Advice - I'll need a meal tray too

Specialties Emergency

Published

I'm a newer nurse in ED. I love my job so much. So far I have a high tolerance for BS... however, there's something that really bothers me and I need advice on what to say to the patient without sounding like a jerk... This situation happens at least once a shift, sometimes more... and typically it's with our frequent flyer friends.

Most recent occurrence that almost made me be a big B-word:

Pt comes into the ED c/o chest pain

Me: "What brings you to the ER today?" :D :nurse:

Pt: *walking, speaking full complete sentences, NAD, EKG normal in triage, etc* "I have 10/10 chest pain and it's been going on since like this morning. I'll need 2 warm blankets, the TV channel list because the channels are all messed up here, a cup of water and a separate cup of ice... and might as well get me a meal tray going for me and my boyfriend too because I know these chest pain work-ups take a long time...and it's 5:30 and we've been in the waiting room for about 45 minutes so we missed dinner."

The warm blankets - no problem... The TV channel list - sure!... The meal tray - NOT IN YOUR LIFE WILL I GET YOU A MEAL TRAY! THIS ISN'T A DAMN RESTAURANT!! AND DON'T EVEN THINK I WILL GET YOUR BOYFRIEND A MEAL TRAY! HE CAN GO GET FOOD FOR HIS GROWN-MAN SELF! THERE'S A CAFE UPSTAIRS! AND DON'T TELL ME HOW YOU TAKE YOUR WATER; 2 SEPARATE CUPS FOR ICE AND WATER! PLEASE! :madface:

I must suffer from some suppressed anger from early childhood about meal trays or something, but when a patients tells me to get them food, I just get so mad. Luckily I still have self-control, so I give the pt the policy about how they can't have anything to eat or drink until everything is resulted, MD approves, etc... But sometimes the patient's can't take that for an answer and they think I'm being a jerk for not ordering them "room service" even though "They always get a meal tray for me and my boyfriend when we come in this place." :banghead:

My question is: How do I nicely tell a patient that this isn't a hotel or restaurant when telling me I need to order them food? And how can I stop getting so MAD when people ask me for a meal tray?!! It's so weird how this irks me so bad! :confused:

i really want to know who these "everyone" folks are who give meal trays to r/o mis and their boyfriends, allow visitors to use cell phones in the icu and just general ignore all of the rules in favor of giving folks what they want. i'd like to do some education with "everyone".

i think these people don't actually exist. we have parents who like to insist that they always get a cab voucher from us.

i tell the patient that right now we're going to focus on their medical concern that brought them in, and that while i understand that it's uncomfortable to feel hungry, right now the priority is taking care of the source of their chest pain/abdominal pain/vomiting/breathing problem/etc. and for the family i tell them that there are vending machines in the waiting room. for family members that want the food we have, i tell them that the food and drinks we have on hand are for therapeutic purposes for our patients.

i had a patient's family ask me for ketchup the other day. i wanted to tell them that the doctor hadn't ordered ketchup for the patient, or that pharmacy hadn't restocked the ketchup in our pyxis but i think the irony would have been lost on them so instead just said "we don't have ketchup" and walked away.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

Well. If they're frequent flyers their healthcare is probably free. Medicaid.

Therefore they probably don't understand why the food isn't free.

Entitlement society.

Everything's free. Nothing has value.

Just my two cents for the day, after a night of caring for frequent flyers my age, who get health care services I can't afford.

Carry on.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
this really made me think of this:

things er patients say - youtube

hopefully some comic relief for you. :)

i remember these cartoons they depict reality in such a hilarious way, thank you for sharing... aloha~ :yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

You know how that Nazi's face melted in the Indiana Jones movie? I thought my head was going to do that when I had a pt. say, "But, but...that's not enough ice in my soda!!! OMG, OMG, OMG, I am going to dieeeeeeee!!! How can I drink my soda with not enough ice??? I just can't take it...what am I going to do???"

OK, maybe it wasn't quite that dramatic, but yes, I did have a pt have a meltdown over my not putting enough ice in his soda. I don't know what to do with these people. We have the same issues with our fridge; people start looking for the sandwiches as 0800. Really? You didn't think to eat breakfast before you got here? I had a man get verbally abusive with me because I refused to disconnect his blood transfusion so he could go downstairs to our food court (there's a McDonalds there; I guess our sandwiches weren't good enough).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
ER Nurses To Help These Future Patient Dumbasses - YouTube
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

They're not fun in ICU, either. If you're there with a dying family member, yes, I'll try to get you coffee or a soda; if you're a diabetic, I'll give you OJ if you start getting that "off" color. But...

