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 ICU, Home Health, Camp, Travel, L&D.

You know, maybe it's the specialties I've worked, and that I've been at the bedside, but no. Can't say that I have issues with this.

I have to laugh b/c I had a "heated" discussion with a patient about this same topic. btw: I did not start it. One thing I said to him was that people are dying b/c they can't get the care they need. He told me all they had to do was go to their ER and the care would be free and given to them. I told him that sure, if they have colon cancer, perf their bowel and go to the ER, we'd fix their bowel but they certainly wouldn't get free chemo to help cure themselves. That if they came to the ER with headache and found to have a B/P of 240/110, that sure we'd give them medicine to bring their B/P down, but they wouldn't get free drugs for life. They need insurance for that and that's what HCR is all about. He continued on for awhile, and I told him that despite our differences, I'd still take good care of him.

Specializes in ER, ARNP, MSN, FNP-BC.

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.

Specializes in Ortho and Tele med/surg.

No. Not really.

Specializes in Adult Stem Cell/Oncology.
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.

Hahaha, yeah, if I remember correctly, one of my patients said something along the lines of, "That jerk" :lol2:

Lately it has been Obama this, Obama that. Not in the positive either. I think people just like to vent to HC workers, but I do not encourage it by offering my opinion on the matters. Whether I agree with them, or not, I don't let it affect my care.

Specializes in Med Surg.
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.

Me too. After asking who the President is, I have frequently had heated replies about "Obamacare". I have even had one patient tell me that if "Obamacare" got approved I'd be working for "pennies on the dollar".

Specializes in ER/ICU/Flight.

Not much and whenever they do I change the subject.

I was in a patient's room when Hillary Clinton was on TV and the visitor said "I've got a bullet for her and another for Barack Hussein Obama." I was stunned and thought "are you insane?" I seriously considered reporting it to the authorities (my uncle has been an FBI agent for >20 years) but then I thought: this is said thousands of times every day and he's probably just talking big. He was also elderly, frail and I don't think he would really do it....but with our politics the way they are, the boiling point we're approaching, and the recent tragedy in Tuscon, I'm starting to take people a little more seriously.

Specializes in ER/ICU/Flight.
Me too. After asking who the President is, I have frequently had heated replies about "Obamacare". I have even had one patient tell me that if "Obamacare" got approved I'd be working for "pennies on the dollar".

Nice! If the patient has a grasp of economics like that, how could he waste his talents and not volunteer for a congressional committee???

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, 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.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

My elderly die-hard Republican conservative father was hospitalized recently. He'd never been hospitalized before. My sibs and I took turns sitting with him and by the time my turn came around (2nd day or so), my dad had already earned a reputation with the nursing staff. Apparently, every time a new shift or new nurse came on, he would quizz them intently about their political leanings, even going to far as to state that only like-minded nurses would be allowed to care for him.:eek:

Now I knew that my dad was kidding and that, in an uncomfortable (for him) environment, this was his way of breaking the ice. However, he was coming on pretty strong and I was mortified for the nursing staff. I could just see from the looks on their faces that they semi-dreaded coming into his room.

So, yes, patients do try to discuss politics, but maybe it's the only thing they can think of to talk about!

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