We are all supposed to love our jobs and most of us do! But we are all supposed to over look just danged annoying behaviors.
My pet peeve, I do not care for drama patients. You walk out in the hall and they are laughing and having fun with a visitor, they take one look at YOU looking at them and they are hanging on to the walls to help them walk and moaning in pain. I sometimes think my mere presence causes them harm... ;o)
Me: "Great! Your temp is normal!" Patient: "Oh, if it is normal I am SICK! My usual is 72(F).
Me: "Great! Your b/p is 120/70!" Patient: "Oh, if it is normal I am SICK! My usual is 50/10."
The geriatric patient with 20 pills who can only swallow one at a time. Then requires 20 sips after each pill. A burp, a chest thump, and a cough after each one. Chatting in between all of that because they know they got you until the pills are all gone.
I try to act like I have all the time in the world, because if you attempt to hurry things along, it just makes them go even slower.
I notice a direct correlation between how long it takes someone to take their meds and the amount of attention they will require from me during the shift. I always love (and am quite surprised by) the patients who gulp down a med cup's worth of pills as if they were a bite of ice cream. I know then I will most likely not be dealing w/ a high maintenance type for the rest of the shift.
Specializes in M/S, Pulmonary, Travel, Homecare, Psych..
I was talking to an old friend last night and remembered this one.
The family members who come to visit their family and put on a show trying to convince everyone they are "High End Administration" at another hospital (usually in a state bordering the one you are in).
The song and dance they go through isn't impressive, so I have no idea what makes them think anyone is fooled by it. It usually starts by quoting a medical fact or two they no doubt read on Google while on their phone in the parking lot. Sometimes they throw in there they know someone at your hospital too.
I don't let it bother me. The patients treatment, from my end at least, doesn't change. I've seen many nurses and other staff though who, upon learning that the family is this way, avoid the patient. I guess they believe the family and become afraid or something.
I still laugh about the one woman who got carried away. She kept name dropping and claiming to know the Vice President of the hospital. While administering pain medication to her mother, she was pleased and informed me she was going to give him, the VP, a good report about me. Then she said his name.
The name was not that of our current VP. She used the name of the one he replaced. The one she named had been dead over a year. Guess she missed the funeral.
Pts with chronic anxiety. Not the expected worry/anxiety with hospitalization, illness or injury. The melodramatic "Someone needs to stay in here with me", "You're leaving me here to die alone"....all after I've done everything I possibly can to address whatever ails them & ruled out any problem of actual real concern.
Took care of one last week, elderly female A&O x3, who would complain about simple things & then refuse my intervention only to complain about it in the next breath. Finally had to have a "heart-to-heart" to make her understand I couldn't help her if she wouldn't let me.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I was talking to an old friend last night and remembered this one.
The family members who come to visit their family and put on a show trying to convince everyone they are "High End Administration" at another hospital (usually in a state bordering the one you are in).
The song and dance they go through isn't impressive, so I have no idea what makes them think anyone is fooled by it. It usually starts by quoting a medical fact or two they no doubt read on Google while on their phone in the parking lot. Sometimes they throw in there they know someone at your hospital too.
I don't let it bother me. The patients treatment, from my end at least, doesn't change. I've seen many nurses and other staff though who, upon learning that the family is this way, avoid the patient. I guess they believe the family and become afraid or something.
I still laugh about the one woman who got carried away. She kept name dropping and claiming to know the Vice President of the hospital. While administering pain medication to her mother, she was pleased and informed me she was going to give him, the VP, a good report about me. Then she said his name.
The name was not that of our current VP. She used the name of the one he replaced. The one she named had been dead over a year. Guess she missed the funeral.
I'm always unimpressed by that one. I once had a patient name dropping, throwing around the name "Dr. Smith." Over and over again. "Dr. Smith" this and "Dr. Smith" that. Finally I said, "I don't know who Dr. Smith is." (Honestly, I didn't.)
"He's head of your department. We're personal friends."
I don't know if he was or wasn't the medical director of the hospital, but he wasn't the medical director of our ICU, and I really didn't give a rip anyway. It wasn't going to change my care -- or the rules.
Pre-procedure check, patient is A, Ox3, in hospital for X months:
-when did you eat or drink anything last time?
