A Generation of Wimps?

Specialties Emergency

Published

Is is just me, or is anyone else seeing more and more patients in their late teens to early 30's that are a bunch of wusses? I mean relatively minor ailments (nausea/vomiting for 1 day, headache, cough/congestion, back pain) and these pts act like they are at death's door! Enough drama for a year's worth of Broadway shows. I'm not referring to any pt with serious or chronic illnesses. I mean stuff that is really minor, that should be addressed with a routine PCP visit, but instead they end up in the ER. Inevitably they get the million $ workup (labs, Xray, CT, etc.) only to be discharged with DX of "gastritis" or "muscle strain." I just worked a 4 day stretch and easily half of my pts fit this category. What's going on?!:uhoh3:

Specializes in Trauma/Burn ICU, Neuro ICU.

I think it's a generational or cohort thing. The superintendent of our schools told us about a recent Harris poll,asking companies, big and small, WHO they are hiring, not hiring, and why. The results: NOT wanting to hire those in their 20's and early 30's, mostly male - because they have no manners, no common courtesy, are rude to customers, do not get along with colleagues, show up late, don't show up, complain A LOT, expect A LOT, don't feel they must follow company rules.

WANTING to hire------give up? Asian heritage, Indian heritage, and ---older folks doing second careers. Why? Polite, show up on time, don't call in sick, get along well with colleagues, have a work ethic, etc.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

In other words dont hire wimps, right

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I think it's a generational or cohort thing. The superintendent of our schools told us about a recent Harris poll,asking companies, big and small, WHO they are hiring, not hiring, and why. The results: NOT wanting to hire those in their 20's and early 30's, mostly male - because they have no manners, no common courtesy, are rude to customers, do not get along with colleagues, show up late, don't show up, complain A LOT, expect A LOT, don't feel they must follow company rules.

WANTING to hire------give up? Asian heritage, Indian heritage, and ---older folks doing second careers. Why? Polite, show up on time, don't call in sick, get along well with colleagues, have a work ethic, etc.

Have you seen "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"? A lot of kids see things like that, or people on TV, and think people really act that way at work. My neighbor is a manager at Best Buy, and I keep meaning to ask him if he's seen that movie.

If you haven't seen it, Mr. Virgin works at a store that's a very thinly disguised Best Buy, and......no, people who act like that at work don't last very long, but the movie WAS funny, as were some of the things those guys did on the job.

My department has, in recent years, hired several women who were near retirement age and they have caused WAY more problems than the recent HS graduates who work for us! The younger people are relatively easy to guide regarding proper workplace behavior. The older women - no, they don't mouth off but their attitude has been, "Who cares? I'll be retiring soon anyway" and there isn't much that can be done about it.

:uhoh3:

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Specializes in ED.

Now, now! Speaking as a person in her early 20's and not as a nurse, I will say that I am not a weinie. I was brought up with the notion (as long as I wasn't contagious) that "you can be sick at home, or you can be sick at school/work/etc..." Granted, many were not raised like that, but having said that...

Now speaking as a nurse, there are a lot of wussies that I see in the ED. Most of them male and many of them in their 20's. But I will have to say that some of the most ridiculous patients I have had were over the age of 30. They are the patients I hear howling down the hallway with a toothache or bellyache.

It's not just my generation that's getting wussified; it's society as a whole. Older people and young people alike will get on the internet and read magazines and watch the news and self-diagnose before even coming in, convinced that they are dying and they want 5-star treatment before they pass on.

Yeah, it can get annoying, but it's job security...

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, ICU.

My favorite is when they never even try Tylenol prior to going to an ER. They just show up with a .... I got a headache, fever, ect. 4 hours ago and I haven't taken anything. I need a ... ct scan, flu test... blah blah blah take some damn meds and go to the WR.

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU.

I have been thinking the same thing! I've taken care of more n&v + cough than I care to talk about.

It did strike me as odd. When I was younger, going to the doctor was left for really important stuff, the kind of thing that required a prescription of some sort. Going to the hospital was only for things that required an OR.

There was always some home remedy that could alleviate the stomach flu and if you didn't get better in 5 days or so, then you called the family doctor. Much better use of resources if you ask me.

When I see parents hauling in their poor little 22 yr. old because she hasn't been feeling well for 24 hrs. I seriously wonder how they'd handle the situation if they didn't have the luxury of getting the bill covered by the county hospital they're showing up at. And what happened to seeing the doctor at the clinic?

I know, I know = welcome to the ED!

It's good to know we're noticing this and not becoming totally jaded by it.

Happy New Year! :balloons:

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Specializes in OR, OB, EM, Flight, ICU, PACU.......
I am noticing more MEN being WHIMPS. Ooooooooooo the pain...

(But can go smoke.....) Come back in tears to the floor"Oh the pain......"

What ever happened to Men being Men, have wussed them too these days?

You just witnessed the "Oprah tization" of America. I could just cry!:banghead::no::bugeyes:

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
You just witnessed the "Oprah tization" of America. I could just cry!:banghead::no::bugeyes:

Amen.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

I see this "wimpy weinie" in some of my kids' friends. They have to run to the doc every time they or their kids are sneezing.

My kids, and extended family members, have it bad. I'm a nurse, and my oldest daughter is working on her PhD in nursing, already an RN. They'll call me and get my advice. Then ONCE and only once, they call my daughter to try to get another opinion: "Blondie said blah blah blah. I don't want to do blah blah blah. What do YOU think?:bluecry1:" Ninety nine times out of a hundred she tells them to "SHUT UP, SUCK IT UP AND DO WHAT MOM SAID YOU BIG BABY." :nurse:

Then if they don't follow our advice, they get another big dose of I TOLD YOU SO from both of us.:stone My kids have always been told if no one is dead or bleeding a puddle, it'll wait til I wake up. They've lived so far!!!!:lol2:

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Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.
You just witnessed the "Oprah tization" of America. I could just cry!

Thar' ya' go agin cryin' and carrying on...............

But heck, when all else fails, blame it on a woman. ;)

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Specializes in OR, OB, EM, Flight, ICU, PACU.......
I have just recently started in the ER and oh lord some of these people are just crazy. I have only been in the ER for not quite 2mo now and I have seen the same family come in at least 4 times for minor things that could have waited until the clinic opened up in the am. But of course they wait until 1-2 am and then decide that they just can't take it anymore so the whole family loads up and comes to us for a few hour visit only to get sent home & f/u w/ their doc in the am. We've had people come in& say that they are constipated but they just had a BM that day. What??????? W/ our society everybody is looking for a quick fix. If the clinic is not open well let's just go the ER pay a ridiculous amount of money so we can feel better faster.

:no:What makes you think they are going to pay? Didn't you hear the new ED slogan? " Emergency Department; saving the world from PCPs. Open 24/7, Payment Optional!":banghead:

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Specializes in OR, OB, EM, Flight, ICU, PACU.......
Thar' ya' go agin cryin' and carrying on...............

But heck, when all else fails, blame it on a woman. ;)

:yeah:Darn! Caught again!:bowingpur

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