A pt. really pissed me off today...

Published

It's bad enuf we only hav 1 x-ray room in the whole hospital, but 90% of the pts are non-english speaking, try explaining when body language doesnt workk, frustrating indeed! I had been x-raying a pt for a half an hour(pt had 3 page exam & couldn't speak english). On top of that, we are horribly short staffed and I was the only x-ray tech, running the whole radiology dept by myself from start to finish, including accessioning the pts. As I am performing the exam, a pt knocks on the door, interupting me & the pt. in the room, to ask how long it will be. My blood started to boil, how incredibly rude & inconsiderate! Here I am, running the whole Radiology Dept. by myself, trying to do everything as quickly as possible, w/ this stupid distraction!! When I got her in the room, I told her, "this is not Burger King, you can't have it your way! This is a hospital, you should expect to wait." :nono:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Mostly LTC, some acute and some ER,.

I don't work in x-ray but I can imagine how frustrating it is. I hate it when I tell a patient I will be with them in a few minutes because I am in the middle of caring for another patient . . . and they ring asking how much longer when your still in the middle of something 5 minutes later.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
I don't work in x-ray but I can imagine how frustrating it is. I hate it when I tell a patient I will be with them in a few minutes because I am in the middle of caring for another patient . . . and they ring asking how much longer when your still in the middle of something 5 minutes later.

Ever think they could need a bedpan but are too embarrassed to ask for it over the intercom?

Woody:balloons:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
It's bad enuf we only hav 1 x-ray room in the whole hospital, but 90% of the pts are non-english speaking, try explaining when body language doesnt workk, frustrating indeed! I had been x-raying a pt for a half an hour(pt had 3 page exam & couldn't speak english). On top of that, we are horribly short staffed and I was the only x-ray tech, running the whole radiology dept by myself from start to finish, including accessioning the pts. As I am performing the exam, a pt knocks on the door, interupting me & the pt. in the room, to ask how long it will be. My blood started to boil, how incredibly rude & inconsiderate! Here I am, running the whole Radiology Dept. by myself, trying to do everything as quickly as possible, w/ this stupid distraction!! When I got her in the room, I told her, "this is not Burger King, you can't have it your way! This is a hospital, you should expect to wait." :nono:

I think that was a mistake and very unprofessional.

The patient didn't know you were by yourself and isn't responsible for staffing issues.

Also, you don't know if the patient had a legitimate reason for needing to leave, and if they were in pain or extremely uncomfortable...I would be asking how long it was going to be as well.

Had that patient complained, you could have ended up in deep trouble.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics/Family Practice.

If the patient was in the ER waiting for an x-ray then a nurse would of triaged the patient and a doctor would of decided whether it was urgent or not. So I don't think he was totally unprofessional. We provide a service but are not at a patients beck and call. No the patient who interupted didn't know someome was in the x-ray room already but someone would've called them when it was their turn. No it's not the patients fault that staffing is terrible, but again we as healthcare professionals are human and normally don't fly off the handle unless we are pushed to the limit. I would hope that the patient would complain, so that may they get more help in radiology, not to the the x-ray guy in trouble. And if you don't speak english in America it does make it harder and more time consuming to get your job done. And no I'm not going to learn Spanish.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I think that was a mistake and very unprofessional.

...I would be asking how long it was going to be as well.

quote]

The patient I was with, like 50% of the other pts I deal with in this Chinatown location speaks chinese, and while I do speak some chinese in Mandarin & Cantonese for basic commands, there are about a gazillion different dialects spoken in China.

It is one thing to ask how long at the front desk or pt. waiting area, before or after a pt. goes into the x-ray room. But it take a lot of audacity to go knock on an x-ray room door while an exam is in progress after 1/2 an hour and claim it was an hour. Not only is it rude & inconsiderat to the worker & patient, you're also lying about the time you were waiting:angryfire. The pt. was in no dire need of medical attention, nor was the pt. a Stat.

The pt. just stated she wasn't feeling well, and was tired of waiting. After it was her turn, I told her what she did was wrong, she preceded to argue w/ me, I took her x-rays, then she apologized afterwards saying, "thank you & I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot" after realizing how how efficient & quickly I took her x-rays & how professional I was.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics/Family Practice.

Sorry correction, I will not learn chinese or vietnamese either, I assumed spanish, and you know what they say about assuming. OOPS!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Sorry correction, I will not learn chinese or vietnamese either, I assumed spanish, and you know what they say about assuming. OOPS!!!!

Ha ha ha!! ur funny! ;) Thnx 4 brightening my day...approx. 50% of my pts speak Chinese, & 50% speak Spanish. While I learned enuf spanish to speak it well enuf, its not my 1st language & takes a lot of effort to understand & speak it, & to juggle that obstacle w/ my other regular duties can be overwhelming at times...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice.

We're not at the patient's beck and call? Gee.. would someone tell my patients that, please? They think that they're the only patient on the whole floor that I'm taking care of. :banghead: Actually, they were all pretty good today after I told them that I would be back after I took care of another patient... and the nurse that I cannot stand wasn't on today.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

pt's have no idea what goes on in the hospital.. they haven't a clue what nurses or xray techs do.. i tried to expalin to a pt's family today that because they had to wait for a heart cath because we had 2 er patients in front of them and it was a emergency. you think they'd understand? oooh noooo.. they yelled and screamed and made my life miserable all day.. it was horrible.. you try to explain to these people nicely that there were people that came in that were critical and needed help first.. they did not care.. ugh

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
pt's have no idea what goes on in the hospital.. they haven't a clue what nurses or xray techs do.. i tried to expalin to a pt's family today that because they had to wait for a heart cath because we had 2 er patients in front of them and it was a emergency. you think they'd understand? oooh noooo.. they yelled and screamed and made my life miserable all day.. it was horrible.. you try to explain to these people nicely that there were people that came in that were critical and needed help first.. they did not care.. ugh

You explained, they still got upset. I am sorry, I don't understand how they made your life miserable all day. Did they continue to stand and scream and yell at you? If they did, why did you remain standing there? I would explain and if a family continued to yell, I would excuse myself. If they continued to yell and scream, I'd call security. No one has to remain in a situation where they are verbally abused. No job is worth that much to me.

Woody:balloons:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Why empower the patient to make you mad. It isnt the patients fault.

Take a deep breathe, hold it, relax. just like taking a cxr, but makes you feel better. and it doesnt empower the patient

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion