What patients/behaviors/illnesses/injuries do you HATE the most?

[JZ_RN]

I'll start with people who say "I went to nursing school" Okay, but are you a nurse?

I need my meds today. Also I can't pay for them.

Moms who let their kids run wild and scream. I get that stuff hurts, go ahead and cry. No need to run like a wile monkey or screech like you're dying, I assure you that if you were dying you'd have no time to yell like that.

And let's not get started on the drug-seekers!

[Fuzzy]

Horses with severe colic whose owners won't consider surgery because "He got better the last time".

Eight week old puppies who are dying from parvovirus because the owner wouldn't vaccinate. This is even worse when there are crying children involved.

Cats that have been turned out to fend for themselves because it's only a cat. Too bad you had it declawed. At least this one was microchipped. Gotcha jerk.

Ferrets that come in half dead and the owner says, "He was fine yesterday".

Any bird that is sitting fluffed at the bottom of the cage.

Animals that belong to anyone working in the human medical profession that "treats them first" especially when they treat them with over the counter NSAIDs.

Fuzzy

[VictoriaGayle]

These patients usually have a psych component to their abdominal distress, which seems to require massive doses of Dilaudid and Phenergan along with liberal amounts of Ativan. They whine about their NPO status even as they claim to vomit every hour or two (which 'mysteriously' is never seen by any nurse). They tend to be divas who want everything done for them, despite the fact that they are perfectly capable of retrieving that makeup mirror from the bedside table. They've been poked, prodded, scoped, exploratoried, and otherwise examined in minute detail.....and with rare exception, no cause is ever found for their distress.

Another reason why I don't miss the hospital. On the other hand, one of our FFs was a thirty-something with porphyria who had to come in every few weeks for IV infusions, and she had a lot of pain and anxiety as well. However, she wasn't demanding and she rarely complained, and we all became friends over time. She was even my roommate once when I was in for chest pain, and we were like teenaged girls having a slumber party---we kept our end of the hall awake half the night.

From what you and another person below you said, I'm a little confused...are they mentally ill or drug seeking? or both? Sorry this is just interesting to me.

Do nurses hate psych patients? Oh gosh hope I didn't word that in a bad way...but I never see anyone say anything nice about psych patients. And I know when I was in to the psych ward there was one night nurse who obviously didn't want to be there and seemed like she was mad at me just for being a patient.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

From what you and another person below you said, I'm a little confused...are they mentally ill or drug seeking? or both? Sorry this is just interesting to me.

Do nurses hate psych patients? Oh gosh hope I didn't word that in a bad way...but I never see anyone say anything nice about psych patients. And I know when I was in to the psych ward there was one night nurse who obviously didn't want to be there and seemed like she was mad at me just for being a patient.

I generally like "psych patients": the schizophrenics, schizoid, schizotypal, bipolar, or depressed people. Since there is a higher incidence of T2DM in these folks, I work with them a lot. I think it is more the manipulative behavior involved with people who have personality disorders, eating disorders, and addictions that is so frustrating in healthcare, and also the fact that psych services are hard to come by.

YMMV.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

I don't have the patience for Psych pateints.

I really dislike violent DT pts. I like the ones who are confused, but pleasent, or hallucinating, but aren't hitting or kicking.

I really cannot stand the ones you can't make happy, and the ones that are really nice BUT the family is annoying/demanding/rude.

Post op Lamis who refuse to move at all. Post op pts who wont do anything for themselves but they are totally capable.

Trachs/colostomies/illeostomies All gross me out. Being an ICU nurse trachs aren't so bad anymore, but Ostomies still gross me out.

Agitated pts in which the docs wont sedate at all or don't sedate enough especially those ones that are vented.

Pts who's famlies are in denial of their condition and wont make them DNR or comfort care. Even with talking to them over and over regarding futility and expecting them to be a full code.

