I am in my 8 mos of being an RN in the ER. Prior to this I was a cardiac step-down nurse. More things I have observed:
1.) Patient arguing with me about an 18 gauge IV being too "big" while he is in the ER for a bullet in his thigh.
2.) Patient missing her dialysis because of a special close out sale in a store was a pissed off that dialysis would not reschedule her for a later time.
3.) Patient came into the ER for back pain that has been going on for 10 days yet took no pain relievers nor called her private doctor (and she did have one). Then she complained she waiting for over an hour in the ER.
4.) Felt chest discomfort all day but had a BBQ party to attend first.
5.) A couple brings in their 7 week old baby to the ER - the mother is the patient.
6.) The patient's private aid telling me the patient needs to urinate so I need to get to the bedside. I gave the aid the bed pan and some wipes. The same aid asked me to get her a lunch tray.
7.) Incontinent people refusing to acknowledge they are incontinent.
8.) CHF patient eating chinese food take out, after taking off her BiPap
9.) Patient in so much pain, 20/10 pain level, as she chats on her cell phone
10.) I promise, you will not die from not eating for several hours.
If you hate the job then quit. You are perceiving all of those in a neagtive way. Maybe the person has not eaten in a long time? Pain is subjective. Maybe someone incontinent is embarrased and doesn't want to talk about it?
No one is forcing you to work in the ER. I have been a nurse for 10 years and I hope I never have you as my nurse. I would not want to incovenience you with any annoying problem I may be having.
Quit and go work somewhere you won't be bothered by people. All those people you can't stand magically go away...
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Sigh........
I have be on an extended stay at our medical facilities. I have not been home since March.....Here is what I learned with 38 years of emergency/critical care nursing under my belt........compassion is imperative. Empathy is an absolute necessity. Understanding that people will never fulfill our expectation of what a patient should be......it is what it is.
1.) Patient arguing with me about an 18 gauge IV being too "big" while he is in the ER for a bullet in his thigh. I would not have given the patient the opportunity to select his IV size.....the femoral artery is right there....he is lucky it is only an 18......I would have gone #16 as (IV # one
2.) Patient missing her dialysis because of a special close out sale in a store was a pissed off that dialysis would not reschedule her for a later time. I am not sure what she expected the ED to do.....Oh I know her chronic dialysis......you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink......sigh. The system will, for the most part, never change
3.) Patient came into the ER for back pain that has been going on for 10 days yet took no pain relievers nor called her private doctor (and she did have one). Then she complained she waiting for over an hour in the ER. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL....you can't let people like this get under your skin.....people are becoming more demanding and it stinks....it is what it is.....too bad we don't get tips other than...."Go to HELL" LOL People are crazy.
4.) Felt chest discomfort all day but had a BBQ party to attend first. Can't fix stupid.....see you at the pearly gates
5.) A couple brings in their 7 week old baby to the ER - the mother is the patient. Sadly or happily ( I would bring my 7 week old I exclusive breast fed)......who else would car for the baby? If baby is exclusively breast fed they are still establishing how to breast feed.....so without further details........yes baby should be there. I'll bet you are repeating what you over heard from one of those awesome ER nurses.....pick and choose what you use.....((HUGS))
6.) The patient's private aid telling me the patient needs to urinate so I need to get to the bedside. I gave the aid the bed pan and some wipes. The same aid asked me to get her a lunch tray. Grrrrrrrrrrr......nails on the chalk board.....do your job!!!!
7.) Incontinent people refusing to acknowledge they are incontinent. There are many reasons for this.....they are embarrassed....TRUST ME!!!!! they don't want to wear a "diaper"
8.) CHF patient eating Chinese food take out, after taking off her BiPap....did anyone tell them that they could not?
9.) Patient in so much pain, 20/10 pain level, as she chats on her cell phone. Tough call......I am on TONS of meds for pain and I have unbelievable pain yet here I sit on AN trying to distract myself until pain Rx is due.
10.) I promise, you will not die from not eating for several hours. There is one in every crowd....
I am in my 8 mos of being an RN in the ER. Prior to this I was a cardiac step-down nurse. More things I have observed:
1.) Patient arguing with me about an 18 gauge IV being too "big" while he is in the ER for a bullet in his thigh.
"If that bullet lacerated your femoral artery, then you will need rapid blood transfusion so you don't bleed out and die, in which case a bigger IV, like a 14g., would be better. But I'm going to give you a break and put in this smaller 18g."
2.) Patient missing her dialysis because of a special close out sale in a store was a pissed off that dialysis would not reschedule her for a later time.
"Oh, that sounds terrible. Did you at least find some good bargains?"
3.) Patient came into the ER for back pain that has been going on for 10 days yet took no pain relievers nor called her private doctor (and she did have one). Then she complained she waiting for over an hour in the ER.
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry you had to wait. Unfortunately, we do have to prioritize the sickest people first here in the Emergency Department. Would you like a warm blanket?"
4.) Felt chest discomfort all day but had a BBQ party to attend first.
"What did they serve? Oh, ribs? Were they good? How about macaroni salad? You know, the Hawaaian style is the best. It's so creamy. So anyway, next time call 911, because they can start treatment on the way to the hospital. Plus, if you go into cardiac arrest, it's better to be in the back of an ambulance than in the driver's seat of your car. It's one thing if you die, but you wouldn't want to take someone else out with you, right?"
5.) A couple brings in their 7 week old baby to the ER - the mother is the patient.
"So just FYI, we get a lot of people here with contagious illnesses. Fortunately there are very few things that are airborne. I'd suggest you both wash your hands with soap and water frequently, and don't let anyone besides yourselves hold or touch your infant."
6.) The patient's private aid telling me the patient needs to urinate so I need to get to the bedside. I gave the aid the bed pan and some wipes. The same aid asked me to get her a lunch tray.
"How does she urinate at home? Okay, here's a {urinal, bedpan, bedside commode, etc.}. I'll close the curtain for privacy and come check back in later." "The cafeteria is downstairs, and there are vending machines in the lobby."
7.) Incontinent people refusing to acknowledge they are incontinent.
People with incontinence. They're people first. With incontinence. How would you feel about that? "Oh dear, I'm sure it's not very comfortable to have wetness next to your skin. Let me help you get clean and dry so you'll be more comfortable."
8.) CHF patient eating chinese food take out, after taking off her BiPap
"There's an awful lot of sodium in ANY take out food (not just Chinese), which will cause water retention and make your breathing difficult, and we just got you off the BiPap, I'm sure you don't really want to go on it again. Can I offer you something else? No? You insist on eating this? Okay, it's your life. I'll come check on you in a bit."
9.) Patient in so much pain, 20/10 pain level, as she chats on her cell phone
"10 is as high as it goes. So, you're at a 10? That means you're in so much pain that you are on bed rest, and possibly losing consciousness. Still a 10? Okay. Would you like a warm blanket?"
10.) I promise, you will not die from not eating for several hours.
True. Very few people who are not on antihyperglycemics actually get hypoglycemic. In normal, healthy adults, your liver makes sugar so your brain and nervous system can still function. But it doesn't hurt anything to offer a few saltines and some juice.
9.) Patient in so much pain, 20/10 pain level, as she chats on her cell phone
"10 is as high as it goes. So, you're at a 10? That means you're in so much pain that you are on bed rest, and possibly losing consciousness. Still a 10? Okay. Would you like a warm blanket?"
I don't even try to get it between 0 and 10 anymore. I just document that they refuse to use the pain scale and document the patient's statement of a 20/10. They're adults and in the vast majority of cases they know 20 is not between 0 and 10.
Obviously if they are not adults I would use an appropriate pain scale and would not be asking them about their pain.
Specializes in Cardiac, Home Health, Primary Care.
We get similar needy people in primary care so it is about wherever you go really.
Mom brought kid in for a cough. Was seen a couple of weeks before and give nasal steroid:
Me: "So is the cough at least better with the nose spray?"
Kid: "Yeah."
