A patient's experience with RUDE nursing staff.. Should this be reported?

mindlor · May 6, 2011

Any nurse that is not compassionate and caring and patient oriented, in my opinion needs to be fired....

There is simply no excuse.

mskate · May 6, 2011

I hope you never get treated like this. I wonder what you would do if you went to a restaurant, the food was good, but you got treated like this. Yes, this food was good, but does that mean you have to be treated rudely?

I don't consider the treatment terribly rude, nor do I believe they deliberately decided to say these things to mean, as other posters suggested.

I *have* been in this womans position and coming from a woman that had a good career that crumbled and I was subsequently homeless and living out of my car - I have been there and done that and anyone so concerned about what someone else is saying about their insurance company to the point of being too upset to speak about it needs to get a grip.

People are *rarely* deliberately jerks to patients but they do have opinions (whether or not they are appropriate, they exist and are not going to go away). Should they have talked about it out of earshot? Sure. Is it a debilitating insult? Hardly.

lillymom · May 6, 2011

That was extremely unprofessional of the nurses to speak like that within hearing distance of the patient. They should be reported to the office mananger because a patient should always feel like they are receiveing the best care from thier providers and their staff.

With that being said there are a lot of people in my particular area who are working the system. In other words they have good jobs that offer good insurance but when they get pregnant they drop that insurance (because it is does not cover maternity very well) and then they go on a government program to get free healthcare. Almost anyone who is pregnant can qualify for this healthcare and the significant other's income is not considered at all.

They come to the offices in their nice cars and you know where they work and are aware they make pretty good money and have good insurance but they use government insurance because they don't want to pay a $500 ded and $20 co-pays.

Disclaimer: I do not work in an OB-Gyn office but some of my friends do so this is second hand info and not the case with the original poster but it expalins why some offices don't care for certain insurance companies.

FutureNurse_8708 · May 6, 2011

So sorry that your friend had to go through this. Reading it made me mad also...I really think that she should report this. I got so mad that I thought she should have reported this on the spot. I would have confronted those disrespectful nurses and then report them...then see the doctor face to face and let them know that I know the doc is still here...there was NO emergency. I definitely would never go back to this place.

Report them!

DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN · May 6, 2011

I am sorry your friend had this experience. I think she should report it.

In my limited time I have come across too many nurses and UAPs who feel they can stand around (even where they cannot be heard) and say awful things about patients and families. I heard some nurses refer to a woman's daughter in report as an "overbearing *****. That same women's mother had two codes called on her the night before. We have no right to speak about people that way. It is not an appropriate way of managing stress, it is not dark humor and it is not OK

Sorry but I find this behavior quite upsetting.

sharpeimom · May 6, 2011

no matter what type of insurance coverage a person has or doesn't have, she still has the right to be treated with dignity and respect, each time, every time. unfortunately, that didn't happen to your friend. the clinic staff almost surely treats many other patients the way you were treated. that makes it worse. no matter what type of medical coverage you have, or who provides it, you have a right to be cared for respectfully and kindly. the np (?) did just that, and when you write your letters, make your phone calls, and speak with the ombudsman, be sure to stress just that. your friend's complaint is with the rude loud nurses who knew a

patient could hear them laughing and being rude and disrespectful, and with her ob/gyn who didn't think he should have to do a "first time" patient exam. i wonder whether he even bothered to look at who his "new"

patient would have been?

the whole appointment was a fiasco, but at least, the actual exam went well. that's the good news. the best thing she could do now, is to letter write and make the appropriate phone calls. after that, put it firmly into the past. when i was a teenager, my mom used to tell me not to let strangers rent space inside my head. that was good advice! oh, and ask goonie for her dog food soup recipe. and for appetizers, chex mix made with cat treats and food instead of cereal...

caregiver1977 · May 6, 2011

I don't consider the treatment terribly rude, nor do I believe they deliberately decided to say these things to mean, as other posters suggested.
I *have* been in this womans position and coming from a woman that had a good career that crumbled and I was subsequently homeless and living out of my car - I have been there and done that and anyone so concerned about what someone else is saying about their insurance company to the point of being too upset to speak about it needs to get a grip.
People are *rarely* deliberately jerks to patients but they do have opinions (whether or not they are appropriate, they exist and are not going to go away). Should they have talked about it out of earshot? Sure. Is it a debilitating insult? Hardly.

How was it not deliberate when they were talking loudly outside her door? Did they think she was suddenly deaf?As another poster said, I think this woman should go through the proper channels of complaint and then not dwell on it (for her own peace of mind).

Chaya, ASN, RN · May 6, 2011

Talk about teachable moments. I think I would address a letter to all the clinical staff there and request that it be posted in the break room or shared w. all. I would just state that I had heard the comments and found them very hurtful. I would add that almost anyone might find themself in a similar situation and be very grateful for any insurance they were able to qualify for. (One only has to peruse past posts of Allnurses' to reinforce this observance.)

All the best to your friend. Hope she is financially in better shape before too long but she has nothing to be ashamed of in the meantime. Tell her to hold her head high-she's not the one with an attitude problem.

wooh, BSN, RN · May 6, 2011

Quite honestly, I think she's understandably being overly sensitive to whatever is going on around her because she's embarrassed to be receiving public assistance. And here's why:

First off, I'm doubting this was "nursing staff." In a clinic, it's RARELY actual nurses, much less a group of them joking together.

Next, how does she know it was her insurance they were talking about? Just because she could hear it outside the door? At the various offices that I've been to, there's all sorts of things going on outside the door to the exam rooms. And I've heard jokes made about all sorts of insurance. "Will this be covered?" "Of course, it's insert-really-good-private-company, they'll cover blahdyblah-off-the-wall-thing-blah!" "Will this be covered?" "With crappy-private-company? They won't even cover a bandaid on a gushing head wound."

They repeatedly asked her if she had insurance? I get that when I go to the MD office all the time. Maybe to make sure whatever they were ordering was done correctly to fit the rules of whichever company she's with? To make sure the Pap gets sent to the lab that hers will cover but not the one it won't cover? To make sure any meds that were ordered were on the right formulary?

When I'm at the hospital and a home nebulizer is ordered, I'm excited when the patient has Medicaid, because our respiratory therapists can dispense it themselves. It's a pain when it's "good" insurance because then I have to change things in the computer, contact case management, wait on them to set up home health, wait on delivery.

As for the CNM seeing her instead of the MD, well, that's not weird either. At my PCP, I've NEVER actually been seen by the MD there.

She's in a crappy situation right now. And probably understandably sensitive about receiving public assistance. Losing your job is a huge blow to the ego, and receiving help is a huge blow to the ego. I can't blame her for feeling like the whole world is out to get her. But before I'd advise her to start "reporting" people, I'd have to seriously consider if she's taking things she's hearing out of context and putting them into her own feelings of the world crashing down on her.

Mrs. SnowStormRN, RN · May 6, 2011

That was extremely unprofessional of the nurses to speak like that within hearing distance of the patient. They should be reported to the office mananger because a patient should always feel like they are receiveing the best care from thier providers and their staff.
With that being said there are a lot of people in my particular area who are working the system. In other words they have good jobs that offer good insurance but when they get pregnant they drop that insurance (because it is does not cover maternity very well) and then they go on a government program to get free healthcare. Almost anyone who is pregnant can qualify for this healthcare and the significant other's income is not considered at all.
They come to the offices in their nice cars and you know where they work and are aware they make pretty good money and have good insurance but they use government insurance because they don't want to pay a $500 ded and $20 co-pays.
Disclaimer: I do not work in an OB-Gyn office but some of my friends do so this is second hand info and not the case with the original poster but it expalins why some offices don't care for certain insurance companies.

Sorry but even this sounds judgemental to me. How do you know the case surrounding these people? Maybe their jobs do pay well but they are the sole breadwinners in their home and can no longer afford to pay the insurance due to pregnancy? Making judgements like this is the problem. Thinking like this, is the problem. You do not know what is going on in someones life and why they make the choices they do. You are on the outside trying to look in. Im sorry, maybe Im more open minded than others. Im not there to judge a person on how they got insurance or why, Im there to take care of the patient. I dont give a rats behind if theyre on Medicaid or Tricare. Many people who cant afford insurance may never have been successful and wish they could, and may be working toward it. Yes there are people who work the system, but you cant tell just by looking at someone. Im sorry, but I dont like this behavior at all. Unless that person comes out and say, "Im taking advantage of the governments money," than I dont know what the heck is going on in their personal life - and I dont care. My job has nothing to do with that. Maybe this grinds my gears because I remember I was using WIC in the store once, the cashier made a nasty comment to me. I said, "You know what lady, I have nursing degree, I had to quit my job because the military shipped my husband to Iraq and while my husband is fighting for your freedom, I can barely afford to feed my kids!!" She shut her pie hole than. She judge me based on one thing, a WIC check. I needed help than, and only utilized it when I needed it. My husband is home and safe now, and we no longer need any assistance, but life throws you curve balls sometimes and thats that.

imintrouble, BSN, RN · May 6, 2011

Quite honestly, I think she's understandably being overly sensitive to whatever is going on around her because she's embarrassed to be receiving public assistance. And here's why:
First off, I'm doubting this was "nursing staff." In a clinic, it's RARELY actual nurses, much less a group of them joking together.
Next, how does she know it was her insurance they were talking about? Just because she could hear it outside the door? At the various offices that I've been to, there's all sorts of things going on outside the door to the exam rooms. And I've heard jokes made about all sorts of insurance. "Will this be covered?" "Of course, it's insert-really-good-private-company, they'll cover blahdyblah-off-the-wall-thing-blah!" "Will this be covered?" "With crappy-private-company? They won't even cover a bandaid on a gushing head wound."
They repeatedly asked her if she had insurance? I get that when I go to the MD office all the time. Maybe to make sure whatever they were ordering was done correctly to fit the rules of whichever company she's with? To make sure the Pap gets sent to the lab that hers will cover but not the one it won't cover? To make sure any meds that were ordered were on the right formulary?
When I'm at the hospital and a home nebulizer is ordered, I'm excited when the patient has Medicaid, because our respiratory therapists can dispense it themselves. It's a pain when it's "good" insurance because then I have to change things in the computer, contact case management, wait on them to set up home health, wait on delivery.
As for the CNM seeing her instead of the MD, well, that's not weird either. At my PCP, I've NEVER actually been seen by the MD there.
She's in a crappy situation right now. And probably understandably sensitive about receiving public assistance. Losing your job is a huge blow to the ego, and receiving help is a huge blow to the ego. I can't blame her for feeling like the whole world is out to get her. But before I'd advise her to start "reporting" people, I'd have to seriously consider if she's taking things she's hearing out of context and putting them into her own feelings of the world crashing down on her.

:yeah: :yeah: I think this poster has hit the nail on the head. I also think there may be a socio-economic think going on with this thread. I wonder how many of the posters here have received subsidized food, health care, housing. Maybe there is a lot of sympathy because lots of us have been in her shoes. I received unemployment and the state paid for my education. I remember when I went to the unemployment office it was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. I FELT like the staff looked down on me. Maybe they did, but the truth is I looked down on myself.

purplesteth · May 6, 2011

No matter what type of insurance coverage a person has or doesn't have, she still has the right to be treated with dignity and respect, each time, every time.

:up: Agreed!!!