When being a patient...

Nurses Relations

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Ok I realize this has probably been asked before but when you as a nurse find yourself having to be a patient do you inform those taking care of you that you are indeed a nurse or do you plead ignorance? My approach is usually to plead ignorance which is kinda fun sometimes.

Or any stories about having to be a patient and disclosing yourself as a nurse?

Or any self created rules about being a patient?

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

My husband (also a nurse) usually outs me. It starts on admission -- he talks about how much he knows about this and the studies he's read about that until someone asks him if he's in the medical field. He then "admits" to being a nurse and says "So is my wife." And I'm just sitting there, trying to be a "good patient." It annoys the crap out of me!

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Specializes in ER, PACU, ICU.

Hahahahaha such a caring husband! (-: My friend (she is a nurse) and I have a deal if one of us gets found out the other is thrown under the bus too. We travel a lot together so its kinda fun seeing how long we can hold out before someone ends us asking.

My husband (also a nurse) usually outs me. It starts on admission -- he talks about how much he knows about this and the studies he's read about that until someone asks him if he's in the medical field. He then "admits" to being a nurse and says "So is my wife." And I'm just sitting there, trying to be a "good patient." It annoys the crap out of me!
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Specializes in ER, PACU, ICU.

I must admit as much as I despise filling the role of patient I think in a way it makes me a better nurse. Especially whenever they don't know I am a nurse and use the same lines (you have had a liter of fluids are you sure that you cant pee?) that I have on my patients.

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Specializes in nursing education.

I don't usually tell anyone. I want to see how I am treated first. Unfortunately my hubby or family always outs me. I usually just laugh it off and say it's not my area of expertise so I defer. It usually works out just fine

I am a nursing professor so I see a few of my former students. That's aways fun!!

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Specializes in LTC.

I don't tell anyone outright, but it usually comes up somehow. When I had my second baby, it had come up while doing my admission assessment and must have got passed along in report. Every nurse that took care of me seemed to know I was a nurse and I didn't bring it up other than that one time.

When my youngest daughter was 10 weeks old, she was hospitlized with RSV. I didn't say I was a nurse because I didn't want anyone assuming that I would know something that I didn't like what normal VS are for an infant (I'm not a peds nurse, after all) or that I would ask a "dumb" question and have people think I was stupid. However, my mom told all the nurses that I was a nurse so everyone knew.

When I go to my clinic, my doctor and the MA that usually works with her know I am a nurse so there's no keeping it secret there.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

When I am a patient I DO NOT tell the staff that I am an RN.

When I am the parent or family member of the patient I DO tell them that I am an RN.

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Specializes in Critical care.

I was recently floated to work in ED due to a seriously high patient backlog. I was assisting the physician with reducing a displaced fracture on an out-of-town visitor who was injured touring my area. The doc himself outed our patient's NICU RN status when I showed up to provide counter traction. It was not an easy reduction and took most of an hour. The patient behaved in the most dignified, unfussy manner one could hope for...she "did us good" and the doc (who was also a gem himself) specifically noted the same.

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