Have you ever lost it with a patient?

Nurses Relations

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I mean completely lost your cool? I did. Today. We have a frequent flyer who startde the day with bad behavior and I let him get to me. I shouldn't have, but I did.

Specializes in Med-surg, NICU.

Yep, worked in a rehab hospital on the LTC vent floor...being confined to a vent and living in a facility for the rest of their lives has left these people fighting for any amount of control they can get. I feel for them but Im sorry when you try to boss me around and tell me how to do my job and demand this and that with entitlement and no concept of the other 40 pts on the floor, Im gonna tell you off and tell you to cool your guns.

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Yep we all have that is unless you are new. But it will even happen to you! I haven't lost it with docs other than behind their backs. Although I guess I have once when one was yelling at me over the phone and I hanged up. He called back and I said "Oh I guess your cell dropped" and all was fine. I have been "fired" by patients also. Does not bother me as I look at it as getting a difficult person off my back. I had a young walkie talkie who would use the bedside commode when she could walk to bathroom. I told her it was better for her to use the bathroom and she just looked at me. So I took it out of the room and that was that! What normal person who can walk without an issue want to use a commode?

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had an Aids pt back in the 80's purposely open his IV and bled all over the floor and demanded we clean it up!

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I've been a nurse for 18 years and have had many, many instances where I have had to set limits with patients, visitors, staff, and physicians. I work in a hospital where the clientele is, shall we say, not the greatest. Being in a female dominated profession, I think sometimes people think that they can just strong-arm a female. Well, they have just once to try that with me. I take my job seriously and I am there to care for patients and not deal with nonsense that just kills my time. I believe you can be firm, without being unprofessional, and get your point across. I think people will respect you when they see you mean business. But yeah, I've lost it!!!

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As a CNA, one time I got kicked in the face by a patient and was caught completely off guard by my anger. I just stood there stunned and swearing and then just walked out of the room. The CNA helping me was thankfully, a fantastic team player and got someone else to help.

As a nurse, I have had to leave the floor on occasion, because I don't want to think about what I would say if I opened those floodgates.

I have also, in a few telephone conversations with irate family members (and even a doctor) experienced a "bad phone connection," said "hello? hello? I think the phone is cutting out" and then hung up on them.

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Personally I don't blame anyone for losing it when victimized by abusive patients, doctors, administrators, etc., but a lot of the commenters in threads think that it's tantamount to a mortal sin to ever start yelling, under any circumstances — end of story.

My comment makes less sense since it was edited. I linked three other, older threads on this site on the same subject, and pointed out that a lot of people in those threads were strongly against "losing it" in front of a patient. Apparently that type of linking is not allowed. I guess you can search for those threads on your own, if interested.

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I try to set and enforce boundaries before I get to the point of "losing it", but alas I am merely mortal and I know I've had moments where I definitely could have handled things better.

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Specializes in Oncology.

Yup, especially when they demand Doritos while NPO and threaten to leave AMA when some procedural area is late picking them up.

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had an Aids pt back in the 80's purposely open his IV and bled all over the floor and demanded we clean it up!

Wow. Dude was probably angry over his illness--but still very wrong. Some folks have no idea how frustrating it can be to be a nurse.

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Yup, especially when they demand Doritos while NPO and threaten to leave AMA when some procedural area is late picking them up.

The demand was specifically for Doritos, eh? LOL

Oh brother.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Not yet, but I've come close. I worked in hotels for years, so I've learned to be very patient with extremely annoying people. Losing it on a guest may get you fired. Also, I've only been a nurse for 2 years...so I'm sure the day will come at some point.

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Specializes in LTC.

Sorry...I'm old....and I've never lost it with a patient and I am not lying.

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