- yesterday at dinner.
- ok, did you take your morning pulls? (I know EMR is marked as "NPO including meds" but...)
- early today. I had to get something for heartburn and nausea. That burger was not good at all!
- I am sorry, what burger?
- oh, my family brought me something from McDonald's so I wouldn't get hungry. I thought you only ask about hospital food. It was just a little bit... a burger, some fries, couple of shakes....
Poor me, going out to call OR to cancel the case, and speak with THAT surgeon.
I used to work for a for-profit hospital so it was basically like the patients expected to be taken care of like they were in a hotel. So if any of the pain seekers or alcoholics didn't get their pain meds within 15 minutes of it being due they'd complain to higher-ups and then ID get in trouble. I'm sorry I had ten other patients that needed their afternoon meds and you JUST now decided you needed your pain medication.
Specializes in M/S, Pulmonary, Travel, Homecare, Psych..
I used to work for a for-profit hospital so it was basically like the patients expected to be taken care of like they were in a hotel. So if any of the pain seekers or alcoholics didn't get their pain meds within 15 minutes of it being due they'd complain to higher-ups and then ID get in trouble. I'm sorry I had ten other patients that needed their afternoon meds and you JUST now decided you needed your pain medication.
Phhfffft
You think it's any different at a non-profit facility?
Believe it or not, I had an awesome DON once who dealt with this so well. He'd stop to get your side first, make sure you were truly getting the meds to them as fast as you could. If he was satisfied with your efforts, he'd go to the patient and talk to them himself.
He never said anything wild or confrontational, but the talk always ended with something to the effect of "I've reviewed things and I'm satisfied with the timeliness of your pain med administration. Since you still seem to be in pain and there is nothing more we can do, I have left a message with your doctor recommending a pain management consult."
90% of the time this was enough, those patients HATED the pain consult team/doctors. They were rough, usually cut IV stuff faster and pushed non pharmaceutical interventions.
The patient would wise up and settle down. Plus, the staff splitting is avoided via the boss talking to them directly.
Pre-procedure check, patient is A, Ox3, in hospital for X months:
-when did you eat or drink anything last time?
- yesterday at dinner.
- ok, did you take your morning pulls? (I know EMR is marked as "NPO including meds" but...)
- early today. I had to get something for heartburn and nausea. That burger was not good at all!
- I am sorry, what burger?
- oh, my family brought me something from McDonald's so I wouldn't get hungry. I thought you only ask about hospital food. It was just a little bit... a burger, some fries, couple of shakes....
Poor me, going out to call OR to cancel the case, and speak with THAT surgeon.
-
Ohhhhhhhhhh, that reminds me of all the fun NPO type conversations I regularly have with patients before colonoscopies.
Me: When's the last time you had something solid to eat.
Patient: Two days ago?
Me: So on Wednesday?
Patient: Yeah, I only had soup yesterday.
Me: Just soup?
Patient: Yeah, just some chicken noodle soup.
Me: ... so you had chicken and noodles yesterday?
Patient: Yeah, in the soup.
Me: ....
Patient: ...
Me: Your procedure is probably going to be canceled.
Patient: WHAT. THEY SAID I COULD HAVE SOUP.
OR this
(same start as above)
Me: So NOTHING since Wednesday?
Patient: Well, I had a bite of a taco yesterday.
Me: A bite of a taco?
Patient: ... well, maybe a whole taco.
Me: You ate a taco yesterday.
Patient: Okay, it was two tacos, but that's it.
Me: ... your procedure is probably going to be canceled.
Patient: It was JUST two tacos.
ORRRRRRR this, my all-time favorite pre-colonoscopy check-in conversation I ever had with a patient.
Patient: I just had some donuts yesterday.
Me: Sorry, you said you ate some donuts yesterday?
Patient: Yeah, I figured it would be okay, since you can see through them.
annie.rn
546 Posts
I notice a direct correlation between how long it takes someone to take their meds and the amount of attention they will require from me during the shift. I always love (and am quite surprised by) the patients who gulp down a med cup's worth of pills as if they were a bite of ice cream. I know then I will most likely not be dealing w/ a high maintenance type for the rest of the shift.