God is love...WWJD..patience...get a grip...relax....calm down...take a breather...it's not so bad...sunny smile:).All these I tell myself because I tell you, on some days you meet aggressive foul-mouthed patients and you KNOW given different circumstances your reaction would not be so mild. But you're their nurse, they are your babies, so you keep a lid on it, plaster a smile on your face and "c"ludge.....coddle them:)"Them" are the days:nurse::redpinkhe
nic900 30 Posts Specializes in OB, Surgical, ER. Apr 10, 2010 It's so funny that you write this today. Just yesterday I had a "special" patient with a history of bipolar disorder in for a lap chol who didn't like me informing her and her husband of the visiting hours. She said, "you don't have to be so nasty". In the next breath, she said she would like to see her surgeon now. I of course said the surgeon was in surgery and would see her when he was available. Then she preceded to tell a coworker that she never wanted to see my face again and she was going to write to parliament (proud to be Canadian). Anyhoo, don't you know in the next bed beside her is one of our lab technicians in with a fractured humerus and heard everything. She of course agreed with me that this person was overreacting and would be a wonderful witness if needed.In answer to your question, no I don't like every patient that walks through the door. After I found out what she said, my blood was BOILING but I left the room smiling. She is NOT going to ruin my day. My next admission was a wonderful older lady with a wonderful sense of humor and a great attitude and sense of appreciation for what we do and she is the one I will focus on when something like this happens. After all this went down, she was discharged two hours later, I still gave her the dc paperwork and even asked if she would like some percs before she left so she wouldn't be in pain on the drive home because I am a caring nurse-even though I will NEVER like her. :):):):):)
llg, PhD, RN 13,469 Posts Specializes in Nursing Professional Development. Has 46 years experience. Apr 10, 2010 I think a lot of nurses (and nursing students) set themselves up for disappointment by expecting themselves to like the patients ... or to have the patients be grateful for the help you give them ... or to want to get better ... or to comply with the treatment plan ... etc. Yes, some patients are terrific to work with. But there are others that make our days miserable and new nurses need to learn how to cope with that. Thanks for sharing your efforts to cope.A big part of the reality shock experienced by new grads is related to their discovery that the REAL patients are not as wonderful as the patients were in their Fantasies about being a nurse.Good topic for a thread.
Txnursekristi 38 Posts Specializes in LTC, Wound Care. Has 10 years experience. Apr 10, 2010 Oh dear lord, no. Sometimes I just can't stand them. However, if you asked my patients, every single one of them would tell you that I love them. There is no reason for them to know any different...at least not in LTC.
Katie5 1,459 Posts Apr 10, 2010 Oh dear lord, no. Sometimes I just can't stand them. However, if you asked my patients, every single one of them would tell you that I love them. There is no reason for them to know any different...at least not in LTC.I need a poker face...my eyes are very expressive.
Indy, LPN, LVN 1,444 Posts Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC. Has 5 years experience. Apr 10, 2010 No by golly I don't like every patient. Some of them I definitely dislike. I just have to keep reminding myself that they still deserve my best efforts. That way it doesn't matter what I think of them, there will be more patients and I can still respect myself when I'm done.
pednursedeb 100 Posts Apr 10, 2010 No I don't like all my patients. Not all my patients like me either. You just deal with it. As the previous post said focus on the patients you do like. I care for them equally, but the ones I don't like tend to leave my mind sooner. I remember the patients that were pleasant under not so pleasant circumstances. I also remember the patients that like me. I have those that tell me they will be disappointed because I won't be there the next day. You can't like everybody, but you can treat them the same and show everyone the same amout of dignity.
Katie5 1,459 Posts Apr 10, 2010 I think a lot of nurses (and nursing students) set themselves up for disappointment by expecting themselves to like the patients ... or to have the patients be grateful for the help you give them ... or to want to get better ... or to comply with the treatment plan ... etc. Yes, some patients are terrific to work with. But there are others that make our days miserable and new nurses need to learn how to cope with that. Thanks for sharing your efforts to cope.A big part of the reality shock experienced by new grads is related to their discovery that the REAL patients are not as wonderful as the patients were in their Fantasies about being a nurse.Good topic for a thread.I have seen bolded part a lot, more than I care for.
dcarriv 57 Posts Apr 10, 2010 the longer that i am a nurse, the less people i see that i do like. however, i do try to be the best nurse i can with everyone.
MzMouse 295 Posts Specializes in LTC, office. Has 19 years experience. Apr 10, 2010 No, I very much dislike some of my patients. But my challenge every day is to treat them all the same.
Katie5 1,459 Posts Apr 10, 2010 You called it what it truly is- a challenge. You battling a challenge with unequal resources, because we have a lot to protect while they don't give a fig about anything. So you see, it is a challenge. But then, challenges are there so we can surmount them.And we will too.
txredheadnurse, BSN, RN 349 Posts Specializes in Correctional, QA, Geriatrics. Has 39 years experience. Apr 10, 2010 Nope I don't like some of my patients. Add in the fact that in my current job I deal with the same folks on a long term basis and it can be tiresome to deal with those who set my teeth on edge. However I will do all that I can to make sure they get what they need, but they may not get what they want if those wants aren't necessary to managing their health concerns.
