Nurses: How Do You Feel About Your Patients Being Nurses?

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NurseDirtyBird

425 Posts

The worst patients are other health workers. Phlebotomists, CNAs, nursing students (sorry guys)...they think they know. I also don't tell doctor's I'm a nurse, unless they ask after I said something "telling."

allnurses Guide

Hygiene Queen

2,232 Posts

Usually, the nurses I care for are pleasant and they get it when they see me running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

One, however, rode my butt for not making her bed... really?

I told her that she obviously understands priorities and patient safety comes before bed-making.

I work psych, so I'm just trying to keep my eye on everybody and trying to keep things cool.

I had another one ride me for keeping her waiting to put her to bed. She went on and on about how she contributed to nursing texts and blah blah blah.

I said, "great, then you should understand my predicament!"

But, usually, they are, as I said, pleasant and actually THEY are the ones uncomfortable because they are caught amongst their nursing peers in a psych setting.

You would think, that as nurses, the ones that act like buffoons could place themselves in our shoes, but I guess the priorities of care apply to everyone but themselves.

The most intimidating patient I had was actually a pharmacist.

Boy, I researched his meds like a champ before I gave him anything!

He was teaching me!

lol

blackandyellow

127 Posts

Specializes in CVICU, CCU, MICU.

I find that I'm the opposite of the women you described if anything I'm too nice. I usually do not tell people that I am in the healthcare profession because I do not want to be like those women you described but it always ends up coming out one way or another. For instance when my grandmother was in the ICU I was helping the nurse turn her and her monitor kept going off so I asked her if she would mind if I silenced it. Let the cat out of the bag there. Usually most of the patients family members I have who are nurses are generally very nice and it makes it easier explaining things to them such as why a pt on lasix needs potassium. However I did have one patients daughter who kept silencing and restarting her fathers pump and he was on pressors :no: I had to put a stop to that behavior real quick.

pbuttercups

34 Posts

Specializes in School Nursing.

I do find it intimidating but only because I'm a new grad. I'm sure with time and more confidence, I won't feel that way. I treat everyone equally, nurse or not.

IME nurse patients are either wonderful and understanding and appreciative or challenging and difficult and demanding. I'm lucky to have had more of the former.

I had a patient whose parents were doctors. The patient was getting a bolus, so the pump was running at 999ml/hr, which was already a SLOW blous since the patient was getting a liter. The parents turned it down because they thought it was "too fast." I had to explain that actually, it was going in very slowly for a bolus, and had already slowed it down significantly by putting it on a pump instead of running it to gravity. But seriously, don't touch my IV pump.

The worst was when I was a student. Took care of a pt whos daughter worked in X-ray or something. Questioned why I would want to be a practicl nurse as they have no education ( longer then hers was) are not inteligent and I would never get a job ( in front of my preceptor who had been her friend for years). First I put too much apple sauce in her pills then not enough. I think she was so upset about her mom that she took all her anger at me. And there was a lot! I ended up crying in the bathroom. I could do nothing right. Sometimes you just have to eat ****, maybe put someone back in their place, but remember they're probably scared - especially knowing what we know

M/B-RN

77 Posts

I hate it when my patient's are nurses. It makes me nervous! But the worst is when they are related to someone who works in a doctor's office or they are a medical assistant, something not even involving nursing and they think they know everything. It makes me crazy to have to justify everything I'm doing to someone who thinks they know everything about nursing! No point in showing off when you don't even know what you're talking about.

joanna73, BSN, RN

4,767 Posts

Specializes in geriatrics.

It doesn't matter to me who the patient is because everyone is entitled to the same standard of care. I've had many nurses and physicians as patients when I worked acute care, as well as family members of patients who worked in the health care field. As long as I'm doing my job in a respectful manner, I'm not concerned.

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I had an MD the other day, a Rheumatologist from the hospital. She was nice but man she was demanding and self-managing of her care: got herself ordered kayexalate for a potassium of 5.1; called the pharmacy to find out how much K was in herTPN. She also had a lot of meds, many of which we rarely ever give. The story was that she came to us after having RRTd herself for SOB/DIB on the rehab unit. So, yes, she was also an admit. I got out an hour late that day.

Mulan

2,228 Posts

Some people are just obnoxious.

They should know better than to act in such a low class manner.

That nurse manager sounds just like someone I may know.

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

For the most part, they have been great. Its the nurse family member that makes me want to jump head first off our helipad.

Editorial Team / Admin

Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN

6 Articles; 11,658 Posts

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Patients who happen to be nurses are still patients- I'm not going to treat them any differently because of it. Be careful of making assumptions as well- just because the patient is a nurse doesn't mean they will know what's going on. Just like any other patient, they may be confused, overwhelmed, what have you- and cope the same way as any other patient who is out of their normal element. I know I would be.

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