I am not a maid. I am not a waitress. I am not your mom, your sister, or your case worker. I am not your personal fetch. I will NOT give you money for the snack machines. If you want me to order pizza for your room full of visitors, I will bring you the cordless phone with the phone number for the local pizza place. My job is to be there for the 10% of patients who are actually sick enough to be in ICU and try to keep them alive. You wouldn't want your family member to die because I was getting a Pizza Hut order for the person next door, would you?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Guilty as charged. I'm sorry, I'm learning.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Wow, Yeah.

I NEVER FEED AN ED PATIENT UNLESS IT IS AN EXCESSIVE HOLD, DM RELATED, OR I AM IN A FREAKING AWESOME MOOD!!!

You will soon grow antennas out of your head that are invinsible and pick up on what ED is all about, and what it is not.

WHAT IT IS.

a great place to come if you are dying.... OR, . . . If you are near dying. If you are greater than 8/10 pain scale. If you are bleeding uncontrollably. If your chest hurts. If you have a limb missing or traumatic brain injury. If something inside of you that should remain inside of you is now out (NOT INCLUDING TEETH, SNOT, OR HAIR). If you have recently turned a land vehicle into an airborn vehicle. If you are tired to the point of needing a DIRT NAP, thats the only time you should be resting in this ED!!!!!

WHAT IT IS NOT.

It is not a Motel or Hotel. It is not a bed and breakfast with dope. It is not a Full Service Restaurant complete with treatment for the after effects, . .heartburn, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea,. . .It is not a clinic for three day old colds, It is not a place to come with the FLU!!! (Actually a joke, I know many Americans actually die with Influenza, But common' if you are 21, and otherwise healthy, chances are in YOUR favor!!!!! It is not a first aid station. It is not a place to ask for clean needles for your dope habit!! It is not a Wendy's or INSERT YOUR FAVORITE FAST FOOD STAND!!!! It is not Family Crisis Therapeutic Facility. It is not a nut house calling for open season. It is not a coffee house, DO NOT ASK ME FOR COFFEE DAMN IT!!!!!!!!! It is not a balloon stand, so quit blowing up and tying our latex gloves. It is not a doctor shopping stop. We are not a refill mill. We are not a crisis pregnancy center, or a place to find out if you are pregnant. We are Not an occupational health clinic!!!!

And for the poor that don't have the money, there is MEDICAID MEDICARE FREE CLINICS AND STATE UNIVERSITY MED CTRs

For the illegal immigrants nearly the same.

For the "We don't have any other access to Medicine,. . ." Patient education is needed, but not by an ED Nurse, they are standing by to save a life, if they arent busy trying to do that now.

For the but it just got worse tonight, or I finally got tired of it, 4 more hours until the clinic opens will not kill you I promise!!

I ACTUALLY HAVE A REALLY HIGH TOLERANCE FOR ED PATIENT BS, BUT IT DOES AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO PUT ALL YOUR ATTENTION WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE WHEN YOU ARE STUCK CARING FOR GROUP 2.

There is so many things wrong with this post that I can't be bothered to respond least of all the 'better than thou/condescending' attitude.

wow!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.
I loved this post it made me laugh and laugh ... I hate when people think their nurse is their personal slave seriously. I think hospitals should attach a laminated brochure about a nurses role to their bedside

This is actually a BRILLIANT idea! I wonder how this could be implemented? I think I love it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.
There is so many things wrong with this post that I can't be bothered to respond least of all the 'better than thou/condescending' attitude.

wow!

but you responded anyway.... thanks for letting us all know your pov. :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Don't even get me started on the families who stockpile diapers, wipes, formula and bottles before they leave. There have been several times when I have gone through the closets when the family steps out of the room and removed 5-6 packages of daipers and wipes, and 10-20 bottle of our ready to feed formula that the families were hiding away for when they left.

A bit OT but I wanted to throw this out there. When I had my girls (they were born at two different hospitals) I was told by various nurses and the nurse manager to take the diapers, wipes, cooling pads, and formula every time the cart came in. I questioned it, but was told that if the products/packaging is open then they can't reuse it or bring it in/out from the room. We were told that all of that was billed to the insurance company so since we were paying for it anyway we might as well keep it. I am not sure how true that is, but that is what we were told.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

"if you ended everything with blessed your heart it makes it okay

:d" so true!!!!! i was raised in the midwest but have lived in nc for 20 years. my husband and i have discussed how people think it is ok to gossip about others as long as you throw on "bless your/his/her heart" on the end of the sentence!

you can also be a good christian woman and gossip as long as you start off with, "we really need to pray for betty sue because [insert gossip here], bless her heart." :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment