Print And Share

by SharonH, RN Premium Member

I don't know what made me remember this but I had a coworker once with whom I had developed(I thought) something of a rapport. Well one day we were in the nurses' station and I jokingly made a comment about her not working hard. I forget my exact words but it was something along the lines of are you hardly working or working hard. You know that lame joke, well not that lame but it was harmless like that. Well a few days later, guess what I got invited to a meeting with her and the charge nurse to discuss my attempt to slander her! She said that she felt like I had a low opinion of her as a nurse and my comments left it open for people to believe that she was not a hard worker. And I was attempting to destroy her reputation as a nurse. As broadsided as I was, I apologized profusely for my faux-pas but she wasn't in a forgiving mood. So *shrug* what could I do? Obviously we weren't as good of friends as I thought or she might have given me the benefit of the doubt. Also she must have had a massively low self-esteem or insecurities if she was that bothered by my little joke. I just moved on. I can remember being quite annoyed at first but it's funny now.

[TheCommuter]

Re: What is the silliest complaint someone has ever made aboutyou?

Someone complained that my smile appeared to be fake.

[pickledpepperRN]

Re: What is the silliest complaint someone has ever made aboutyou?

I floated to another floor. As I entered a room the patient told me to do several thing, put ice in the pitcher, new tissues, hot chocolate, pain pill, and such. As I was doing these things I was "eyeballing" my other patients to ensure they were alive.
Then from several feet away I told her I must assess her and she said, "You have such bad breath just like you did last night."

Hmm...the night before I was a couple floors below her.

[MomNRN]

Re: What is the silliest complaint someone has ever made aboutyou?

I once had a pt fill out a Press Gainey form that I didn't take her daughter's complaint seriously because I wrote it on a paper towel!

[gitterbug]

Re: What is the silliest complaint someone has ever made aboutyou?

A patient complained I smelled too nice and his wife did not like it.

[sunnyjohn]

Re: What is the silliest complaint someone has ever made aboutyou?

Okay... I'm trying my darndest not to laugh at this thread.

Fake smile?
Smelled too nice??

These people can't be serious??

BUWHAAAAA

[nurseangel47]

Re: What is the silliest complaint someone has ever made aboutyou?

A male (nurse at that!) in my charge *accused* me of making advances towards him in an unprofessional direction. What I had done, actually, was tried to help him during a very uncomfortable procedure of insertion of a central line catheter by surgeon at bedside...I was attempting to hold his hand IN SUPPORT of " ' squeeze my hand if you need to...I know it's uncomfortable..." that sort of support. Well I was also trying to use therapeutic communication during the process as in " picture a lake, or a mountain scene or the beach if that's what you'd prefer, anywhere you are happy and peaceful, calm, etc...' " trying that guided imagery thingy for pain relief without analgesia....he twisted it ALL around and misquoted me saying that I'd stated, " ' You can hold my hand, I've been wanting to hold yours all along,....or something to that effect.' """ GULP! I was called in to NM's office, I mean like the very next shift I worked. Turns out, management was "fishing" evidently for anything they could in order to create that dreaded paper trail since I'd been out on mental health issue leave from work a few months prior to that....now, I was no model employee by any means. I am not perfect, I cannot possibly be Miss Nancy Nurse of the Year award winner, nor do I attempt that...it is just not me. I do, however, attempt to give safe, pt. advocacy, good nursing care to all I care for. Anyway, back to topic. Complained because I held his hand. Sorry for caring, Mister! Oh well....some people...oh, by the way, he was a "fellow nurse" who worked the psych unit at our hospital. That hurt as much as the lie he told about me and what I'd done and said...
That a "fellow nurse" at the very same facility where I worked had lied to management about me and my conversation/action with his care!
Oh well...live and learn and then do not trust anyone anymore with no witness around!

[gitterbug]

Re: What is the silliest complaint someone has ever made aboutyou?

Sonnyjohn,
The NM was serious as a heart-attack when she said that remark to me.
I was to refrain from wearing light scents to work, I was wearing soap and fabric softner. When I told my NM I refused to come to work without a shower and clean scrubs and I would be talking to the DON, CEO, and HR regarding this complaint, her story changed. Mine did not, I filed a formal letter of protest for being reprimanded for coming to work clean. When I left that job, SHE could not keep nurses on the floor, many only worked 1 shift and left, never to return. SHE promised me the moon to stay, I did not. SHE is still causing problems whereever she goes.

[santhony44]

Re: What is the silliest complaint someone has ever made aboutyou?

The nurse manager from you-know-where told me that my "body language" indicated that I did not want to be there.

Let's see. I was working full time, going to school full time, had the NM from the hockey sticks, and was on a floor which almost inspired me to flip burgers for a living. You can bet I woke up daily just rarin' to go to work!!!

However, I wasn't mean nor rude nor was I using the "body language" that she often deserved- the body language involving the middle finger.


Much more recently, I did a physical exam on a female patient, including a breast exam and pelvic. I was about to walk out of the room and she said "What about that little lump in my breast?" I told her I had not felt a lump in her breast. She looked me dead in the eye and said "You didn't check my breasts!" That floored me. I've never had anybody look me in the eye and flat lie about what I did not even five minutes before. That was the first time she'd mentioned the "lump" too.

Then she went out to the waiting room and told a family member that "she didn't check my breast, just did "that" as she poked one finger into his arm!!!

[Marie_LPN, RN]

Re: What is the silliest complaint someone has ever made aboutyou?

Co-worker complained that i'm too tall (i'm 5'10") to work with. The person that made this complaint is 4'9".

Now what was i supposed to do, but her stilts or work while kneeling down? Seriously we have those platform steps for a reason

(Ironically she's never said the same about our 6'11" surgeon)