cruelest thing I heard a nurse say

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A few years ago the cruelest thing I heard a nurse say to a patient was:

PATIENT: "If I were thirty years younger I would ask you out on a date"

NURSE: "You are half a man, I would have to say no"

(The patient was an amputee) That is just mean. He laughed but I know it must have really hurt him. I couldn't think of anything to say to make this situation better.

How about you, what is the cruelest thing you have heard?

Specializes in pediatrics.

Having a friend that's dating a guy without an arm/eye from service overseas- he would've thought that joke was hilarious. I suppose it is all about the nurse/pt relationship, and how fresh his injuries are.

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Specializes in Rehab.

This isn't too much related but reminds me of the charge nurse who was looking for a resident's podiatry consult all afternoon until she remembered that he was a double amputee! We are rolled on the floor laughing over it (her mistake). Of course we didn't say anything to the resident but I think he would've gotten a good laugh over it too.

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Specializes in OR, OB, EM, Flight, ICU, PACU.......

The most recent one I can relate happened only a few days ago. My wife's mother was on the post-op unit after a 2 level spinal fusion. As my wife was walking down the hall to get some coffee for herself, she passed a room where the nurse was telling an elderly, post-op pt.," if you don't stop being rude, no one is going to take care of you while you're here".

Fortunatley for this POS, it was my wife, not me who was there to hear that. My wife contacted the Charge nurse, Nursing supervisor, the Administrator on call. Oh, and the next day she called the State Nursing Board.

I'd have just thrown the little ***** out the 6th floor window.

Just my $.02

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

The rudest thing I ever heard a nurse say was to me, during my first induced labor when the contractions were coming every minute and lasting the entire time: "Now, you be quiet! It's not necessary to be making all that noise." OK, my pain level was a 15/10 and they didn't even have epidurals in those days, so I was moaning rather loudly.....in fact, sometimes I screamed. But for this sour-faced, old nurse to get in my face like that was adding insult to injury.

Fortunately for all concerned, it was also the first time I ever knew my mother to stick up for me. She stood right up from her chair by my bedside, drew herself up to her full five-feet-six, and said, "Well, it may not be necessary to you, but it DAMN sure is to her. Now get out of here and find my daughter another nurse!!"

Never saw that woman again. In fact, the nurse who replaced her turned out to be my OB nurse for the next two kids as well, and a sweetheart she was indeed. :nurse:

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Specializes in Med-Surg; hospice.

You are so young...you still have 30 yrs before you can retire.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
A few years ago the cruelest thing I heard a nurse say to a patient was:

PATIENT: "If I were thirty years younger I would ask you out on a date"

NURSE: "You are half a man, I would have to say no"

(The patient was an amputee) That is just mean. He laughed but I know it must have really hurt him. I couldn't think of anything to say to make this situation better.

I cry foul on this statement. I smell a lie.....

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Specializes in OR, OB, EM, Flight, ICU, PACU.......
The rudest thing I ever heard a nurse say was to me, during my first induced labor when the contractions were coming every minute and lasting the entire time: "Now, you be quiet! It's not necessary to be making all that noise." OK, my pain level was a 15/10 and they didn't even have epidurals in those days, so I was moaning rather loudly.....in fact, sometimes I screamed. But for this sour-faced, old nurse to get in my face like that was adding insult to injury.

Fortunately for all concerned, it was also the first time I ever knew my mother to stick up for me. She stood right up from her chair by my bedside, drew herself up to her full five-feet-six, and said, "Well, it may not be necessary to you, but it DAMN sure is to her. Now get out of here and find my daughter another nurse!!"

Never saw that woman again. In fact, the nurse who replaced her turned out to be my OB nurse for the next two kids as well, and a sweetheart she was indeed. :nurse:

I'm sorry you had such a lousy first time in L&D. I can't imagine saying something like that to one of my patients. I did, however, hear an OB say to a verry young pt. in very hard labor, "Stop screaming! You can't expect it to feel as good coming out as it did going in!"

I was speechless!(those of them that know me would find that hard to believe!)

:twocents:

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Specializes in Plastics. General Surgery. ITU. Oncology.

Good Lord Vikingkitten what an OTT reaction that was from your wife!

How did she know that this patient hadn't been swearing and cussing at the nurses non-stop? Maybe the patient had been using racist insults. You had no way of knowing.

Sure the remark made by the nurse is unprofessional to say the least but get both sides of the story before you go ruining someone's career because of an overheard comment that may well be out of context.

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The nurse talking about my sister who was unmarried and did not have children "Oh she doesn't have any family?" Who am I chopped liver?

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

this from a physician: "can we get a greenpeace consult?" worse, he said it right in front of the patient who was admittedly obese, the nurse (also obese) and the entire team of physicians on rounds. no one thought it was funny.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.

This was from a Dr. as well, to me. I just had an ultrasound and was told my son (27 wks) had a HR of 220 and had fetal hydrops. We were leaving to drive to a bigger hospital 3 hours away in rush hour traffic to have further tests and his last words to me were

"You might lose the baby on the way, but drive carefully."

***!?

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I had SANE training last week and heard from a rape survivor. This survivor was raped by a guy she had met in a bar who drugged her drink. The survivor said that she went to the ER the next day to have a rape kit done and she said the nurse told her "maybe next time you shouldnt drink so much".

Can you imagine being raped and then have to relive the event by telling someone you thought would help you and they instead JUDGE you at a vulnerable time like that? I was FUMING in the inside!

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