Do you identify yourself as a nurse when you or your family are a patient?

[Brian]

We've all been in the situation when either we are the patient or our family and/or loved ones are the patient.

Do you identify yourself as a nurse?

Please answer our quick poll, then share your stories or why or why not.

Thanks

[RetRN77]

i've identified myself as a nurse when i needed to get information about my mom's condition or about my fil's or mil's status when they were hospitalized and lived out of state. i was given much more information and my questions taken seriously.

kathy

shar pei mom:paw::paw:

a close relative has a condition which makes her cortisone dependent. she had a series of falls last year and was in an out of the hospital and rehab. at the end of the series, she needed to go to an assisted living center. once she was in the facility, she seemed to dramatically get worse -serious sob, confusion, and inability to get out of bed. i called the facility and asked if they knew she was cortisone dependent, and they were unaware. i didn't identify myself as a nurse. it turned out that in all of her hospitalizations, they'd lost track of what meds she was on due to changes in insurance and pcp.

she was too confused to remember herself what meds she needed or was getting. thankfully, i succeeded in convincing the facility that she was dependent on cortisone, and they did have her dx, so they started her back up.

however, a couple weeks later we were back in the same boat and i called again. the nurse i spoke to that time seemed not only clueless, but hostile, and i didn't identify myself as a nurse, but i finally just asked for the physician to call me back. i did tell him i was a nurse, and he was very helpful. finally, they stopped trying to wean her from the cortisone and she's done well ever since.

[lamazeteacher]

RetRN77:

The previous doctor in the case of the cortisone dependent patient was negligent! He/she cannot assume that referral to a facility where there is a doctor in charge of all patients there, will be sufficient in such a case. The seriousness of overlooking such a serious condition warrants legal action, as it did significant damage to the patient.

So often it seems the patient has the responsibility of reporting their health history accurately, that we forget where the "buck stops", in that regard. Doctors need to take their responsibility for the care of their patients back to patients' genetic indices, (if necessary) now. Anything else is substandard and needs to be investigated.

[RetRN77]

lamazeteacher, thank you. :)

Perhaps we can take these issues to another thread? I would like to discuss your last two posts, but I'm afraid we'd be going far off topic...

[twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN]

I usually don't but recently my daughter was seen in the ER for a suicide attempt. I think everyone I met from the time I entered the door was made known I was a nurse just so I could get them to tell me in medical terms what was going on like lab values and such. Normally I don't because it makes staff tiptoe around me or family but this time I wanted answers.

[Jamesdotter]

I posted "no" on this topic a while back, but discovered at my recent surgery that it irritated the heck out of me if the staff used euphemisms for body parts and didn't want to discuss my meds. I told them I was a retired nurse and could understand them even though I didn't necessarily know all the recent advances, especially outside my specialty of OB/GYN

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I identify myself as a nurse if it's relevant.

[GenieToBe]

I personally don't identify myself as a nurse. However, my family does anytime they have to be admitted or go for their check-ups.

[Crystal-Wings, LVN]

Sometimes, but not always. I have self esteem issues.

[klone, MSN, RN]

OMG, it's like we're seeing a ghost with this thread. ☹️

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

My doctors all know I am. I had surgery a couple of years ago and I tried to keep it secret but it didn't work. I barely saw my care nurse

With my kids, who are diabetic, I do let them know that I am very knowledgeable about Type 1 diabetes because most health care providers are not very educated about this condition.