[VIRGO NURSE]

grrr sometimes my job is sooo aggravating!

I work in a very very large pediatric medical group. We can see up to a 150 patients a day.
I had this mom come in with her three kids, only the baby was being seen for a well check up. She came 25 mins late.
I prepped the baby, weight, vitals, etc. While I was weighing the baby, she wanted me to weigh her two other kids. I polietly declined saying I was way too busy.. ( I was indeed). She then proceed to tell me everything wrong with the office, how she was a paying customer ( she was on welfare) and that the door knobs were wet. They were wet because I cleaned them with alcohol wipes. ( eyeroll).
She then asked me as I'm trying to assess her child that she needed samples of cold meds and made a list for me on paper!!!

The doctor came in and was in there a while as she had questions about her other children ( which is fine and of course understandable but wait till you here this)
He leaves and the mom comes out screaming that she has to get to work and that I have to do her childs immunizations RIGHT NOW!. I procede to draw up five shots, yes five, as this baby is behind because the mother didn't show up for two appts.
As most of you know, drawing up and dispensing any medication is a task, there is alot of paper work, right vial, then jotting down lot numbers expir, dates and right route. THERE WERE FIVE SHOTS!. This baby was getting shots in his arms and legs.
This woman came out as I was 95 percent finished and started to harrass me, that I was slow and that she was going to lose her job, I wanted in the worse way to tell her that if she came on time, she have those extra 25 mins.
I kept my cool and didn't rush as I didn't want to make a mistake.
But boy was I heated! I went in and gave the baby his shots... the mom kept saying to the baby, " it isn't me honey, it is the mean nurse"...
just plain nasty...
I went into nursing to help people, I'm tired of being abused and spit upon like I'm trash. If this woman was so concerned about getting to work, come on time to an appt...and if she was so concerned about the amount of shots, come for your scheduled appts...It took her five mins to make a list on paper of free samples,... so obnoxious!! sry I just needed to vent...

[Lisa CCU RN]

How do you know she was on welfare? It bothers me that nurses and doctors know this information because it makes them treat people differently. I don't know why they would even need to know this. I'm not saying you would , but I know for a fact that being on state healthcare can make people treat you differntly and they don't even know your situation. I'm sorry she was so frustrating though, she really should have been on time.

[tlhubbard]

I completely understand. I worked ED and we would have people come in for colds, and want to know why the guy with the circular saw cut to his leg was taken back right away when they've been waiting As for the welfare thing, there are plenty of people who need help and appreciate when they get it, but the ones that don't appreciate it really steam you.

I also worked ambulatory surgery, we had people insist we send home OUR wheelchairs for them to use indefinitely (NOT!!) We were also requested by a family of about seven (yes 7 showed up for a bunion surgery) to supply "sack lunches" for the patient for the next XX # of days until she was on her feet again. Sorry, but maybe all of you shouldn't have taken off the day of surgery and taken turns taking care of her. Do we look like a catering service?

There have been times I wished stupidity was painful, that way when they do something dumb/rude/thoughtless they would have immediate negative reinforcement and maybe the behavior would stop.

[BamaBound2bRN]

What really urks me, is when you go to a doctor's appointment- on time- and the doctor is 2-3 hours behind because they overbooked. And it really fires me up when you get a nasty little reminder that if you don't cancel an appointment at least 1 hour in advance there is a $25 charge

Maybe this "customer' was just tired of being treated like a number in your VERY VERY BUSY clinic and for having nurses tell her that you "are too busy" for something. And if you had rolled your eyes at me............well

[SmilingBluEyes]

Yep there are definately many sides to the issue. I hate feeling like a cow in cattle call at the dr office, and I increasingly feel that way. Maybe this lady has been treated poorly in the past at this office. She surely had no right to treat you as she did, however. Respect is sadly lacking EVERYwhere these days.....

And whether she was on welfare or not---really should have ZERO bearing on the frustrations you feel. People are people. She was rude. I am glad you did not return "the favor" and stoop to her level.

Just remember entitlement is seen by all kinds of "customers"---whether on welfare or not.

[curlyfries]

Just by looking at the patient's chart would tell you whether the patient's on welfare. Usually it's right in front where the insurance information is located, private insurer, medicaid, medicare and/or self-pay.

I am on medicaid/medicare because of my renal transplant/disability. I can see how easy is to just show up at ED and not worry financially how to pay for the services.

I volunteer for ED once a week and we get a couple of welfare cases that would just show up with non-existance medical issue. This explains why cost of maintaining Medicaid is spiraling out of control.

Whenever we come into contact with patient's such as this, being demanding, we can do the best we can. The customer is always right even if we can't provide it. Even if the customer is at fault, we have to assume that it was at the fault of the service provider. It's a dog eat dog world out there....beware....

Tommy

[CrunchRN]

Virgo,

Did many years of office nursing and I feel your pain! So often you just cannot win for losing. Hey - hospital nurses - we have issues also where we are stuck between the kind of nursing we want to do and management making you do more with less and take more patients so before you get all high and mighty think about it a little. As to welfare - I have seen many wonderful patients on it appropriately, but sadly, many more who abused it. I know this will tick you off, but office nursing can open your eyes sometimes too.

[tlhubbard]

Originally Posted by CrunchRN

Virgo,

Did many years of office nursing and I feel your pain! So often you just cannot win for losing. Hey - hospital nurses - we have issues also where we are stuck between the kind of nursing we want to do and management making you do more with less and take more patients so before you get all high and mighty think about it a little. As to welfare - I have seen many wonderful patients on it appropriately, but sadly, many more who abused it. I know this will tick you off, but office nursing can open your eyes sometimes too.

You hit the nail on the head!!

[DDRN4me]

i worked in a pedi office for 20 years...people complain incesssantly when they have to wait, but then bring in 3 kids for 1 scheduled appointment!!HELLO! each child takes time, and a good doc will have to answer the 1 million questions or they will get called at 3 am with the "my baby has had a stuffy nose for 3 weeks what can you call in because i have no money for an otc cold remedy" Unfortunatley, OP's statement about welfare is a fact with many of the public assistance programs, they are taught dependance and that they will get free samples etc. it may not be "their fault " but it does seem to have its own little code of entiltement.

[VIRGO NURSE]

First off, let me get the record straight.
I do not treat people differently, whether on public assist, having insurance or self pay. I am merely stating that being on public assist does not give a person the right to " make a hand written list" of free samples and then get mad if I don't have them! All of our medications and immunization are given through lot numbers if they have insurs. or public assist, it is my job to know what they have ao I can prepare the appropriate lot numbers.
I have for many years not had any medical insurance. It was then that I had WIC for my children and they were on a well child plan through ny state.
I am a nurse for foremost and give the best care I can to ANYONE WHO WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR OF MY PLACE OF BUSINESS.
I was merely venting at the nerve that some people don't know when to stop being obnoxious.
Bama- I never rolled my eyes at this client. I would never do that. And yes I was busy, I have to use my time for patients are being seen that day, not for nosey parents who just want to see if their other children had grown.
I'm in 24 rooms, giving oxygen and prednisone to children with servere asthma attacks who need me. The scale is there for when they are waiting three hours for the doctor..
I know better then to vent here...
be well