Seriously?!?!

Specialties Emergency

Published

Time for another vent thread. Today's topic is: "You're here for what? Seriously!?!?!"

32y/o m, hx htn, vs wnl, cc is "chest pain for about 1 second 4 hours ago", no current complaints.

Crossed my mind to give him a forearm shiver. Then he'd have something to complain about...

Right!??! That's what I asked the paramedics but they said legally they HAVE to transport them. It's different from state to state I guess. I dunno...just ridiculous.

I'm not a new nurse but I am new to the ER, the past few months have been quite interesting. I come from a Med-Surg and strong Psych background. I went from a very boring, slow "well to do" Hospital to the busy, hectic "Poorhouse" Hospital and the change in clientele is shocking.

I'm used to drug and alcohol abusers and know the majority of their games to get drugs, bed to sleep in, free food etc.

What gets me is the amount of ppl who walk in off the bus/street/Amb with the most ridiculous reasons to be there (blister on foot, sneezing 3 x times throughout the day, I got a baby in me an need that 3d picture I see on the tv advertisement etc).

A woman comes in to me today screaming at the staff in the waiting room, I tell her to come into triage. I asked her what her reason was for coming into the ER and she says "I'M PREGNANT", I ask if there is any bleeding or pain and she bellows " NOPE I just want my pictures taken like they do on TV" and that it's our fault she missed her sono in the morning, we called and reminded her the night before but she told them she would need a WAKE UP CALL to be able to make her 1:00 pm clinic appointment.

Then a tribe of family walks in, then the demands start. Free food (uggh yeah can you get me like 6 of them lunch bags for myself, my mom and the kids), free phone calls (******** if they can't make out of state calls???), free drugs (I cant pay 3$ for my pills), METRO CARDS, school notes for her kids (in this state if your kids are on free lunch and they are absent a day welfare will reimburse your EBT food stamp cards but you need a note) and the one that gets me nuts above all is when the Mother wants grippy socks for all the children??? All the while Mom is sitting in front of me with a fox trim coat, jewelry, nails done, hair did, Iphone, Granny is in a leather coat hair and nails done , Kids all wearing designer sneakers and clothes.

Now another guy codes, a trauma is going on, the staff is busy and while I'm in the middle of discharging her shes complaining about not liking the lunches we gave her and her family. If you saw this type of behavior once or twice you'd roll your eyes but this is over 90% of what walks in the door at the ER.

Where does this entitled attitude come from, what happened to the ER being there for emergencies and why does everyone think they're at a Holiday Inn that has slave labor?

Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

^^ She would have been really unhappy with our ER. We serve a poorer area of the city, so apparently stopped all the little luxuries to save money. She would have been asked to pay a $150 copay up front (because that's not an emergency), would not have gotten food (for her or the kids), we don't keep socks (from previous sock abuse, I guess), and we don't provide transportation (at all).

^^ She would have been really unhappy with our ER. We serve a poorer area of the city so apparently stopped all the little luxuries to save money. She would have been asked to pay a $150 copay up front (because that's not an emergency), would not have gotten food (for her or the kids), we don't keep socks (from previous sock abuse, I guess), and we don't provide transportation (at all).[/quote']

GOOD!

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

I wasn't working triage and didn't hear it myself but one of our very experienced ER nurses tells a story about a 19 year old female who came in with chief complaint of thick white lady partsl discharge after unprotected sex with her boy friend. If you ask the RN what she did about it she says "I explained the facts of life to her and sent her on her way".

Then a tribe of family walks in, then the demands start. Free food (uggh yeah can you get me like 6 of them lunch bags for myself, my mom and the kids), free phone calls (******** if they can't make out of state calls???), free drugs (I cant pay 3$ for my pills), .

Now another guy codes, a trauma is going on, the staff is busy and while I'm in the middle of discharging her shes complaining about not liking the lunches we gave her and her family.

Where does this entitled attitude come from, what happened to the ER being there for emergencies and why does everyone think they're at a Holiday Inn that has slave labor?

Oh HAAAAILLL NO! I hope you told them what's UP. The attitude is a product of our own doing. The more you give to the people, the less they will work and poverty increases. Tolstoy said that over a century ago.
I'm not a new nurse but I am new to the ER, the past few months have been quite interesting. I come from a Med-Surg and strong Psych background. I went from a very boring, slow "well to do" Hospital to the busy, hectic "Poorhouse" Hospital and the change in clientele is shocking.

I'm used to drug and alcohol abusers and know the majority of their games to get drugs, bed to sleep in, free food etc.

What gets me is the amount of ppl who walk in off the bus/street/Amb with the most ridiculous reasons to be there (blister on foot, sneezing 3 x times throughout the day, I got a baby in me an need that 3d picture I see on the tv advertisement etc).

