Do you tell?

[Slowone]

Just a quick show of hands... How many of you disclose that you are a nurse when you are either at the doctors office, taking your child/loved one to a medical professional etc...?

Do you notice that some nurses will become nervous around you almost as though they think you are "grading" them if they know?

Do YOU get nervous taking care of medical proffesionals?

Do you use medical terminology when discussing your own medical problems to your provider?

When you are being given medical adivice do you nod politely and let them fininsh or interupt to say "yes I know, I'm a nurse"?

Just wondering.

Steph

[ktwlpn, LPN]

I don't usually tell everyone that I am an lpn-until they get into a long winded explanation for some silly little thing...However-I do not like to be patronized...when my son was just a few days old he developed thrush..He was nursing ok and it was a Saturday evening(of course) but I called the pediatrician for some reassurance...She said" I am SURE he doen't have thrush-newborns rarely get that " Come Monday when we went to the office-of course,he had thrush...Go figure..Last weekend while out of town I had an accident and went to an ED-dx with several fx ribs and just enough pain med to get home.When I got to my family doc's Monday the nurse asks"What brings you here" I told her and she said-sarcastically" And you know this-how? " Thank goodness I could not move my arms or I may have snatched her bald-or fx a rib for her.......Thank the good Lord for narcotics...and sennokot-s...

[nicola]

What a great thread!!

I play it by ear whether or not I tell. My PCP knows I'm an RN and it really helps. When I tell her I need Claritin or ask that she please call in the refill and I'll see her next month because I simply can't take the time off for a routine visit, she's cool with that. I had some blood work done a while ago and had to go back to get results. She was VERY booked that day, so came into the room with my chart, flipped to the page and said, "Take a look and I'll be back in 10 min to go over it with you." That was great since I understood most of the results, but had questions about what exactly some of the stuff meant.

Being patronized sends me up the wall! As a home care nurse, I routinely teach others how to use a Basic One Touch to test their BS. When I was dx'd with DMII, the nurse who gave me my glucometer insisted on telling me about it like I was a total newbie. And she knew my profession! It really made me livid!

About family ... Again, I play it by ear. I do more coaching of family members than I do actually talking to docs. My mother has scleroderma which has wrecked havoc with her health. She'll call me with questions about meds etc. I'll coach her on exactly what she should ask the doctor (or tell the doctor!) and why. I find that the more I teach her, the better she is at fending for herself. My joy is to coach people on how to negotiate with insurance companies. They dont' get the fact that it is possible to negotiate and win if you use the right language and push the right buttons!

[ClariceS]

When my grandmother was in her last hospital stay, I was able to visit her. I wasn't going to say I was a nurse until I lost patience with the NP trying to explain everything in layman's terms and it made less sense than it would in medical. So yes I did say I was an RN. The NP and nurses (who really did give excellent care) actually seemed relieved as I was able to help explain to some of my aunts and uncles what was going on and they accepted my explanations.

What kind of distresses me is that I use it to make sure I recieve good care. I have seen my own care change from before telling to after telling. ER personnel attitudes definitely change (especially if I add my current position of nurse manager) after telling. I wish that wouldn't happen.

I am usually somewhat relieved when I find one of my patients has medical background. It makes explanation and teaching easier (usually). Of course there are always those exceptions....