List the most frivolous complaints you've received

Specialties Private Duty

Published

Here's a great opportunity for you guys to vent. I want to know what are the most frivolous/nit-picking complaints or comments that you have received from family members in private duty.

Specializes in Home Health (PDN), Camp Nursing.

I didn't stand when the father entered the room or acknowledge him.

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Specializes in LTC & Private Duty Pediatrics.
I didn't stand when the father entered the room or acknowledge him.

Sent PM.

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My story may differ, but I had a patient that said I tried to kill her. I work in a dialysis clinic and if a patient does not get heparin to keep the bloodline system from clotting during treatment, they get saline flushes every 30 minutes. I gave the lady her saline flush and she told everyone I put something in her lines and intentionally tried to kill her! It was the craziest thing, but luckily everyone knew this particular patient didn't like ANYONE, and I guess especially didn't like me that day.

It's funny to laugh at now, but at the time......

was really frustrating to even deal with a situation like that of being accused.

I would have then refused to care for her further for liabity reasons. Accuse me of trying to kill you!!!??? Oh he'll no

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Got a complaint from patients sister because I refused to wash the windows and chop wood...

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Specializes in OR.
Got a complaint from patients sister because I refused to wash the windows and chop wood...

Chop wood? I'm sorry, was I absent the day that was covered in class. I also don't remember it being on my clinical skills check off.í ½í¸œ

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Wood chopping was on the same day as making big pots of oatmeal gruel for the wards. The next day was for boiling & using lye for the body critters on pts' linens.

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Not private duty, LTC. I was written up for feeding dementia patients during night shift. Sorry, the last time I checked, dementia patients get agitated when hunger needs aren't met promptly. Agitated residents tend to agitate other residents, and there is only one of me and 38 of them.

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These are fun, we need more í ½í¸

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Specializes in Adult and pediatric emergency and critical care.

This was when I was covering in the main ED of a pediatric level one trauma center, but I worked in a different department that staffed affiliated hospitals with pediatric ED staff.

Another RN complained to my manager that I was making jokes and singing with the kids too much (these were songs from Disney movies and very child appropriate knock knock jokes). My manager called me on my day off to tell me this, I thought she was going to dismiss it. I got a formal write up and had to have a follow up meeting with my manager to make sure I was no longer making jokes or singing several months later. Needless to say I left that system very quickly.

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Specializes in LTC.

A parent for a pediatric client I had (who really didn't need nursing care, as they had no feeding tubes or a trach/vent and didn't let me give any meds except for vitamins in her food) insisted I needed to keep the patient entertained for EACH hour of the 8 hours I was there; told me to read to her in a "high pitched animated" voice; was constantly calling me to ask me what I was doing with her daughter when she wasn't in the home (this lady didn't work at all, and proudly told me one day that when she gets mad at her husband she likes to spend his money); had a camera in the living room where I was with the patient the majority of the time and would call to ask how long her daughter was watching tv, or how long she'd been asleep, or to tell me she wasn't sitting up straight enough; I had to cut up a bunch of fruit and make smoothies for this kid twice a day; I had to wash her bandanas she wore (because she drooled a lot) IN the bathroom sink if they got dirty and hang them out to dry on the clothes line, and if I didn't get it clean enough to her specifications she'd make me wash the damn thing again instead of just putting them in the laundry like a normal person.

Basically the mom micromanaged everything I did. One time when the child was napping, I was reading a book and the mom said "Why are you just sitting there? I'm not paying you to read!" Just incredibly rude.

This family also didn't believe in giving their child seizure medications even though there was an order for it, and would let her have 10 minute seizures and would just say "we've been dealing with this for all her life we know what to do". Of course I told my case manager who spoke to the family multiple times about it.

After about 6 months, I couldn't take it anymore and told my agency I wouldn't go back to that the case. I'm surprised I even lasted that long.

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Specializes in LTC.

Anyone else ever deal with a family like that?

I also forgot to add I was expected to do ROM on the hardwood floor or outside on the concrete with just a blanket to sit on. My knees hurt so bad kneeling on the floor. They also wanted me to do ROM bordering on something a PT should have been doing. They were from a middle eastern country, and even though both parents spoke fluent English, they often spoke in their language in front of me so I had no idea what they were talking about. What was really awkward was when both of the parents would just both hang out in the living room and watch tv in their language and eat. I was expected to change the patient on the couch while they just sat there with no privacy for her, and she was 13. I felt bad for her. They got mad at me because I refused to pick up and carry the patient to and from her chair to the couch or bed, but my agency has a no lifting over 50 lbs rule and they were told this multiple times from my case manager who also repeatedly suggested they get some kind of lift for her. Mom would rarely help with transfers at all, so if I needed to transfer her somewhere the dad would have to do it, and if he wasn't around you were stuck.

Both parents were unpleasant to be around most of the time and treated me like a servant. The only person in the home besides my patient (who couldn't talk) who was truly welcoming and kind was the grandfather, who didn't speak a lick of English.

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Specializes in OR.

Sounds like they didn't need a nurse, they wanted a servant/slave. The one private duty gig I had was not quite that bad. The patient was an adult male with a TBI/SCI and his mother would helicopter over me when I did his personal care, including peri care. I was geez lady, your son may have sustained a head injury but he does still have some dignity. Ya think he might be embarrassed to be laying there while you lecture me on your idea of proper condom cath placement?

They also could not seem to understand why I took issue with washing the mountain of dishes left by the family from last nights dinner...or sweeping and mopping the entire house. Umm..I'm his nurse, not y'alls house keeper, that's why......

Left that posting pretty quick too. Money was good, not that good.

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