Me: "When is the cough the worst?"
Kid: "In the morning."
Me: "Do you cough throughout the day?"
Kid: "Not really."
Me: "Is the cough annoying you?"
Kid: "No. It's not bad."
WHY ARE YOU HERE??
And patient came in for conjunctivitis as a walk in and my morning was fairly busy with appointments. Pt complained he was there too long. Pt was in and out (with rx sent over) in about 45 minutes INCLUDING paperwork time.
There are some you just can't please or understand.
FYI: I know I'm not a nurse in the ER but I actually love reading ridiculous CC's on here!
Obviously if they are not adults I would use an appropriate pain scale and would not be asking them about their pain.
I utilize the Moderate Universal Pain Assessment Tool we have in our triage area. It really comes in handy to give people a visual reference for what I am asking them. It includes the Wong-Baker Facial Grimace Scale, so it's easy for kids to point to a face that represents how they are experiencing their pain.
Nobody with the tool in front of them has ever given me a number greater than 10. When people do that, it tends to be the people who don't have that frame of reference and want to emphasize that they are in severe pain.
If you hate the job then quit. You are perceiving all of those in a neagtive way. Maybe the person has not eaten in a long time? Pain is subjective. Maybe someone incontinent is embarrased and doesn't want to talk about it?
No one is forcing you to work in the ER. I have been a nurse for 10 years and I hope I never have you as my nurse. I would not want to incovenience you with any annoying problem I may be having.
Quit and go work somewhere you won't be bothered by people. All those people you can't stand magically go away...
Nurses come here to vent, and get things off of their chest- let them do it.
You are doing the same thing you accused this nurse of-perceiving her in a negative way.
I know this is the ER forum, but I work med/surg. Patients in general are becoming more ridiculous.
It's a shift in healthcare behavior.
There have always been people who behave outside what we' d consider normal or usual.
Suddenly those numbers have tipped to the majority.
A new normal has been formed. The entitled patient is the usual. The quiet, deferent, patient is the minority
I'm not saying one is better than the other, just saying we've entered a new day where healthcare is a service industry.
I'm adjusting.
It used to be the one segment of my patient population I could count on to be respectful and appreciative were the older women.
Now even they are loud, demanding, and rude.
A new normal.
When I had my daughter, more than one nurse made a comment to either me or my family about the type of patient I was.
One, while happily getting something for me, remarked to my husband (when he thanked her for going out of her way to do it) that it was her pleasure to help when his wife was a nice, grateful patient who didn't treat her badly. I was in the bathroom and when he told me that, we were both surprised.
Another nurse told me candidly one morning that she was the lucky one that day who got me as a patient as the nurses were all clamoring to have me as a patient because I had received a reputation. Again, I was puzzled.
Then there was when my son broke his arm really severely and was in the children's hospital for what turned out to be about 48 hours due to needing surgery for it. A nurse made a comment to me that it was a delight to have our family that day, because we weren't demanding.
At the time, I didn't get it. I didn't think I was doing anything extraordinary. Frankly, I still don't think I was. But now that I work in healthcare and now that I have gotten to know so many nurses both in real life and online, I get it. I totally, totally get it.
It's a hospital. It isn't Club Med. And the sense of entitlement that so many feel these days is so pervasive that it's infecting all facets of life.
I have read many of the comments but I am finding that the American public is getting worse. No manners whatsoever. Everybody expects everything instantly. May just be a sign of our times. I no longer thankfully work in a hospital but this would drive me nuts.
I used to work in an ER where the nice patients were the exception. The times I'd think to myself "Wow, that guy was really nice" were the exception. And no, it is not because this is the worst day of their life. These were hangnails and stubbed toes.
Now I work in an environment that is the opposite. By and large, the patients are really nice. "That guy was a real jerk" is now the exception.
The one thing that bugs me sometimes, though, is how our ER is used as a clinic for folks who have a PCP but just don't want to wait for an appointment to deal with their issue. But at least they're nice about it, so...
BIGT68
42 Posts
Just curious, have u ever worked in an ER?