Survey:When you are the patient or family member, do you identify yourself as a nurse

[Brian]

Here are the results of last months survey question

When you are the patient or family member, do you identify yourself as a nurse? :

Please feel free to read and post any comments that you have right here in this discussion thread by clicking the "Post Reply" button.

Thanks

[monkijr]

In answer to the survey, No. Had the unfortunate circumstance of having an ER visit last month. Was not only treated poorly as a patient, cannot imagine if I would have said I was a nurse. Puzzled me tho that I was not asked if I was a nurse just based on conversation.

[maizey]

Generally No. I, too, wished we had the choice of "it depends on the circumstance". I had a colonoscopy done at a hospital a little ways from my home and did not tell the nurse starting my IV that I was a nurse but when we got into the room and the doc started his exam before I was given any narcs I complained and he said "nurses" and that was the last thing I remembered until I woke up. At the small hospital I work at they have known me forever and I don't think nurses get the same care as patients. I was sent home with a kidney stone on darvocet and drink lots of water. We admit kidney stones to the hospital all the time. I had tick fever a few years ago and had to go to clinic daily for three days for injections. Don't get me wrong I would rather be at home to take care of myself but at that time it was very unpleasant to try to get up and dressed to go to clinic and sit everyday. I was too sick for that with my 103 fever and every muscle in my body aching and every joint, even my baby fingers hurt. When my granny fell and broke her hip and her mind is not all there I immediately identified myself as a nurse because they were screaming at her because she was being uncooperative but they were hurting her and she did not understand why. It got better after that. So it depends. I think some docs take it for granted if your a nurse they don't have to explain things to you but I don't know everything and when I or a family member are sick my nurse goes out and my family mode kicks in.

[AmandaDawn]

It usually comes out whether it is a proud family member that tells or me to get them to give the info to me straight and not explain things I know already. Plus sometimes it seems like it helps motivate the person to give better care. Tell me you don't watch ur P's and Q's when you know your pt is a long time nurse.

Amanda

[luvbeinganurse]

I don't start off with my first statement being that I am a nurse, but they usually find out pretty fast. I work for the homecare dept. of a hospital, and when I have had to take my kids/parents to the ER, it's helpful if I wear my ID and scrubs. They have let me in the ER while others have had to sit out in the lobby.

When I had a bypass at another hospital, I did not tell them I was a nurse for the first couple of days, and finally, I was so disgusted with the care that I just hinted at it, and things changed very quickly. Sad commentary on some nurses, but it's true. I also think that the doctors explain things more if they realize you are knowledgeable with what they are saying.

[funnynurse]

sbic56

Senior Member

Registered: Jun 2002

Location:

Posts: 212

(Post# 49)

Youda

Yup, IDing yourself as such in that case was a good thing! Also a VERY good thing you knew what you were doing, cuz that nurse was an idiot.

My peeve is when the family has medical people in it and they try to use their status to intimidate or let you know they are "watching you". Give me a break. That's why I wouldn't let on unless faced with a scenario like you described, of course!

Exactly! I can't stand when people play the title game. I was giving preop teaching to a woman who stated, "my son the doctor....my other son the pharmacist........ Who cares? I treat my patients ALL the same, regardless if they are nurses, doctors or any other health care professional. I have given preop instructions to doctors because it was part of my job and I didn't care who they were, they were getting the whole speech!!!

As for me mentioning I am a nurse??? No, not right off the bat (Hi I am so and so and I'm a nurse ) But as others have posted, it comes out eventually, either through medical terms we use or family/friends telling anyone within ear shot!

[Aussienurse2]

Like most of you I don't have to tell. When I had my first son it was in my home town, the DON came down to the maternity ward and announce loudly that I was sister paulines daughter and if anything was not to her satisfation she woud hear about it!! LOL!! Of course this came after the hodge-podge job they did on the delivery! Then in Sydney my brother-in-law was the head of the trauma dept. so I got the royle treatment. When the last one was born I got up the next day after the c-section, made my bed and went down to have a shower when I came back the sister looked at me with daggers in her eyes and said " Your a nurse! Here the nurses who give birth do NOT make their own beds!" LOL!! They were so great I sent them a huge box of Cadburys when I left. I apparently look like a nurse, not quite sure what that means though.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Like Cheerfuldoer, my real answer is "Maybe". I tend not to offer it up at first, because there are a lot of side effects to doing so. It puts people on the defensive, it leads to assumptions on both sides, sometimes it results in a longer wait ("You can see how busy we are, surely you don't mind monitoring your family member's condition until we can get to you."), or out-and-out neglect. The last time my son (who has a very complex medical history and ongoing needs) had day surgery, I lost count of the number of times I refilled the chamber on his IV when it was dry and the tubing half-filled with air. I've been asked to draw his blood for tests when the nurse wasn't able to find a vein, to give IV meds, to d/c IVs and countless other tasks that I would not ask a family member to do. On the other hand, he received top-notch care in the recovery room because the admitting nurse knew me well. It's a double-edged sword at times, and I try to be careful when I use it.

[rncountry]

Two years ago I found out my dad was ill with melanoma that started on a small bald area on the top of his head. Then Mets to the brain. He had not initially treated it because he was a Christian Scientist, but after seizures my stepmom begged him to begin tx, and he did. He never told me until after he started radiation. He was an intensely private man, and I tried to respect that, so unless he brought up what was going on I rarely asked except to see how he was feeling. He was in TN, me in MI. This situation stopped when I got a call from my stepmom in tears because my dad had such pain in his Left leg that he could not support his weight, she told me that an xray had been done as the doc felt it was more mets, however that was not the case and my dad was sent home with no dx. At that point the symptoms had been going on for 6 days, many calls to doctors office with no result. She then told me he seemed thirsty all the time, and was urinating very frequently. The alarm bells were chiming so I asked to speak to my dad. I asked for him to please answer my questions honestly even if they caused him some embarrassment, he was a little hesitant at first but did it. He had the full blown s/sx of DM, and when I asked for my stepmom to do a Homan's sign I could hear my dad yell.

