when you are a patient, do you tell the attending doctors/nurses that you are a nurse?
i dont for a variety of reasons
*my proffession is rarely brought up, i would never lie about it.
*my training was 20+ years ago and i stopped working in the hospital system 17+ years ago, there is much i do not know and i would never want not to be explained something with the assumption i knew it, when perhaps i didnt.
*i would not want anyone to think i mentioned it because i was seeking preferential treatment
what are your thoughts and if you have been a patient, what did you do ?(this is ofcourse assuming you were not being attended to by people you have worked with/who know you)
Fortunately I have not been the "patient" since becoming a nurse. However, about 6 weeks ago, my father was admitted to the hospital where I work at. I did not tell the staff that I was a nurse, but fairly soon it become obvious between the number of staff members that I knew, and the number of doctors that came in and made comments. Then yesterday, my husband had a procedure done; and he said the "service" he received improved dramatically once he said something to them about me being a staff nurse there.
I would hope that we would all treat all of our patient's the same. But, I guess sometimes more is done for "one of your own."
Fortunately I have not been the "patient" since becoming a nurse. However, about 6 weeks ago, my father was admitted to the hospital where I work at. I did not tell the staff that I was a nurse, but fairly soon it become obvious between the number of staff members that I knew, and the number of doctors that came in and made comments. Then yesterday, my husband had a procedure done; and he said the "service" he received improved dramatically once he said something to them about me being a staff nurse there.
I would hope that we would all treat all of our patient's the same. But, I guess sometimes more is done for "one of your own."
Same thing happened to me, with my dad. He was admitted to an army hospital several hours from home for a biopsy, and I went with him and stayed with him. I had no intention of broadcasting that I was a nurse and said nothing to anyone, but my dad mentioned it to his doctor. One morning, when I got off the elevator, his doc was standing there and very loudly (teasing, did not mean any harm) he called out, "Watch out, it's Mr. J***'s daughter, the nurse." I was mortified, but on the day he was discharged he told me that his care, while never bad, was obviously different than the care his roommate got, and the roommate noticed.
Specializes in Geriatrics, acute hospital care, rehab.
It seems that when our patients are admitted their profession always seems to pop up in their social history, but again I suppose they offered that info somewhere along the way. One nurse on the floor always seems to be impressed by patients qualifications and finds it necessary to bring it up in report that they are/were a doctor, lawyer, professor, NURSE or whatever. I feel "big deal". Their professional status has no bearing on the care I provide for my patients. They all get treated equally, and receive excellent care from me no matter who they are!
I have never volenteered the information- but sometimes it is obvious in the form of the right questions, or professional words that slip out. Like,"Copious drainage" We know what we know, and I can't turn that off. I would never secound guess the care unless there was a real problem. :)
When my dad was in the ER for a stroke, my mom was really upset. She told the nurses, and they called me. The intent was not to be his treating nurse-but to find out what was going on so I could help her understand.
I have been fortunate to not been hospitalized or need medical care recently (crossed fingers). However, since I work at the level one trauma center I am well-known there. I did visit my sister (who doesn't live locally) in the hospital and she told folks I was an ER RN. Didn't make a difference, it was just a conversation-starter.
As an ER RN, I am particularly incensed that patients/families would think that I would provide faster or better care to them simply because they are a lawyer, doctor, nurse, etc.. The concept of triage (the sickest come first regardless), is alive and well in the midwest - lol.
Specializes in critical care: trauma/oncology/burns.
Hello All:
Regarding disclosure of my being a RN while assuming a "sick role" or that of a patient: I usually don't, but as many posters on this thread stated, it becomes obvious because of my knowledge of medical terminology or the use of medical "jargon" which, if you think about it, is what makes a connection between one group of actors (people) to another. Also, one might argue, that the use of medical jargon is what keeps one group distant from another ("us/people with medical knowledge" from "them/patients")
That being said, I would, during report, state if a patient is an attorney, physician, nurse...in fact, in my old unit [oncology intensive care unit] we oftentimes stated what the patient's current employment or profession is/was, this would give us an opportunity while obtaining a history of getting to know our patient (or the patient's family, if the patient her/himself were too ill to speak)
Okay. Having said that I do not enjoy being told over and over again that "Mr. So and So is a V.I.P" Yikes, that rots my socks because oftentimes the medical team will drop everything when that call bell or light of Mr. V.I.P goes off! Sigh.....Sorry, I digress (smile)
Nope...I don't tell them unless they pose the question. I do not want to be treated any differently like staff walking on eggshells and adding to their stress. And, I don't want them to assume I know it all, because I do not by any means know it all and I like to be educated. Sometimes when I have disclosed the info, they will say "Well you already know about all of this."
That is what I mean. Just treat me as a human and respect me that way. Pleeeeze!
Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.
LOL, I wind up telling them because I speak in med...so instead of looking like a 'know it all' patient, I at least have a good reason..LOL! Also, it helps when my IV beeps and I mess with it to get it working again...if they didn't know I was a nurse that would kinda upset them! LOL!
I work in a rural area, so does my hubby (paramedic) so basically everyone knows us anyway..LOL!
Funny story, I was in the ER one day for 10/10 pelvic pain (ruptured ovarian cyst)...and my hubby and I were playing with the ekg. He was showing me how to use a three lead positioned for different areas of the heart..and showed me...LOL, that you can put one on your head and one on your butt and still get lead II! LOL!!!
Okay so the nurse walks in and here I was with a EKG lead on my head, and one on my fanny! Okayyyyy...we explained our professions, and what we were doing...it was hillarious and she was interested too "wow, it shows up as lead II that way....cool!"...LOL!!!!!!
If I wasn't a nurse...that would seem very strange indeed!
I understand those who want to keep it a secret, but I probably wouldn't.
My sister is a former RN who left the profession but was a nurse when my dad had a heart attack. He wanted her there to talk to the doctors and the nurses and because she was a nurse it served him well. They treated her with respect, gave her lab results and test results in a fashion they wouldn't have given a lay person. They took the time to answer her questions intelligently. She wasn't one of those snotty "I'm a nurse and I know that........." and we've all seen them.
I've never been an in-patient, so I don't know what I would do. My MD knows I'm a nurse because I picked him based on working with him at the hospital.
As a trauma med-surg nurse I often ask my patients their occupation, so I can make appropriate referrals if their injury keeps them from performing their job. The same with other med-surg problems. I disagree with the poster who said the patient's profession is not relevent to patient care, maybe not on a day-to-day basis, but it is relevant.
I'm kind of thinking like llg, if it keeps them on their toes knowing I'm watching them, perhaps they won't be sloppy.
I am actually kind of going through that right now. I don't know if I should tell my son's pediatrician and staff that I am a nurse. As of now, I have chosen not to tell them because I feel that it might prevent them from educating me about certain things because I am a nurse. They may feel like that they don't need to fully educated me because I am a nurse. Then again I almost feel like I am deceiving them :icon_roll. I can just picture it, 4 yrs. down the road and I finally tell them. Oh, what would they think then?
Specializes in OB/peds (after gen surgery for 3 yrs).
I usually won't mention it, but last year after major surgery, the nurse on duty on the day I was being discharged was such a nudge, I couldn't help saying, "I've been a nurse longer than you've been alive!" ooops. She got all professional after that. Amazing.
onarie
35 Posts
Fortunately I have not been the "patient" since becoming a nurse. However, about 6 weeks ago, my father was admitted to the hospital where I work at. I did not tell the staff that I was a nurse, but fairly soon it become obvious between the number of staff members that I knew, and the number of doctors that came in and made comments. Then yesterday, my husband had a procedure done; and he said the "service" he received improved dramatically once he said something to them about me being a staff nurse there.
I would hope that we would all treat all of our patient's the same. But, I guess sometimes more is done for "one of your own."