I think we all have those patients...you know, the ones who come in all the time, who really aren't the sharpest tacks, who just never seem to get it, who never bathe, who scare little children when they see them walking down the street, the ones who make you want to rol your eyes everytime you triage them, and the ones you draw straws to decide who gets them this week? I don't mean to be mean or anything here, but do you know the patients I am talking about? Sigh...we refer to them as The Far Side...again not to be cruel, but because if we can't laugh about some of the things we do we will cry instead.
Again, I don't mean to sound mean here, but I was just wondering...do you all have a Far Side crowd in your ER? Do you have a nickname for these patients?
hahaha, teeituptom, those were hilarious! gotta remember those, esp the AJS! do you guys get APOWWs? i love being APOWW queen (one time i had 4 APOWWs at the same time!!!) and that's not including the police priority pts in the police room. gotta love a county hospital.
One doctor used to describe an unusual child as a FLK= Funny Looking Kid
Our ER attracts its share of playactors, usually women. We call them "Drama Queens" They are the ones who are quiet until a family member (or several) arrives. Then, the real acting begins.
We had one come in last night, a 40-ish woman, who brought her own audience of daughters and nieces. The girls were sweet, but played completely into the hands of the patient. They came out one by one, or in twos to voice the newest complaint that poor, fainting 'Mama' had added to her list. 'She's in pain...(moaning loud enough to be heard in EVERY room)...coughing (explosively during a med-neb treatment)...doubled over ...(grasping her belly, climbing out of bed, hobbling around the room moaning like an old cow with all 5 family members following)....vomiting (the doctor caught her with her finger down her throat).... worried...(for good reason, after all of that!).... the list goes on....vision is failing,,,spots before her eyes.....can't stand up....(etc).. When they left the room, there went her audience, so she quieted right down.
Sure, sure, just sign the DC papers. You can pick up your Oscar on your way out the door!!
delirium
629 Posts
Oh, and a very special coworker: 'Miss White Trash America'
Whenever we work together I find myself singing the very beginning of an Eminem song: 'Two trailer park girls go round the outside....'