Do nurses get mad when..

[ProLogic]

There's a lot of people in a patients room at once? I come from a Mexican family and there's a lot of us in a room usually.. Sometimes family members disobey the limits, and then when the nurse comes in it feels really awkward.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

there's a lot of people in a patients room at once? i come from a mexican family and there's a lot of us in a room usually.. sometimes family members disobey the limits, and then when the nurse comes in it feels really awkward.

big families per se don't bother me. big, rude, entitled, demanding and obnoxious families make me so angry i could spit.

if the nurses ask you to limit visits to two people at a time, do so. don't argue, wheedle, whine or try to sneak in 7 or 8 more people when the big bad nurse is busy elsewhere. feel free to take turns. no one says it has to be the same two visitors all the time. (unless the patient does, and that's different.)

be courteous of other patients, especially the roommate if there is one. don't use the patient bathroom, the roommate's chairs, the roommate's bedside table, etc. and please don't go rifling through the roommate's belongings. (or the nurse's, either.)

if the nurse's charting station is in the room, respect it. don't sit in the nurse's chair, try to use the nurse's computer or (and i swear i've had this happen) rifle through the pocket's of the nurse's lab jacket which is sitting on the nurse's chair. no rifling through the nurse's bag, either, if she's had to leave it in the room because there is no locker space for her to use.

no food in the room -- especially if the patient is in isolation, if there is a roommate, if the patient is npo. in fact, no food in the room, period, is a good rule. ditto drinks. if you're hungry or thirst, take a break and go take care of those matters.

family members who sit and take notes all day annoy the crap out of me. usually, they're looking for "evidence" for the law suit they're planning to file if things don't turn out their way.

visiting families are ambulatory -- they're perfectly capable of fetching their own food and drinks. they're also capable of combing grandpa's hair, helping grandma cut her food and helping mamma brush her teeth.

if the visiting family member is not ambulatory, please don't leave them there for me to take care of. i don't want to toilet the visitors. really. i don't want to take their blood pressure, check their blood sugar or make recommedations on a new doctor for them, either. i actually had a patient ask me to toilet his mother because his wife (who brought the old lady to visit) "doesn't like to do that."

if you simply must spend the night, do not complain when i come in at midnight and turn on the lights to check the patient's wound, skin color, transfusion or whatever. i don't care if you're not getting your beauty rest. and no, i won't adjust the thermostat so you're more comfortable, fetch you some orange juice, provide sleepwear or find you a shower to use. it's not about you.

and please don't move into the hospital room bag and baggage because "hotels are so expensive."

if the family becomes high maitenence, i will ask them to leave. i don't care that they've driven seven hours to get here and haven't seen grandma in a decade. when it becomes about meeting the family's demands rather than the patient's needs, the family is free to go. if they have trouble with that concept, security can sometimes help them see the light.

do not expect me to entertain you. if you're bored because the patient is non-verbal and you want someone to talk to, go to the waiting room and find someone to talk to. even if i'm "just sitting there staring at the computer," that doesn't mean i have the time to discuss the upcoming election with you.

i'm not interested in your gall bladder surgery, your great uncle's cabg, your cousin's brother-in-law's heart transplant or your neighbor's lung reduction surgery. i don't need to hear about any of that, and believe me when i tell you it's not at all interesting. i'm here to take care of the patient. if i'm listening to you blather on, i can't take care of the patient.

if you're upsetting the patient, i will ask you to leave. even if you demand that the patient tell me you're not upsetting him/her, that rising blood pressure is a big clue. take the tactful suggestion and leave. or the next time it won't be so tactful.

no matter what you've seen on "er", "grey's anatomy" or "hopkins," the hospital is not the place to indulge in your penchant for drama. leave the hysterics, fist fights, manipulations and other drama at home. shrieking is not the proper response to bad news. flinging yourself bodily onto walls, patients or health care staff is not usually well-received. and no i won't get you something to "calm your nerves".