat disconcerting.

That being said, I've had my @$$ handed to me by nursing staff from time to time for no particular reason. Some people just suck. However, most of the time I'd try to be humble and let the nurses know that I respected their knowledge and needed their help, especially when getting acclimated to a rotation. And in return, the nurses were often kind, helpful, and even good teachers.

As far as what happened to the OP, that sucks. Really unprofessional. Sadly, you'll encounter all sorts of healthcare professionals who may pull stunts like that, from CNAs up to attending physicians. Keep your head up, try to use it as motivation, and if you don't feel comfortable working around them you could consider trying a different department if that's possible. Good luck to you!

 

[scottyT]

It is just something that happened over the weekend that really pissed me off and made me think about transferring to another department..

I was going to volunteer at the ER yesterday as usual...I got some questions in my head that I need to ask the person (director) I usually deal with in the ER...When I went to his office, he was not there and two nurses were talking to each other in his office(???)...So I approached them and politely asked where the person was...
One nurse looked at me and said he was not there and if I had any questions...I said yes...
So the nurse said " what do u need to ask?"
I explained part of the question (about some of my duties and concerns)
The nurse replied " Well I dont know but do u want to ask someone else?"
I said "No, I will ask when I come next week."
Then the nurse gave me this weird look and repeatedly asked twice " Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else???? Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else?" (second time much louder than the first time..)
I was just wondering maybe she didnt hear my answer so I said no again...and I said thank you and bye and started walking out...

Just at that time, I heard the nurse told the other nurse "Well, I think the hospital should get rid of these ******s (I am not exaggerating, she said ******) once and for all..Like we Really need them here..." and both of them started laughing...I could not believe she just said that...

I was so mad and I cant stop thinking about it...😡
I know they are so full of themselves and think our volunteers know nothing...I expect neither an award nor a trophy from them...but a little respect would be nice...for the time we committ to the hospital and all the work we have done for them...for who we are and what we do...

something like this ever happened to you guys???

Life is too short to be petty or pay these people any attention. I got into a pretty big confrontation with a RN once. Although I made her feel like a jackass and "proved" my point, I felt pretty stupid about stooping to that level and wasn't sure what--if anything--I accomplished.

Just work hard at your volunteer gig and forget about it. Bring doughnuts next time; they will love you for it.

 

[Food]

It is just something that happened over the weekend that really pissed me off and made me think about transferring to another department..

I was going to volunteer at the ER yesterday as usual...I got some questions in my head that I need to ask the person (director) I usually deal with in the ER...When I went to his office, he was not there and two nurses were talking to each other in his office(???)...So I approached them and politely asked where the person was...
One nurse looked at me and said he was not there and if I had any questions...I said yes...
So the nurse said " what do u need to ask?"
I explained part of the question (about some of my duties and concerns)
The nurse replied " Well I dont know but do u want to ask someone else?"
I said "No, I will ask when I come next week."
Then the nurse gave me this weird look and repeatedly asked twice " Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else???? Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else?" (second time much louder than the first time..)
I was just wondering maybe she didnt hear my answer so I said no again...and I said thank you and bye and started walking out...

Just at that time, I heard the nurse told the other nurse "Well, I think the hospital should get rid of these ******s (I am not exaggerating, she said ******) once and for all..Like we Really need them here..." and both of them started laughing...I could not believe she just said that...

I was so mad and I cant stop thinking about it...😡
I know they are so full of themselves and think our volunteers know nothing...I expect neither an award nor a trophy from them...but a little respect would be nice...for the time we committ to the hospital and all the work we have done for them...for who we are and what we do...

something like this ever happened to you guys???

Hahahhahahahahhaa. This has to be the funniest thing I've read all day. Literally, you have just brightened my day with that bit about the "******s". LOL. I'm so sorry though that really sucks🙁

 

[circulus vitios]

What kind of a miserable bitch gets off on insulting volunteers? It's like punching a baby in the face.

 

[Fakesmile]

What kind of a miserable bitch gets off on insulting volunteers? It's like punching a baby in the face.

Exactly. Print a copy of this thread and all the posts in it and give it to the nurse for her to read it.
Also tell your volunteer coordinator about it so that she will be in trouble and eventually get fired.

 

[Food]

To be fair though - I've volunteered at a number of different hospitals. The Nurses and staff I've worked with have always been amazingly nice to me. They would often just let me sit in a corner and study and not do any work at all.

 

[wongb18c]

It is just something that happened over the weekend that really pissed me off and made me think about transferring to another department..

I was going to volunteer at the ER yesterday as usual...I got some questions in my head that I need to ask the person (director) I usually deal with in the ER...When I went to his office, he was not there and two nurses were talking to each other in his office(???)...So I approached them and politely asked where the person was...
One nurse looked at me and said he was not there and if I had any questions...I said yes...
So the nurse said " what do u need to ask?"
I explained part of the question (about some of my duties and concerns)
The nurse replied " Well I dont know but do u want to ask someone else?"
I said "No, I will ask when I come next week."
Then the nurse gave me this weird look and repeatedly asked twice " Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else???? Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else?" (second time much louder than the first time..)
I was just wondering maybe she didnt hear my answer so I said no again...and I said thank you and bye and started walking out...

Just at that time, I heard the nurse told the other nurse "Well, I think the hospital should get rid of these ******s (I am not exaggerating, she said ******) once and for all..Like we Really need them here..." and both of them started laughing...I could not believe she just said that...

I was so mad and I cant stop thinking about it...😡
I know they are so full of themselves and think our volunteers know nothing...I expect neither an award nor a trophy from them...but a little respect would be nice...for the time we committ to the hospital and all the work we have done for them...for who we are and what we do...

something like this ever happened to you guys???

You're a volunteer, expect to be treated without much respect. When I volunteered I got no respect whatsoever from hospital staff and I didn't think twice about it, because I knew my position and expected it. Let them think or say what they want, one day with a lot of hard work and some luck, you'll be better off than them. Just a part of life's journey heh.

 

[ChinaDoll]

I feel better now and actually cant stop laughing at what happened...lol

thanks for all the thoughtful replies...so true...it's just a journey of life..=)

 

[Secondary Gain]

Pretty much the exact same thing happened to me when I was in an ER as a premed. I printed something out, which caused one of the nurses waiting by the printer to have to wait a couple seconds before her document printed out. This caused her to flip out at me and waste a lot more time than if she had just waited for her document. And I wasn't even a volunteer - I was a clinical research assistant, printing out a questionairre for a patient. I just stood there stonefaced and emotionless while she berated me, because she wasn't in my chain of command and it didn't make any difference to me what she thought, which only got her more angry.

Which brings me to my point - as a pre-med, nurses have absolutely no power over you. At worst they can get you fired from a job that doesn't pay you anything anyway. The appropriate response is to just smile a little at how pathetic any nurse is that wastes their time picking on a volunteer and go on with your day.

 

[han14tra]

LOL..it seems there are nurses that belittle pre-meds everywhere. I've been disrespected by nurses plenty of times. Once, I was shadowing a doctor and I was following him into the patient's room (he told me to follow him). The nurse stopped me and said, "Are you trying to p**s the patient off? He's already angry...he doesn't need a student in there. If you're not going to do anything, stay out."

HELLOO. The doctor told me to go in. 😱

I would've turned around to the nurse that called you a ****** and said, "Ouch! Where's the isolation room? I don't want to pick up extreme b*tch syndrome."

 

[Rach83]

LOL..it seems there are nurses that belittle pre-meds everywhere. I've been disrespected by nurses plenty of times. Once, I was shadowing a doctor and I was following him into the patient's room (he told me to follow him). The nurse stopped me and said, "Are you trying to p**s the patient off? He's already angry...he doesn't need a student in there. If you're not going to do anything, stay out."

