re: ICU nurses cutting up and laughing as families are saying goodbye to their loved ones.

I work in a hospital. There is huge lack of professionalism and give a shite since Covid. It’s godamn impossible to find enough quality help.

The gallows humor is a real thing that almost everyone has that works there long enough though. Not an excuse just reality.

Sorry for your loss man.

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I wouldn't be bothered by coworkers chitchatting. I can assure you they cared about their patient. I'd probably be more focused on my loved one that was dying, but that wouldn't get as much attention online.

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Dancing Covid nurse videos and no ICU CV visitor policies have challenged your statements.

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and she got a formal reprimand in her file.

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How would you know this?

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What happened?

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Floor nurse being an aggressive a-hole with my uncle while he was actively dying. She was asked very nicely to try and have a little sympathy or at least some better bedside manner. She ignored the family's multiple requests until finally my aunt had enough and spoke to the floor nurse supervisor. Like I said, Oschner in New Orleans, the OG, prides itself on customer care and they removed her. A few days later, someone in management at the hospital contacted my aunt and also told her that this nurse was formally reprimanded and that basically she received her "first strike". Apparently, you have only a few times getting reprimanded before they just fire you.

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The gallows humor is a real thing that almost everyone has that works there long enough though.

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Absolutely true, and in many ways, it's a healthy way to cope. But not ever in front of families experiencing active grieving.

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I understand that it’s a tough job and you get desensitized, but is it too much to ask for some professionalism 5 feet from where a family is sitting over their dying relative? These kids have watched too much Grey’s Anatomy and think the ICU is just a big group hangout. Just thinking back to my memories of my Grandpa dying and hearing the nurses watching TikTok and talking about their Friday plans. Is it too much to wait for the break room?

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My vet has a candle they light when someone's pet is being put down to let people know they should be quiet and respectful.

Shouldn't need to tell nurses to show some decorum.

Most nurses are very professional and very caring people. Some bad apples with no sympathy need to be talked to by their supervisor. I would say that 90% of nurses I have dealt with were top notch. The bad nurses probably don’t need to be in that career line. My parents have been in the hospital multiple times over the last few years and I have only had a couple of bad experiences with the nurses.

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ICU nurses cutting up and laughing as families are saying goodbye to their loved ones.

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People 3 ICU rooms down should not be elated either when their love one turns a corner for the better.

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Maybe it wasn’t clear in the OP, but I took it as the nurses were feet away and being loud and inconsiderate to family having their final moments with a dying loved one. How would you feel if you were bedside and minutes away from a loved one leaving this earth, and I was standing right next to you blabbing about college NIL deals and other stupid shite?

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I wasn’t there, so I can’t judge the staff.

That said, I’ve worked ICU/Rapid Response/ER, mostly ICU for over 28 years.

I’ve seen multiple people die in a 12-16 hour shift. The most in one shift is eight.

Doing that job it’s something you have to deal with and keep going. If you ever watched the tv show Scrubs, one episode stands out to me. A patient died, and the guy playing Dr Cox pointed out to the blonde resident that the family (who were in the room with the patient) were eventually going to leave, and grieve their loved one. The staff had to keep working like nothing had happened.

That’s reality. You do your very best to support the patient/family at the end of the line, but you have to mask/bury whatever your feelings are.

I’ve seen so many people die that it gets numbing, but certain ones still stick with you. It’s how you know you still have humanity inside you.

Don’t judge them. What you see as indifference is them trying to cope with stressful and futile issues until they can get home and decompress.

My wife (no pics) is also a RN, she knows when I get home and pour 4 fingers of bourbon it’s been a bad day.

She’s worked mostly NNICU, Peds ER, and PICU for her career, she goes through the same thing.

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f they are within the nurses station then you need to simmer down. You are in a high stress situation with a family member passing and looking to place blame somewhere. Don’t overlook the fact that he otherwise received great care; which is what is really important. Them having a conversation is simply them being human. Remember, they just lost a patient, they are allowed to cope also.

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This