Nurse as a patient...

Nurses Rock Toon

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  • Specializes in CCU, Geriatrics, Critical Care, Tele.

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shoegalRN, RN

1,338 Posts

I havent had to be a patient in the hospital, as in an inpatient, but I have been an outpatient.

I had to go to my hospital for a procedure, and everyone knew I was a nurse. Still, I tried to be the patient and not wear my nurse hat. I listened to the doctor, I also let my nurse do what she needed to do.

Now, I did hurt myself while at work in the ER, I became a patient, and had my co-worker as my nurse. I was a little non compliant, as I did not stay in my room, and I walked over the my doctor and TOLD her what I needed (tetnus shot). I think I was so annoying to my co-workers I was seen and discharged in all of 20 minutes LOL!

But I really wasnt "sick" and had to be seen because it was a work related injury. I still took care of my patients while waiting to see the doctor.

PMFB-RN, RN

5,351 Posts

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

What's worse than a nurse for a patient? A peds patient whose parent is a nurse! One time in PICU I was told in report that my patient's mother was the dean of a local nursing program. At first I was nervous. Then I figured out she knew nothing about ICU nursing and very little about nursing in general. Turns out she had been an OR nurse for only three years before going into teaching and had been the dean for 16 years. After I learned that I was no longer nervous and we got along just great.

wooh, BSN, RN

1 Article; 4,383 Posts

What's worse than a nurse for a patient? A peds patient whose parent is a nurse!

Ohhhhh, I can beat that. Peds patient whose parent is one of your nurse coworkers.... I was relatively new to my unit, only been with this group long enough to know that one of my new coworkers was one of the best nurses I'd ever met, just flat out amazing. Came in one day, and had her kid as my patient. THAT was the most intimidating day of my career. She did mention everyone on her customer service survey though, so we all got career ladder points for it. :)

The nice thing about peds, is people that don't do it, are scared of it. So usually with nurse family members, they spend the whole time, "I could never do peds!" Of course, doctor family members...

Wrench Party

823 Posts

Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

My classmates and I have encountered some retired nurses on our floor in our rotations,

and generally they volunteer themselves willingly, if a little grudgingly, and are patient with our questions.

The most amusing was when a classmate of mine got the rare opportunity to put in an IV on a retired

nurse, and the nurse helping with it walked away muttering "She said she has shoddy veins. Of

course I should have known" referring to the fact that only a nurse would say her veins were bad.

(They were, I believe they had to page the IV team later for another one because she was such a hard stick).

RoxCRN

8 Posts

Well as the saying goes, Nurses make horrible patients and I guess I'm no exception but not without cause. I think we hold the nurses that care for us to a higher standard because they know we are watching. I had emergent surgery last year requiring admission to the hospital for 2 days. Normally I wouldn't advertise that I was a nurse but I got sick while I was on shift and didn't have street clothes, just scrubs. Of course the ER staff, my co-workers and docs were awesome with me, they know me personally. The floor nurses didn't know me from Adam. I never was cruel, I never bothered, I never pushed the call light. I also didn't see a nurse, not once for 8 hours. No vital signs, nothing. I wasn't on tele so I could have died in that room ( as unlikely as that is but stranger things have happened ) and no one would have been the wiser. The next morning after my surgery my nurse post op refused to give me pain medication because I had received 1 mg of Morphine already and I had reached my limit. ( Really, my drug seekers in the ED get 2mg of Dilaudid at a time for their headaches while eating McDonalds, but I reached my limit after 1mg Morphine after abdominal surgery!!!) I told her if she didn't call the doctor right then I would and he would be giving her orders, she called and I got 1mg more...it was all I needed. That was the only time I was outwardly cross, but darn it I hurt!! Later she asked how my pain was and I told her OK but since I had been NPO for over 24 hours and just now started clears, I asked for tylenol for the headache I had developed. She says to me "Oh you dont have an order for tylenol" In my head I'm saying listen here miss thing so call the doctor and get a frickin order!!! To the nurse I say "Fine I will be ok" when she leaves I go into my purse and take 2 tylenol. The rest of the stay was pretty much the same. Nurses didn't check on me probably because I could check myself. I changed my surgical dressing, I checked my incisions, I monitored my urine output, I noted when I had my first flatus. When the morning shift came in the second day, I soooooo badly wanted to say"you know that pretty little thing you have around your neck is called a stethoscope, you're supposed to use it to assess your patients!! I had not been assessed once since surgery! Instead, I asked if I could take a shower. "Oh you dont have an..." I didnt let her finish..."let me guess, I dont have an order for a shower...OK" when the doctor rounded 10min later he tells me I could have showered last night. Needless to say I was less than impressed with the nurses but I didn't complain because I didn't want to be "that patient" I went home, all was well, I healed. 2 weeks at home I get a call for follow up and reminder to fill out the "Patient Satisfaction Survey" I told the nurse that called "you really dont want me to do that" she asks "why?" I reply "Well......" and I laid into her everything. Honestly, I didn't think I was gonna be that patient that complains, but after thinking about it I was ******! I'm gonna pay for a hospital stay where I provided my own care! Do I at least get a discount!?!?! What I take away from this is simple, just because your patient is a nurse doesn't mean you give better care, or in my case, leave them to fend for themselves, it means you give them the same excellent care you give all your patients!