HELLOO. The doctor told me to go in. 😱

I would've turned around to the nurse that called you a ****** and said, "Ouch! Where's the isolation room? I don't want to pick up extreme b*tch syndrome."

👍

I volunteer in Day Surgery. I tried to be helpful to a little old man who volunteers by bringing patients from Day Surgery down to the main lobby, and by bringing wheelchairs back up. I saw him come up to our area with a wheelchair and he said a nurse requested it for a patient. I told him I'd just deliver the wheelchair he had to the nurse. I brought the wheel chair back to the nurse's station and said "Here's the wheelchair I believe you asked for." The nurse snapped her nasty little head my way and literally yelled "DOES THAT LOOK LIKE A LEFT-LEG-LIFTING CHAIR TO YOU?!?!?"

I've pretty much tried to stay clear of that nurse since then, she's got problems.

Just be glad that you randomly ran into these nurses, it would suck to have to work with them on a regular basis.😱

 

[Terpskins99]

true but truth be told like i've stated in my other post on this thread, ER nurses/secrataries etc. usually have their job down to the tee that they don't like other volunteers there cuz it gets more in their way then it does helping them.

Thats no excuse for calling people ******s.

Well, unless you're this guy...

 

[redbull928]

I know exactly how you feel. I see nurses + residents + staff treat volunteers badly. When they want me to do something that I shouldn't do, they joke around saying, "I'll write you a rec letter" because unfortunately, I think premeds come off that way - that they'd do anything for a rec letter.

Just forget about it, except, next time, you need to stick up for yourself. As you'll soon find out, there's no one watching your back but you. When you speak up (professionally of course), you'll not only be less angry, you'll also gain respect. 🙂 Good luck!

 

[TehDoc]

 

[mic2377]

Truthfully, I would side with the nurse on this one. I did a bunch of ER rotations for my EMS clinicals, and I can state positively that all of the ER volunteers were useless, with the occasional exception of doing something like getting a patient a blanket or some ice chips. Woo-ho!

Nurses are busy people. The ER is busiest place in the hospital. So, it is possible the worst place ever to have people who are clinically useless while actually treating patients.

RN's don't even like you even if you ARE useful. I started IV's, got blood samples, ran 12-leads, collected histories, etc. for nurses while I was in the ER, and only after awhile would they even become somewhat appreciative. This is because I had to gain their confidence that I wouldn't jeopardize their job, which could be as simple as leaving the bed rails down on the bed after starting a IV.

Get a thicker skin. Just imagine if you went in to see a psych patient and they flung their poop at you. Getting called a "******" is a small concern, although still unprofessional. Also, have some more respect for nurses and what they face every day. They have a very tough job, and ae busier than you could ever imagine.

 

[chiz2kul]

Life is too short to be petty or pay these people any attention. I got into a pretty big confrontation with a RN once. Although I made her feel like a jackass and "proved" my point, I felt pretty stupid about stooping to that level and wasn't sure what--if anything--I accomplished.

Just work hard at your volunteer gig and forget about it. Bring doughnuts next time; they will love you for it.

The only advice you'd ever need.

 

[caseofthemndays]

Dealing with sh***y people is just part of life. I was working at a clinic (paid) and I actually needed the job to pay my rent. My manager was such an ***** and was constantly belittling me, and I just had to put up with it and keep my mouth shut until I found another job. People like that are just not nice people and are usually miserable and irate for some reason other than you. If you must, file an official complaint with HR.

 

[vickpick]

It is just something that happened over the weekend that really pissed me off and made me think about transferring to another department..

