Whats your biggest pet peeve working in the ED?

Specialties Emergency

Published

Id have to say my biggest pet peeve is when someone hands you a medicaid card as they pull it from their Louis Vuitton handbag with bling on their hands after having rolled up to the ER in their Mercedes Benz! After that I'd say when someone comes to the ER for a UPT. Dont they know they are available at the dollar store now adays?

Specializes in Critical care, ER, flight nurse.

People who come in and dictate their care. "I want you to draw a cholesterol level, don't do a chest X-ray, I need at least 4 mg dilaudid, I'll go outside and smoke if I won't to, I have abdominal pain because I'm hungry-bring me a sandwich" my personal favorite is...I know I have ( fill in the blank) because I looked it up on the Internet.

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Specializes in Peri-operative, M/S, ER, SCU.

I really wish there were like buttons on these!!!!

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Specializes in MedSurg.
Last shift we were getting ready to incubate a bad COPDer

Incubate? How old was this patient...still an egg? ;)

Sorry, I had to!

As y'all were...

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Specializes in Emergency.
"When are they going to move her out of the hallway and into a room?" What I actually say: "let me speak with my charge nurse and see what I can do. I apologize we're very busy today. I know being in the hallway is difficult".What I would like to say: "Never. You're in the hallway cause you aren't that sick and I'm saving my rooms for ppl who actually need them".

When we're packed to the rafters, I actually tell people in the hallway that they don't want want to be the patient who qualifies for a room tonight. Seems to work.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
My biggest pet peeve?

When there is a trauma going on, or we are dealing with a really sick patient (intubation) and someone who is in a room for dental pain X 2 months, or foot pain X 12 years or something like that comes up to the nursing station and says:

-So, when is the doctor gonna come and see me?

Me: I'm sorry, the doctors are busy with a really sick patient. We will get to you as soon as we can.

-But I've been waiting (insert time here) and I was here first.

Me: I understand you have been waiting to be seen for your (insert complaint here), but we have someone who is actively dying right now so that person is the priority.

-So, it takes all those doctors to work on one person? How long is that gonna take? *with arms crossed*

Me: It will take as long as it takes. And how would you feel if it were you in there actively dying or one of your family members and there is someone who has toe pain questioning how long is it gonna take to save your life? How would you feel?

-But I was here first!

Me: Please go back to your room. *walks away*

I have a patented death stare/raised eyebrow look for these. I'll be marketing it shortly.:cyclops:

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Specializes in Peri-operative, M/S, ER, SCU.

Incubate? How old was this patient...still an egg? ;)

Sorry, I had to!

As y'all were...

Didn't even pick up on that! My OCD has failed me!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Didn't even pick up on that! My OCD has failed me!
The auto-correct strikes again!!!!!
Last shift we were getting ready to incubate a bad COPDer
:roflmao:
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Biggest pet-peeve: drunks choosing to pee all over the ER floor instead of using a urinal or bedpan, happens DAILY

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Biggest pet-peeve: drunks choosing to pee all over the ER floor instead of using a urinal or bedpan, happens DAILY
Yeah, that.

It was topped for me, though, when a 5150 poured his urinal all over himself.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
Pts who say they have no past medical history, but are on 5 different prescribed medications.

This is a pet peeve for me too. I go back and 'fill in' their PMH based on their 18 meds after they told me they have absolutely no medical problems.

My other pet peeve is people not knowing what med(s) they take. I understand if they take a bunch of meds they may not be able to keep track of the names and doses of each one. However, sometime people are only on one med and the don't know what it is. "I take a med...it might be for diabetes...or blood pressure. Oh, I know, its a little round white pill." (Oh, thanks, now I know exactly what it is.) Anyway, if you don't know even the name of the med, how do you know the pharmacy gave you the correct med when they refilled your script?

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Specializes in Critical care, ER, flight nurse.

This is a pet peeve for me too. I go back and 'fill in' their PMH based on their 18 meds after they told me they have absolutely no medical problems.

My other pet peeve is people not knowing what med(s) they take. I understand if they take a bunch of meds they may not be able to keep track of the names and doses of each one. However, sometime people are only on one med and the don't know what it is. "I take a med...it might be for diabetes...or blood pressure. Oh, I know, its a little round white pill." (Oh, thanks, now I know exactly what it is.) Anyway, if you don't know even the name of the med, how do you know the pharmacy gave you the correct med when they refilled your script?

Or how about when they say, "it's all in my record" or "my wife (husband) has all that information" or "my doctor knows what medications I'm on". Your medication list may have changed because you haven't been here for 2 years, your spouse isn't here right now and your doctor has 500 other patients and its 2am on a Saturday morning. Some can't even tell you the name of their pharmacy. And then the admitting physician is mad because you can't give him an accurate med rec.

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Specializes in Peri-operative, M/S, ER, SCU.

At my facility, they even expect us to STOP WHAT WE ARE DOING and do everything we can to get that med list. Call the pharmacy and get a list faxed, call the MD, call home and have all 6,000 read to us over the phone. Like we have time for that?

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