Are you serious?

Blackheartednurse · Apr 15, 2011

Gotta love drama queens.... We have a Dr who orders 1mg of haldol for agitated patients... IM. Usual dosage as you may recall is 5mg.... Ah well just enough to upset the patient. Keep your chin up, you can't please all the patients all the time. I have had patients scream at me for being 20 min late with their pain meds while we were working a code. No worries, when you get off enjoy a movie

haldol wont do too much for very agitated people. I heard Depakote has much better results

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2011

Where I worked not long ago in LTC we were told we were not allowed to chemically sedate any aggressive patients, and they can't be restrained - even dementias - without the family's signed consent.

As I've already been half strangled & punched in the head by a demented & psychotic patient, I decided after careful thought, I would not be staying at that facility and resigned yesterday.

I'm never putting myself in danger again, cos the patient's family - who strangely enough, have PUT their family member into care cos they've got too aggressive and violent - think my safety isn't as important as their relatives' psychotic condition, which the patient is never going to come out of again.

I'd be looking for another position personally.

pedicurn, LPN, RN · Apr 22, 2011

Her: Your late. You should have done this sooner.
Me: Sorry?
Her: It's almost 10pm. It's time for me to sleep. How come you didn't do this earlier?
Me: [HUH??!!]. I'm sorry ___. I understand but I had to deal with an urgent situation. Besides, 10 pm is not that late.
Her: *rolls eyes* Fine. Get it over with quickly.
I was still worried about my patient who was screaming down the hall and threatening to beat everyone up and didn't have the energy to continue with her so I just finished my stuff and got out.
What? Did she honestly think she was going to get her regular beauty sleep at the hospital? Obviously she is here for a reason, meaning she's not well enough to go home, therefore it should be expected to have interruptions in her usual routine.
.

A little thought just occurred to me ... could it be possible your upset p't was annoyed because her regular night sedation was late?

Addiction to long term 'sleeping pills' is common society. I can't tell you how often many of my p'ts get edgy around that time because they are concerned with not receiving them.

No matter if I say I'll be there at 2200 hrs with your 2200 hr dose ..... the anxiety starts from 2100hrs onwards and concludes when they quickly appraise their 2200hr medication cup and see that their sedation is there

WIN007 · Apr 22, 2011

I would cheerfully say, "I'm going to be even later to the next patient's room!".

Agreed. I think this is the best approach. it just kind of ends the conversation.

ctnjason · Apr 24, 2011

I always agree with them, no matter what they say. Not like fake applebees waitress wanting a tip agreeing, i mean sarcastic agreeing. They scream ITS COLD IN HERE..... i say It SUUUUUUUURE IS!!!!!!!...... And the awkward silence ensues while i do whatever task i need to do. If they say IM TIRED!!!!!!!! I say ME TOO!!!!!!!!!........ IM HUNGRY!!!! ME TOO!!!!!!!!! You get the picture :-p Its great.

JSlovex2 · Apr 24, 2011

sounds like the patient i mentioned in another thread who asked if we were going to wake him up in the middle of the night to "do this again." i was in there as the CNA was getting his vitals and apparently he was a frequent flyer so he knew vitals were taken twice during the night. when i told him "yes" he responded that "you people are why i hate the hospital" to which i responded, "so, what brought you here tonight?" implying, "why didn't you keep your a$$ at home!"

this lady yesterday was expecting her meds at 5:00 and she came to the doorway and said, "JSLove, am i going to have to hunt him down?" (talking about HER nurse) and without looking up (and with knowing what time her meds were due) i said, "when are your meds due?" and she said "5:00" i said, "and what time is it? she said, "5:10" and of course she rounded up. i said, "i'm sure he's working on it." after she stood there for another minute and i didn't look up, she turned around and sat back on her bed. patients SERIOUSLY think they're the ONLY patient. they think 5:00 means 5:00!! the nurse was actually waiting on the pharmacy to send the meds - which actually didn't get there til nearly 6:00.

JSlovex2 · Apr 24, 2011

I always agree with them, no matter what they say. Not like fake applebees waitress wanting a tip agreeing, i mean sarcastic agreeing. They scream ITS COLD IN HERE..... i say It SUUUUUUUURE IS!!!!!!!...... And the awkward silence ensues while i do whatever task i need to do. If they say IM TIRED!!!!!!!! I say ME TOO!!!!!!!!!........ IM HUNGRY!!!! ME TOO!!!!!!!!! You get the picture :-p Its great.

there has been one patient who i responded "me too" when she said she was hungry! she was/is a frequent flyer and even though her sugar will be through the ROOF she's always begging for food! i swear on my life i hadn't been in the room 30 seconds (and was getting ready to go to lunch when she got admitted) when she said, "i'm hungry. i didn't get dinner." and she had a ring of peanut butter around her mouth! i said, "me too." she said, "i've been here since 7 and i didn't eat any dinner though." i said, "i got here at 630 and i didn't have dinner so i know how you feel" and i wanted to say "except i'm not in the hospital with peanut butter on my face."

lol

pers · Apr 24, 2011

I always agree with them, no matter what they say. Not like fake applebees waitress wanting a tip agreeing, i mean sarcastic agreeing. They scream ITS COLD IN HERE..... i say It SUUUUUUUURE IS!!!!!!!...... And the awkward silence ensues while i do whatever task i need to do. If they say IM TIRED!!!!!!!! I say ME TOO!!!!!!!!!........ IM HUNGRY!!!! ME TOO!!!!!!!!! You get the picture :-p Its great.

I would never actually do this but the mental picture of a nurse enthusiastically agreeing with all of a patient's complaints has me in tears I'm laughing so hard!

anotherone, BSN, RN · Apr 24, 2011

Ugh this was the same exact subject of a post I posted a week or so ago. It gets to me sometimes. Other times it is in one ear out the other.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Apr 24, 2011

You see these patients even more in the ER. I was hustling around getting supplies and help I needed on a patient who was not doing so well and got nabbed by the family member of another patient, who wasn't even my patient, who wanted a detailed explanation of why the patient was getting admitted IMMEDIATELY. The kicker is, when they flagged me down they asked if I "had a moment" and I said "no, I'm sorry, I don't, but I can send your nurse your way to answer your questions" and they still bombarded me with questions.

Why ask if it's a good time if you don't care?

This family member also claimed to be a nurse which I doubt because if the family member was a nurse it would have made more sense to them why the patient with an asthma exacerbation that didn't respond to a triple neb or racemic epinephrine and was now on a continuous neb was being admitted.

(deep breath)

WIN007 · Apr 25, 2011

I always agree with them, no matter what they say. Not like fake applebees waitress wanting a tip agreeing, i mean sarcastic agreeing. They scream ITS COLD IN HERE..... i say It SUUUUUUUURE IS!!!!!!!...... And the awkward silence ensues while i do whatever task i need to do. If they say IM TIRED!!!!!!!! I say ME TOO!!!!!!!!!........ IM HUNGRY!!!! ME TOO!!!!!!!!! You get the picture :-p Its great.

That's pretty brilliant and probably a very effective way of managing the less tenacious family. My biggest family annoyances were the ones who wanted to test me to see if I really knew what an abnormal creatine meant, quiz me on how many bandages and incisions mom had and sit by their relative 24x7 to ensure they were getting private nurse LOC . What I found most offensive of all actually was their thinking that they could intimidate me into giving their relative a different LOC than my other patients.