A woman comes in to me today screaming at the staff in the waiting room, I tell her to come into triage. I asked her what her reason was for coming into the ER and she says "I'M PREGNANT", I ask if there is any bleeding or pain and she bellows " NOPE I just want my pictures taken like they do on TV" and that it's our fault she missed her sono in the morning, we called and reminded her the night before but she told them she would need a WAKE UP CALL to be able to make her 1:00 pm clinic appointment.

Then a tribe of family walks in, then the demands start. Free food (uggh yeah can you get me like 6 of them lunch bags for myself, my mom and the kids), free phone calls (******** if they can't make out of state calls???), free drugs (I cant pay 3$ for my pills), METRO CARDS, school notes for her kids (in this state if your kids are on free lunch and they are absent a day welfare will reimburse your EBT food stamp cards but you need a note) and the one that gets me nuts above all is when the Mother wants grippy socks for all the children??? All the while Mom is sitting in front of me with a fox trim coat, jewelry, nails done, hair did, Iphone, Granny is in a leather coat hair and nails done , Kids all wearing designer sneakers and clothes.

Now another guy codes, a trauma is going on, the staff is busy and while I'm in the middle of discharging her shes complaining about not liking the lunches we gave her and her family. If you saw this type of behavior once or twice you'd roll your eyes but this is over 90% of what walks in the door at the ER.

Where does this entitled attitude come from, what happened to the ER being there for emergencies and why does everyone think they're at a Holiday Inn that has slave labor?

You summed up my typical work day. I was just thinking about this to myself. I don't get it either. Maybe someone can help me with a different perspective.

Is it a survival reaction? You know we have heat, cable, phones, footy socks, food. Is it liken to a low income 'vacation'? Go to the ER free via EMS. Warm bed, TV, phone. Demand 10 blankets that will go home with you, socks, pillows. Demand meals for you and your entire family. Then your 'guests' get bored and they want to register too for their own bed. When your done making your calls and demands, you want to leave and we better be waiting around with free transportation for you and everyone you came with. You're not interested in the discharge instructions or prescriptions because you really didn't come in with a medical problem that concerns you.

When my shift is over, I find myself mentally tapped out not because I had a long, stressful day of medical emergencies, I'm exhausted from 12 hours of running around being a hospitality aide.

Specializes in Emergency Department/Trauma.

At the hospital I am currently at once you are assessed and general treatment you are put in a hallway unless you are an isolation or actually sick. No televisions and visitors don't get fed. No taxi rides or bus tokens either. While it is warmer than outside the catering is at a minimum unlike most places where RN stands for refreshments and narcotics.

At the hospital I am currently at once you are assessed and general treatment you are put in a hallway unless you are an isolation or actually sick. No televisions and visitors don't get fed. No taxi rides or bus tokens either. While it is warmer than outside the catering is at a minimum unlike most places where RN stands for refreshments and narcotics.
Here is my "patient" response you what you just wrote.... "OH SO YOU'RE SAYING I'M NOT SICK!?!?! YOU'RE JUST GONNA THROW ME IN THE HALL?!?! I HAVE SEIZURES, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEEEANS?!? THIS IS SOME STRAIGHT UP *insert expletive* ! Y'ALL ARE A BUNCH OF RACISTS. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS"

The telephone calls are my favorite. Here's one I got the other day (keep in mind we have a long recording that says we do NOT give med advice over the phone) "Hey I know y'all said that you don't give medical advise over the phone, but my jaw pops when I eat and it's been doing it for like 3 years. Is there anything y'all can do to fix it if I come in??" Yeah, good idea. Come into the EMERGENCY room for a dumb problem that you've had for 3 years. My jaw pops when I eat too. Quit being a pansy. (Trust. I already assessed for pain and infection...none) P

Specializes in ER, progressive care.
At the hospital I am currently at once you are assessed and general treatment you are put in a hallway unless you are an isolation or actually sick. No televisions and visitors don't get fed. No taxi rides or bus tokens either. While it is warmer than outside the catering is at a minimum unlike most places where RN stands for refreshments and narcotics.

That is how it should be, honestly, but I would imagine that would be very bad for satisfaction scores. :rolleyes:

Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
Here is my "patient" response you what you just wrote.... "OH SO YOU'RE SAYING I'M NOT SICK!?!?! YOU'RE JUST GONNA THROW ME IN THE HALL?!?! I HAVE SEIZURES DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEEEANS?!? THIS IS SOME STRAIGHT UP *insert expletive* ! Y'ALL ARE A BUNCH OF RACISTS. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS"[/quote']

And here's how our ER handles that situation:

"Sit down and be quiet. If you keep making a scene, we'll have the police and security walk you out." Then if they keep making a scene, we get the 24/7 city police officer and security to walk them out.

Thankfully, it doesn't seem to make it that far very often. We did have to get security to remove a lady that was upset that we wouldn't give her a meal after she was discharged (we don't give meals unless you spend the night anyway). She told the nurses that she hadn't ate all day. Charge nurse's response: "You've only been here 2 and a half hours, but you're discharged now, so why don't you go and get something to eat."

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