[CAnurse2012]

The patients I hate the most are the one who say thank you and agree to everything I explain to them but by the time I walk out the room, they talks s*** about me and complain about everything to other nurses (semi-private rooms) or request to have different nurses. Those are manipulative ones and back-stabbers. I can take mean people because I know they are mean. Everyone know it. The back stabbers are the ones who complain about everything yet to people who have not have that patients, they are angels.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

Victoria, I have to agree. It seems most hate psych patients here. I am not saying that they aren't difficult at times but I have heard some horrible stuff said about patients who have a psych dx and aren't doing anything to the nurse at all (not on AN but on med surg floors and in my psych class). Plus, you have to consider that they do have something mentally wrong with them hence their behavior (I am not saying every behavior is excusable but you have to admit that part of their "acting out" is the psych illness; I am speaking of a true psych pt not someone looking for quick disability). I want to know the nurses' excuse for such poor behavior.

I am a psych patient myself and I read these threads and hear first hand some of the stuff nurses say about psych patients and I think to myself, I pay people to be talked about and treated bad? Victoria, I have had the same experience as you. I think some people think psych is just an easy/low risk job compared to med surg (I am not saying every psych nurse but there are some). It's just as serious because you run the risk of the patient killing themselves (it has happened before on psych units).

I believe the stats for suicide in Borderline Personality Disorder is 1 in 10. That's completed suicide, the others have suicide attempts. I thought I would put that down because it seems that that is the one illness everyone keeps pointing out that they don't like in psych. It's not all attention seeking; it's a serious psych illness.

[VictoriaGayle]

I generally like "psych patients": the schizophrenics, schizoid, schizotypal, bipolar, or depressed people. Since there is a higher incidence of T2DM in these folks, I work with them a lot. I think it is more the manipulative behavior involved with people who have personality disorders, eating disorders, and addictions that is so frustrating in healthcare, and also the fact that psych services are hard to come by.

YMMV.

Thank you for explaining that to me a little bit.

It's pretty sad though.

Wish_Me_Luck *hugs*

I've just seen a general disdain for psych patients here, but what I have personally witnessed could be considered neglect and abuse. But I'm glad I went through it. I know exactly what kind of nurse I NEVER want to be.

I just wish society as a whole would stop blaming the mentally ill for being sick.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

It may just be my perception, but I got the impression that most of the people complaining about psych patients are NOT psych nurses, but rather floor nurses who have had psych patients on their units.

When you're not used to dealing with them and when you didn't choose that specialty, it can be extremely frustrating dealing with someone who has severe mental problems.

I did my psych rotation over the summer, and the nurses I came across in that unit all seemed to like their specialty. Likewise, in talking to nurses on other units, the unanimous opinion among those not on the psych unit was, "OMG, I could NEVER be a psych nurse, I don't have it in me!!!!"

[VictoriaGayle]

It may just be my perception, but I got the impression that most of the people complaining about psych patients are NOT psych nurses, but rather floor nurses who have had psych patients on their units.

When you're not used to dealing with them and when you didn't choose that specialty, it can be extremely frustrating dealing with someone who has severe mental problems.

I did my psych rotation over the summer, and the nurses I came across in that unit all seemed to like their specialty. Likewise, in talking to nurses on other units, the unanimous opinion among those not on the psych unit was, "OMG, I could NEVER be a psych nurse, I don't have it in me!!!!"

Yes the majority of nuses don't seem to be psych nurses. But I think I've seen similar sentiments from psych nurses in the past, and I've seen psych nurses who seem to hate psych patients. I was just wondering if this is typical.

I understand we can be annoying. My mom is a saint for putting up with me! I've just been wondering about this for a while.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

Brillo, I understand that. But there is no separating mind and body. That means med surg nurses and ICU nurses will receive psych patients. Instead of this "ewww, I don't like them" mentality; why don't you all brush up on some skills that would make interactions with them easier?

It would make interactions more pleasant for all involved. Plus, as hey_suz pointed out; we have poor psych service on the whole, it doesn't help when nurses speak ill of their patients. It just makes it worse.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

Victoria, I am the same. I have times where having a mental illness is rough (yes, mental illness is rough for the patient too; not only for their family, friends, and health care providers) but I have thought about it and I am grateful for the ability to see the flip side of things (through having a mental illness). I think it can ultimately help me provide better care. It's all in perspective.

[giveface]

Hearing a clang at 6AM to walk down and investigate only to find a 70-year-old psychogeriatric woman squating and forcfully urinating into a large stainless steel wash basin, filling it to the brim while white knuckling her walker, and when you ask why she didn't just use the toilet she states, "I haven't a clue."