Next morning I was on the phone to the doctors office. Dragonlady keeper of the gate receptionist tried very hard to put me off about speaking to the the nurse, wanted me to give her s/sx, she would have the nurse call me etc... that was until I finally got very angry and told her I was a Registered Nurse calling from Michigan, that my dad had some things going on that led me to believe that he care was less than adequate, and that if I needed to come down there from Michigan to straighten it out neither her or the doctor was going to care much for the result. I immediately got the nurse. After again identifying myself as an RN I asked if they had been doing routine blood sugars on my dad, after all he was on massive doses of steroids. NO. Had anyone done a doppler? NO. I got this damn code talk about limited time with patients, doctor had many HMO patients. I knew exactly what she was telling me, and didn't give a damn. After all both of these things are standard, no brainers. I explained that I was a 12 hour drive from Memphis and they should expect me in about 14 hours. That gave me time to get home from work and pack to get on the road.

By the time I got to Memphis my dad had already had emergency surgery to try a bypass on his lower leg, that had been without blood flow for 7 days by this point. It was unsuccessful. His blood sugar was running around 500, how was his body supposed to repair anything? He was on a surgical oncology unit, nurse had 14 patients. I am not exaggerating. Later in the day a junior resident(pockets full of books) came in and explained to my dad that he would need an amputation, blew off questions, making it sound like all would be well. I followed the shit out into the hallway, explained I was a nurse and that he would march his ass right back in there and explain to my dad that he would have much difficulty healing if he opted for amputation, and why. He stood there and stammered and stuttered, I looked him in the eye and said I F***ing mean it. And next time I want the doctor who created this mess to begin with!

This is a very long story so to make it short, my dad lost his lower leg, it did not heal and three weeks after the amputation he was in the doctors office after being told further amputation would be necessary because of gangrene, he went to the waiting room, clutched his chest and said oh God that hurts and collapsed. He never woke up, and was pronounced dead shortly after the the ambulance got him to the ER. Sept. 12, two years ago.

The anger I felt and still do is indescribable. It is most likely he would have died no matter what, the mets was very extensive, but to have him have to lose his leg before hand because of someone's incompetance was more than I could deal with, particularly at the time.

In the last year my stepdad has had surgery three times, you bet every time I announce from the rooftops I am a nurse. I feel sure if I had not he too would have lost his leg, the care the second time around was atrocious, not from nurses, but from docs. Again that call with the magic I am a Registered Nurse, worked wonders. Mom has been in the hospital twice in the last month, in the hospital where I am, so it wasn't an issue. I picked the docs, they knew I was specifically and all went well. I would bop downstairs to see my mom every couple hours, and I felt much better knowing that she had physicians I knew were good and caring.

After all my dad went through never again will I not simply identify myself as a nurse right away. It was amazing to watch everyone shitting and getting after they knew that someone who knew what should have been done, understood that it hadn't. I wish many times I had butted in a more with my dad, but I also felt I had to respect his feelings about sharing his bodily functions with his daughter.

I would wish that no one had to experience this with one of their loved ones, but unfortunatly I know with what is going on out there it is not likely.

[NurseDianne, ADN]

Since we usually use the facility we work at, its a given. But, in cases of being at another facilitly, I don't unless I feel one of my family members is not getting the treatment that is needed. I think that it makes the staff uncomfortable to know that you are watching their every move! I know that's the way I feel when I have a patients family member say they are a nurse, etc.

[chrisrob]

i agree with heather someone always gives it away

[chrisrob]

once i had to drive 350 miles to see my dad who had had an acute M.I. when i ot there he doc spoke to me showed me his ECGs explained the treament etc i thought wow thats great went to see dad who informed me he had told the nurses hewas not having any morphine in case he was asleep when i arrived and that i was a nurse in coronary care thats why i got all the info when i was there he kept having burst of v. tach that were becoming more and more frequent and getting longer ( i had of course by now scanned the room for a defib) when i was leaving the doc said that she was sure i had noted the v. tach and they were going to treat it. What i did learn from his ecgs was that he had actually infarctd 2 days earleir his GP had given him a nitrate spray even though he was cold clammy vomiting etc (mum told me this )so went on to extend to quite a large anterior i had the info to wipe the floor with his gp and did made damm sure dad was pt on another docs list same doc had previously tried to give me augmentin or a septic throat even though i had told him i was allergic to penicillin seemed not bothered when i imformed him that he would probably kill me if i took that so glad i had that kowledge so sometimes it does pay to let them know your a nurse and i would now if i thought the treatment was wrong or could be better get more info from other nurses if they know they a talk proper termonolgy with u i know i give better info to a nurse thimk its because we need to know what were thinking aout an illness is true or not

[purdue91]

Everyone needs a patient advocate with them for any procedure. I believe that more knowledge is best and every pair of eyes is better. I don't always say I'm a nurse up front, but real soon after. Everyone needs to stay on their toes. I find when working with a patient or family member that is a nurse, it makes it easier to explain and or not, what ever the case.

This is my first post. I'm glad to be aboard.:)