Has anyone taken care of a celeb?

[anon456]

Obviously you can't share who it was . . . but I would love to hear how it affected the unit. Did they require security? Did they have more visitors than usual? Was the media involved? Did the other patients on the unit /visitors on the unit realize there was a celeb there? Did the patient get any special VIP treatment (i.e. did the hospital bend over backwards with this patient vs. other patients)?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I've taken care of a frequent flyer patient who was once a professional baseball player in the major leagues. However, he's flat broke today and has definitely seen better days.

[nursel56]

Yes, in Southern CA we cross paths with notables pretty often. Most are not rude or imperious but one. He needed to make an appointment to get travel shots. He was a restaurant critic and as it happened, a collosal ****. First I had the audacity to have no idea who he was. The real fun part arose as a result of his unusual name. Naturally, I asked him to spell it. . . oh boy. Long pause . . .tick-tock . . . . tick-tock...he finally spit out the letters dripping with contempt. Now when I see this officious jerk I laugh to myself about the day he got taken down a few pegs. :-)

[anon456, BSN, RN]

On a related note, does your hospital make a note on the patient's file or census information if their family is a big person in the hospital (administration, relative of a staff member, someone who donated $$)? We have a code that shows up next to the patient's name in certain circumstances. I think everyone should be treated the same no matter what. When I was in nursing school there was a member of a family that had donated enough money to name a wing after themselves. You'd better believe that patient was treated like a VIP!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

On a related note, does your hospital make a note on the patient's file or census information if their family is a big person in the hospital (administration, relative of a staff member, someone who donated $$)?

Yes, my workplace does this. Patients are labeled 'VIPs' if they have prominent family members (local judges, politicians, hospital administrators, donors, etc.). We receive continual emails on the importance of ensuring our VIP patients have perfect hospital stays.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

A golf professional and a very famous politician, not at my current job. Their charts were locked down tight with emails reminding people that any nosey noses accessing their EMR would be fired and escorted from the property and the proper authorities notified, that creating a fuss would result in termination and that respect, decorum and excellent care were called for not just when these types were around but all the time. Extra security came with the politician. I did not personally have anything to do with either one.

[Twinmom06, ASN, APN]

I live about 2 hours out of NYC and one of our local hospitals has a nationally recognized NICU - apparently its not common but not uncommon for celebs to come out of NY to have their babies (or the children of celebs) because its out of the way enough to not draw media attention...we had the child of a celeb have her baby here when I was in nursing school

[Hygiene Queen]

Long time ago, we sorta had one... really one of those famous-for-no-good-reason type of people. A flash-in-the-pan.

Anyway, this person was not on our unit, but in our small hospital.

So, a coworker, sitting at the desk with me, says in a low voice, "Oooh, Hygiene... did you know Blah Blah was here on Unit ABC?"

"Who's that?"

"Oh, they're on The Icky Blah Reality Show and they're married to Mr. Blecky Blah!"

I swing around in my chair to find this coworker nose full into Blah Blah's computer chart.

"Uhhhhhhhhh... you need to get outta there now!"

My coworker had apparently never heard of folks getting fired for accessing charts and that charts are tracked.

Once, I had a new pt and I was just outside the pt's room w/ my cart, when the doc approaches me and asks, "Are you So-So's nurse?"

I said "yes" and the doc whispers, "Let me see your [brain] sheet."

I slip it over to him and he scribbles on it and slides it back to me with a look that showed awe and grave seriousness.

I read the scrawl, "VIP".

Well, I'm not passing notes back and forth and I asked, "For what?"

He leans in, like shhhhhhhhhh! and hisses, "He's a lawyer... malpractice!"

Well, I just wanted to laugh and laugh and say, "Well, Doctor, I'm not doing anything wrong, anyway... how about you?"

Of course, I didn't say that... no need to be a total ass...

[AssociateDegree]

Deleted by author.

[tokebi]

I've also had to be the nurse to a current pop singer....sweetest thing that has ever come on to my unit!

Had a similar experience. I had a prejudiced ideas about this particular celeb based on her public image, and inwardly groaned when I was assigned to her. Shortly into the shift, however, I was pleasantly surprised how sweet and polite she actually was! It's good to know that not all people develop super-sized ego just because they're famous.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I made their entourage leave once, not knowing ( or caring ) who they were. I don't need 20 people in the hallway at all hours of the night. Leave

[pfongk]

Yep a few, years ago, when I was an agency AIN down south, they varied from local celebs to international aussie celebs.

[JBudd, MSN]

I took care of our Governor once, and the odd state legislator. We do get some movie celebs, but I had to google some of the names to figure why they thought I should know who they were. One quite famous fellow, who name was vaguely familiar, got a bit offended by my never having seen any of his movies or shows, so he set out to charm me and make promises (very good actor, I actually believed him at first).

The Gov. showed up without his guards, they showed up later.