I was going to volunteer at the ER yesterday as usual...I got some questions in my head that I need to ask the person (director) I usually deal with in the ER...When I went to his office, he was not there and two nurses were talking to each other in his office(???)...So I approached them and politely asked where the person was...
One nurse looked at me and said he was not there and if I had any questions...I said yes...
So the nurse said " what do u need to ask?"
I explained part of the question (about some of my duties and concerns)
The nurse replied " Well I dont know but do u want to ask someone else?"
I said "No, I will ask when I come next week."
Then the nurse gave me this weird look and repeatedly asked twice " Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else???? Do U Need to Speak to Someone Else?" (second time much louder than the first time..)
I was just wondering maybe she didnt hear my answer so I said no again...and I said thank you and bye and started walking out...

Just at that time, I heard the nurse told the other nurse "Well, I think the hospital should get rid of these ******s (I am not exaggerating, she said ******) once and for all..Like we Really need them here..." and both of them started laughing...I could not believe she just said that...

I was so mad and I cant stop thinking about it...😡
I know they are so full of themselves and think our volunteers know nothing...I expect neither an award nor a trophy from them...but a little respect would be nice...for the time we committ to the hospital and all the work we have done for them...for who we are and what we do...

something like this ever happened to you guys???

dont worry abt it, they are nurses, way under our medical level 😛....

I started volunteering at this place, and the nurses were too mean and unsupportive .. so I stopped going there in 2 days and started at a different hospital.. it is 30 minutes drive from my home, but well worth it, I love it at the new place...

so if a lot of the nurses at ur place are mean, look for a new hospital

 

[Monk11]

This is the hospital equivalent of hazing. Do you want to be on the football team or not? If so, take it with a grain of salt and focus on getting better at your job.

Real talk here: Everyone should be able to deal with getting yelled at occasionally. It's part of learning on your feet.. didn't anyone play organized sports?

 

[146233]

so if a lot of the nurses at ur place are mean, look for a new hospital

Yeah, run away from the problem. Not going to work when you start rotations and residency. To the OP, as guju and others have astutely pointed out, your best bet is to grow a thicker skin and move on. Dwelling in it, looking for things to "do about it", etc., is just wasting your time and setting yourself up for more trouble.

 

[Narmerguy]

This is the point i was making. This is why as a volunteer childlife, where you are actually useful is better, volunteering in clinics, volunteering pushing wheelchairs and running tests to lab is more useful then being an ER volunteer. My brief few weeks in the ER were the most useless clinical volunteer stuff i ever did compared to all my other experiences where I was useful.

And it makes sense that volunteers are not really wanted cuz the nurses and secretary easily do take care of everything including patients needs if they ask for it. and they are constantly busy and got it all down that there is no need for the volunteers anyhow.

Also the point about growing thicker skin is something i agree with and the example you gave is a good point. I've heard a former ER PA turned medical student tell me there were times when he had to curse patients out and force them down because they were cursing him up and down and drunk or drugged up from illegal drugs i.e. junkies, etc. and it was the only way to get his job done. It was insane. the naive kids who've never worked a day in their life and don't know real world medicine told me he was wrong to do such, but i see why it was necessary hearing his side of things. I don't know how those who got useful ER experience got such but I know for the most part that's the worst place to volunteer for the reasons you stated above.

You make a lot of assumptions about the various ER opportunities different premeds are afforded. They may not all be as obstructive or meaningless as you claim. And no, I don't volunteer in the ER. I'm not saying a lot of what you say isn't applicable for many places but to make such blanket strongly-worded statements is pretty presumptuous.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

When I first started volunteering one of the older volunteers was showing me my duties, etc and one of them was getting this old lady who had hip surgery into a wheelchair so we could wheelchair her out. She had a really hard time moving though so we decided we needed a nurse to help, but the old lady didn't listen I guess and decided to get up and she got really close taking a tumble (pretty badly too). Anyways, the volunteer told me to get a nurse so I did (politely) but no one would mind me! FINALLY, a doctor came, tried to get a nurse, failed , and decided to help herself (she was really nice about it too, considering how busy she must have been with that overbooked hospital).

ANYWAYS, I don't know what the deal with nurses are, maybe they're just really busy these days? There is a shortage after all.