Fake crying and bad acting in the ER

Specialties Emergency

Published

I see a lot of untalented actors in the ER. They walk to their rooms telling their sad stories that sound like poorly written scripts. Then they plop down onto the gurney, starting what sounds like feigned tearless crying. Some of them continue to wail after you've left the room, amping it up every time they see you walk by through the glass door, peeking through their eyelids to see if you've noticed.

I've seen some really bad acting in the ER!

Specializes in Emergency Department; Neonatal ICU.
Recently had a sudden onset R side weakness flown to my hospital for a stroke workup. Thankfully before we started the tPA we noticed that her previously unusable R arm (0 effort against gravity) was texting. Yay! TIA! Except when we pointed out she was using her arm, she quit using it and asked for Dilaudid since her previously numb arm was now hurting and no, she still couldn't use it. The lengths some people go to.....

I had a patient similar to this. I suspected as much and went to her "flaccid" side to do the swallow study. The funny thing was a nursing student was with me and I could see her opening her mouth to frantically inform me that I was on the wrong side. I gave her a stern "don't say anything" look and calmly handed my patient the cup of water that she picked up with her "flaccid" right hand and drank without any problem ;) I then complimented the nursing student later on in private on her catching on quickly!

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Specializes in Med-surg; OB/Well baby; pulmonology; RTS.
My favorite was when I was walking a woman to the bathroom to collect a urine sample, and she decided to "pass out" directly in front of the nurses station on our way back to her room. It was all I could do to catch her, the urine and her IV bag.

I have dysautonomia and I can faint in the blink of an eye. Most of the time I can tell & I give a warning but sometimes it's "I feel a little...." PLOP...... Sometimes in a minute or 2 I'm back to myself & apologize but sometimes it requires a sternal rub or 2.

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Specializes in ER.

Bless this thread. I had a patient with ABD pain who didn't get whisked right in to a bed. He then developed leg pain making his walk to the waiting room slow and painful to watch. When that didn't make a bed appear he collapsed on the floor with a headache moaning. Unfortunately that was too much of a show for our waiting room, and he got his bed. It was the triage day from hell, we had a 95yo lady that sat quietly for 7 hours, and gave up, but that pond scum faker got in. I wanted to lock him in the psych room, but the charge nurse said no.

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Specializes in acute dialysis, Telemetry, subacute.

I had a 50 year old female with 20/10 chest pain that was inconsistent with labs, x ray and CT results being admitted for hypertensive urgency. Pt denied drug history until I told her her urine results in labs said otherwise because they were + for opiates, benzo and cocaine. She disconnected herself from nicardipine drip and threw herself on the floor and started screaming for audience because I didn't give her dilaudid and phernegan for her pain and nausea. I firmly told her acting doesn't get her meds and she was back in bed in seconds.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.
Bless this thread. I had a patient with ABD pain who didn't get whisked right in to a bed. He then developed leg pain making his walk to the waiting room slow and painful to watch. When that didn't make a bed appear he collapsed on the floor with a headache moaning. Unfortunately that was too much of a show for our waiting room, and he got his bed. It was the triage day from hell, we had a 95yo lady that sat quietly for 7 hours, and gave up, but that pond scum faker got in. I wanted to lock him in the psych room, but the charge nurse said no.

I have an empty triage room for this purpose. You do not get to be seen faster because you make a scene. Be an ******* and a jerk and see how far it goes. I'll shove you in that room and STILL make you wait for your turn.

* we are a little smaller hospital and most of the time have a room we can do this with. I doubt most do.

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You forgot to add the pain score of 10

No, No... It's a 12! The pain's a 12! Maybe even a 20! ;)

The best as a medic is when you ask them to DESCRIBE the pain and the answer is an immediate "It's a 10! My pain is a 10!" Frequent flier much? :facepalm:

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Specializes in ER.
No, No... It's a 12! The pain's a 12! Maybe even a 20! ;)

The best as a medic is when you ask them to DESCRIBE the pain and the answer is an immediate "It's a 10! My pain is a 10!" Frequent flier much? :facepalm:

The more crafty frequent flyer knows well enough to call it an 8, in order to be believable.

How about the ones who say it's an eight and a half? Or a seven and a half? JUST GIVE ME A NUMBER, FOR LORD'S SAKE, SO WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS TRIAGE, OK? I'm not really interested in such exactitude. :rolleyes:

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

One of my favorite frequent flier actors did this little scene for me:

Patient: [flopping around in a mediocre, Hollywood-inspired version of a tonic-clonic seizure]

Me: "Are you seizing?"

Pt: "Ummhmmm" and nods to the affirmative

Me: "Ok then. Just checking."

They won't be winning their Oscar anytime soon.

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Specializes in ER, HH, Case Management.
I know one bad apple can ruin the bunch but we can't have the same attitude with every patient that walks through the door.

This times one million!

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