Nurses: Do the patients often try to talk to you about politics?

Nurses General Nursing

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I was just really curious about this, since I volunteer at an ICU visiting room, and of course I mostly just sit there and sometimes the patients' relatives will come up to me and talk to me about stuff in general.

Sometimes, some of them go into long-winded discussions on how Obama and socialism are ruining our country. Of course, I'm polite (and make a point of saying that ALL politicians suck), but the liberal in me is :mad::mad::mad:!

So I had to ask, do your patients ever try and goad you into discussing politics with them?

If so, how do you take it? Do you give them your two cents', do you agree with what they say (even if you believe they are way off), or something else?

Specializes in neurotrauma ICU.

sigh. I hear it all the time, if not from patients then from their families. I am good at playing dumb and just say "oh, I don't follow politics" or "I don't know that they need to do, but the healthcare system sure is messed up and needs to be fixed."

Specializes in neurotrauma ICU.
No. My pts are too sick for the most part. If I do have folks bring up politics I redirect the conversation.

I too don't discuss religion, politics or sex.

I think you are getting this because in an ICU waiting room there isn't much to do.

Yep, our ICU visiting room is just a breeding ground of bad feelings. I would feel sorry for anyone who has to sit out there with those people, and for FREE? no freaking way!

I learned the hard way to never discuss religion or politics with anyone in the workplace. I even learned that it can cause trouble even with like minded individuals.

So OP I definitely feel for ya having to deal with this. Just try to remember everyone has different viewpoints, they are just expressing theirs, and try not to take it personally. Maybe if they knew their great nurse was different minded they would learn to accept people with different philosophies, but you never know so it is better to just play stupid or neutral I think.

I try never to discuss politics, religion, or sex :)

However, I did stop asking who the president was while doing mental status exams LOL it caused too much controversy.

When I was in orientation my preceptor used to ask the "Who's the president of the United States" question to assess pts level of orientation. It would all too often lead to a derisive or downright racist comment on the part of the patient. She would then follow up with "I didn't say you had to like him!" which I suppose was said to add levity and a wink-wink "I can't stand him either" cameraderie. I found it incredibly offensive and decided I will never use that question to assess orientation.

Sometimes they do. Usually they are ranting and raving about why all of their health care should be free and how much "I" am charging them. :uhoh3: I try to redirect them. This conservative doesn't care to get into health care debates with patients, especially ones that think that they are entitled to snort as much coke and shoot as much heroin as they want to, but not pay for their own health insurance. :)

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Thankfully, very few. That's good, because my beliefs have a little something for everyone to disagree with. :devil:

Most of my patients are either a) newborn, and don't care; or b) far more exhausted, or interested in taking care of said newborn, than interested in shooting the political breeze with me. And I try to leave politics at home, with a few exceptions (there are a few coworkers that I talk with, but just a very few).

Specializes in PACU, OR.

Nope, my patients are too whacked out from anaesthetic by the time they get to me. Back in the old "pre-democracy" days in South Africa, we occasionally had wide-awake "firebrands" in pre-op, but we just used to humor them; it's not worth while getting involved in political debate with someone you're ethically forbidden to punch in the nose :smokin:

I work in infusion occasionally and we have a pt. that will come in and ask everyone, pt's and nurses, their political affiliations along with other personal info about their condition and treatment.

The pt. is really nice but is way too outgoing for most people. If the pt. asks me about anything like that I just go uh-huh, like I'm thinking about it, and try to change the subject. When they start to grill another pt. I try to ask her an unrelated question so she doesn't offend or make anyone uncomfortable.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I try never to discuss politics, religion, or sex :)

However, I did stop asking who the president was while doing mental status exams LOL it caused too much controversy.

:hhmth:TOO FUNNY! Me too! I tell patients.....My Grandma always told me......if you want to keep friends and family NEVER discuss politics or religion! .......smile politely and I walk away....;)

I'm a student nurse and a tech, but I definitely stay vague if they bring it up. It's not my job to address politics with them. If they press me on something, I say something vague that makes it sound, wink-wink, nudge-nudge, like I agree with them, no matter their political leanings. I'm actually fiscally liberal, socially conservative in my political views.

When RNs try to bring stuff like that up--you know, just talking as coworkers--I avoid it too. We actually have an official (and unobserved and unenforced) policy against political or religious debate while at work.

Some of the more unprofessional things I've seen at work are (1) an RN wearing a button for her favorite congressional candidate before an election, WHILE CARING FOR PATIENTS, having a patient object (he said he would never do that, thought it was unprofessional), and refused to take off the button.

(2) When the health care bill was not yet passed, we had a doctor come up to the nurses station and very loudly gab about how horrible the bill was and how it would destroy health care.

Now political leanings aside, I see this as entirely unprofessional. Politics do not belong in patient care settings.

Several years ago, I was questioning my patient in the ICU. The night nurse has said that she though that he was confused at times.

So, I did my usual, "Mr. Jones, do you know where you are? What is the date and year? etc. Then I asked him if he knew who the President was, and he responded with a big sigh and said, "It's still Clinton". I assume that he was a life long Republican and not happy who the President was!.

I determined that he was NOT confused! We all got a good laugh over it in report that evening!

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

i'm reminded of a hospice pt i had, who was a die-hard republican...

and he loved to talk politics.

i would smile, engage him, and 'let' him win.

he was hospice, afterall.

leslie

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