Overwork is a common element. Nurse aides are often made to handle more patients than they can manage. Another one is lack of support from management. When things go wrong, like a patient incident, they are blamed instead of getting help. Also, difficult patients can be a big part of these horror stories.
There was a nurse aide in a nursing home who had to deal with a very difficult patient. This patient was verbally abusive all the time. The aide tried their best to be patient and kind, but it took a toll on their mental health. They often went home in tears, feeling completely drained from having to endure such constant abuse.
There was this really bad situation where a home health aide was verbally abusing a disabled patient. The aide would constantly make demeaning remarks, which made the patient feel very low and depressed. The patient's mental state worsened because of this constant abuse, and it was only when a visiting relative noticed the change in the patient's behavior that the truth came out. The agency was then held accountable for not properly screening the aide.
One nurse horror story is about a nurse who worked the night shift in an understaffed hospital. She had to take care of way too many patients at once. There was a patient who was very ill and needed constant monitoring, but she couldn't be there all the time due to other patients' demands. It was a nightmare situation as she was constantly worried about the patient's condition deteriorating.
The unexpected behavior. For example, when a nurse who is supposed to be a healer turns into a malevolent figure. It goes against the normal perception of a nurse as a caregiver.
A student nurse was on a night shift in a psychiatric ward. One of the patients became violent and started attacking other patients. The student nurse was terrified as she had never witnessed such a situation before. She tried to call for help but the communication system malfunctioned for a short while. Fortunately, other staff members arrived soon, but it was a truly horrifying experience for her.
One horror story could be when a nurse was in the ICU and a patient suddenly had a violent seizure right in front of her. It was terrifying as she had to quickly call for help and try to prevent the patient from hurting themselves all while feeling so helpless.
One horror story could be dealing with violent inmates. A nurse might be in the middle of treating an inmate when suddenly another inmate starts a fight nearby, putting the nurse in immediate danger. Nurses have to be constantly on guard.
There was a hospice nurse who had to deal with a very difficult family. They were constantly arguing and blaming the nurse for not doing enough for their terminally ill relative. The nurse was doing everything she could, but the family's hostility made the already tough job a nightmare. They would question every decision, from the medications given to the care routine, and it was extremely stressful for the nurse.