abiklags

176 Posts

Specializes in Pediatrics and Med Surf Float.

i had to go to the ER for severe nausea and dizziness after an episode of vertigo and the after effects set off a anxiety attack. i was sent to the peds ER b/c i was younger than 21 at the time. any ways..... my nurse knew i was 4 months from graduating with my associate's degree yet still did her pt ed (re zofran and IV insertion/removal) as if i had no previous medical knowledge. she also did 2 sets of orthostatics on me but did not say why! my dad who was with me asked ME what was going on b/c she didn't say.

the NP on the other hand was great. explained why he ordered e/t re labs and stuff and made up for the the RN.

when the hosp called for the pt satisfaction survey a few days later, i told them it was great, except for the part where the RN spoke to me like a 5 year old

i was a very good pt IMHO. moving made the dizziness worse so i barely moved around. but i did ask the RN lots of q's re peds nursing. which is why it baffles me that she did her pt ed like i knew n/t....

royhanosn

233 Posts

Specializes in psych, general, emerg, mash.

the worst! I was one!

JailHouseTeer

28 Posts

Specializes in HIV Coordinator/Disease Intervention Spe.

On one of my trips to the ER one of my past co-workers was working the ER and was my nurse. She was also doing orientation with a new nurse that was fresh out of nursing school. He and I both did not let her know at the time that I was a nurse because she was already a little nervous. The attending MD gave an order for an IV so my friend came in with the new nurse and let her do the IV. She did great. After she got finished and everything was completed, we told her that I was a nurse and she almost fell out. She thanked us for not telling her. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Now on some of my past trips to the ER and an order for lab ws given I will ask if the person actually knows what they are doing and if they act like they do not I will stop them and request a more experienced person to draw my labs and I will tell them why. I have had to many saying that they know and then I have all kinds of bruising and other issues because they did not know what they were doing.

Madras

270 Posts

Specializes in Primary Care, OR.

Love when the nurses come into the pcp office!!CC: " it's otitis media, I know it", " I'm having a unilateral sinus infection", "it's definitely sciatica"," RUQ pain after meals, it's gall stones can doc order a sono to confirm" Hey cant knock em they know what they need!

gymrat33, LPN

56 Posts

Specializes in certified med tech and Lpn.

Everytime one of my family members is in the hospital for whatever reason in or out patient, They always feel the need to state that I'm a nurse (like it will make a difference). When I visit, I am there on a personal status for my family not on a professional status. I only ask questions if something they did or said didn't make sense. I am not demanding and usually I end up doing the primary care for my family so I don't bother the staff (Yes I know that is their job) but I don't do anything that would ever cause harm to the patient. I let the staff do the toileting and any physical moving if neccesary. I usually do the bathing or feeding or general grooming. The little stuff that frees up the staff to do the more important things to help my family recover and I try to stay out of there way. I am a quiet patient when it's me in the hospital.

u1984

7 Posts

yes most of the nurses are demanding

I have had a few nurses as patients, and I will tell you it has been a 50/50 split. If there are 2 on my unit, one will be thankful for everything down to warm wipes. Now, the other is right in line with going thru state boards, and has the DON on speed dial. I am hoping I will remember what it is like to have 4 Pt with no CNA's and 2 of them have C-diff, so I will not expect to have my call bell answered within 2 minutes of calling for my Q2H turn.

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