I work in a medical surgical floor and sometimes the requests that A&O3, independent, adult pts ask/make just floor me. No sense of shame and responsibility.
Pass me that cup of water. The table is literally inches away.
Fix my pillow.
Pull up my blankets.
Hold up my urinal. *ugh, I don't think so*
Wipe me. 'What's wrong with your hands?'. 'I can't seem to get everything, it's better if you do it'. 'Well, try and let's see how much you can do'. *he wipes* 'Guess what, you got everything'.
I give them their pills and they lay there expecting me to put in their mouths and hold the water while they drink through the straw like little kings/queens.
The incident that prompted the start of this thread happened a few days ago. It was a pt with an ileo *post op +++". He was being discharged within two days and the ostomy nurse has already visited him and gave pt education on ileo management. Anyway, it was giving +++ ouput and it would start to fill up and leak if not emptied regularly *of course*. This happened three times before I came in for the night shift. It happened again. I went in cleaned up the floor, cleaned him up, helped him change etc. Then he just layed it on me. Talked completely condescendingly saying
'I can't believe that I have to do your job for you. I'm in the hospital. It's your job to empty my pouch. What do you guys even do all day. You expect me to do everything. What's the point of being here?' etc. etc. etc.
Most of the time I don't take things personally and just let pts vent as long as they don't curse or yell. But this guy just rubbed me wrong. I told him:
"NO. This is actually YOUR job. There is nothing wrong with your hands. You are completely independent. The nurses help out people who can't do things for themselves. You can empty your own pouch. And when you leave here, who is going to do it for you at home? I understand you are frustrated but please don't blame it on me or the other nurses. It's an important part of your therapy that you be as independent as possible. I won't hesitate to help you but I won't do things for you that you perfectly capable of."
He didn't like it but he emptied it himself and stopped waiting for us to constantly check in to see if it's time to empty.
OH, WELL!!!
This job has made me more assertive than I ever thought I would be. Or else I would be staying behind all the time finishing up my work!
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
My favorite are the ones that ask me to change the TV channels for them. I always ask 'How do you do this at home?' They look at me like I have three heads and tell me they do it themselves. I just tell them they can do it here themselves, too. I am not so mean that I won't allow them to change their own TV channels.
"What channel is the Hallmark Network on?"
How should I know? Am I a TV Guide? I must get asked several times a day what channel one thing or another is on. I tell them that's what the scroll function is for. You wouldn't believe the eyerolls I get for not knowing.
I just had to join in, the most recent ridiculous request I had was an older male patient waved me into his room as I walked by, when I asked how I could help him, he says "pull up my sock". He had a family member sitting at the bedside and the sock was already up.:uhoh3:
How should I know? Am I a TV Guide? I must get asked several times a day what channel one thing or another is on. I tell them that's what the scroll function is for. You wouldn't believe the eyerolls I get for not knowing.
We have so many nurses that don't live in the same town as the hospital that we had to make up cards with the channels on them. I don't really blame people for not wanting to run through the whole list on the scroll thing...it can take forever!
If theyre in LTC on Medicare they are allowed to keep $30 a month to provide for personal needs like hairdos and manicures. Mama never looked so well as when she started having her "beauty parlor" every week.
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.
Wipe my butt, undress me, feed me (he was about 45 and totally able but his little wife actually FED HIM every meal and he thought we were going to do this also).
When I was still working on a med-surg floor we had a 21 year old woman who would urinate on herself instead of getting up & walking to the bathroom. SHE WAS WEARING DIAPERS & expected us to change her every time. The whole floor staff collectively put its foot down. She was informed that if she kept peeing on herself that we would leave her in a wet diaper all day. 21 YEARS OLD!!!! Anyway she got the message & started using the bathroom.
Sounds like a 40ish year old man I used to look after...He would pee himself all the time because he was just too lazy to get out of bed...and even cheerfully admitted it
Sounds like a 40ish year old man I used to look after...He would pee himself all the time because he was just too lazy to get out of bed...and even cheerfully admitted it
This patient is making the rounds apparently. We had her in the guise of a middle aged woman who was ambulatory and alert and oriented when we admitted her. Then she proceeded to park her ass in the bed and not move AT ALL, for 3 days. She pretended to need bed baths and depend changes for a full 3 days until the nurse who admitted her came back on and questioned WTH had happened? Well someone apparently didn't pass along that she was ambulatory, and the patient took full advantage. That came to a full halt. We started to question the alert and oriented part once we knew what she had been doing, and the doctor called in a psych consult.
Okay, admittedly not able-bodied at the time (on the homeward stretch post a particularly nasty bout of GBS) but still: "Can you trim my pubes for me?"
Me? No.
Talaxandra, I wish I could be as assertive as you are! Having read a number of your posts, I have decided I want to be like you when I grow up!!
:uhoh3:
OCNRN63, RN
5,979 Posts
"What channel is the Hallmark Network on?"
How should I know? Am I a TV Guide? I must get asked several times a day what channel one thing or another is on. I tell them that's what the scroll function is for. You wouldn't believe the eyerolls I get for not knowing.