er visitors...a funny

Specialties Emergency

Published

thought these were funny and true. add on if desired....:jester:

Alas, sometimes in the ER the family is harder to deal with than the patient. Here are some family member we all have seen in our ER:

DOORWAY GAWKER- stands and stares at the staff, arms folded, from the doorway with an impatient, angry looks on their faces

THE VENTRILOQUIST - talks for the patient until you tell them to stop it

THE SHADOW- you have to pry this person away from the patients bedside in order to do your job. then they watch every move you make as you start an IV, give meds, etc.

APATHETIC ANN/ANDY - brings a book, laptop - has a sort of been here/done this attitude - seems uninterested in whats going on

THE SUCKER - accompanies a patient with some kind of bogus chronic problem and has bought into it hook, line and sinker

THE KLEPTOMANIAC - you might catch this person rummaging through the cupboards, drawers and perhaps pocketing a thing or two

THE ERRAND RUNNER - may come up to the desk requesting warm blankets, footies, water, food, more pain meds, etc etc etc

MAMAS BOY MAMA - accompanies their grown son or daughter to the ER and sits with concerned look at bedside

BABY DADDY - accompanies girlfriend to ER and is suspicious of any male that comes into the room. Wants to stay there when pelvic exam is being done.

THE DUMPER- drops off confused mom/dad/annoying sibling/girlfriend/boyfriend and leaves

SPACE INVADERS - crosses that line into the staff area or follows the doctor into their area - definitely a no no

MAJOR HOLIDAY GIFTERS - brings mom/dad/grandma who they haven't seen for months to ER because they "aren't doing that well/can't take care of themselves/need to go to a nursing home"

CHICKEN LITTLE - runs to triage desk requesting help for mom/dad/etc in the car who are dying (99% of the time they are fine). Comes up to the desk and tells you heart monitor is dinging - is that OK??!!!

SUSPICIOUS STAN/STELLA- takes notes - wants names of staff, name of medication, name of tests. Has special "medical notebook"

Specializes in ED, Tele, Med/surg, Psych, correctional.

This thread is hilarious..I stumbled onto this site by accident and then stayed on for over an hour because I couldn't stop laughing. I just had to join. I was laughing so hard that my son came downstairs and asked me what was so funny..I told him "You wouldn't get it". And it is so true. If you aren't doing this work, you haven't got a clue what we see on a daily basis. And I don't even get mad anymore at the haters. It's funny how when they are floated down to the ER to take care of the admitted hold patients (not the real PIA's mind you) that they look like they are about to have a massive panic attack when they see what goes on in the ER. Most of them have a deeper appreciation for what we do on a daily basis.

The hallways gawkers are the best aren't they? I always make sure to go out of my way to acknowledge them. "Sir, do you need something? I see that you are standing in the doorway while your sick wife is on the stretcher. Wouldn't you rather be in the room comforting her? Rather then watching me shovel this twizzler in my mouth (since it will be my only form of nourishment for the next 12 hour?" I love when they make comment about the fact that I am eating (if you want to call forcing food down your throat in marathon time eating)at the desk. I tell them sarcastically...yeah I guess you wanted me to spend 12 hrs without food and water but still answer your call bell in under 10 seconds. When my hands are shaking starting an IV and I have a massive headache and my co-worker does a fingerstick and it's 52..so sorry...I have to shove in a coffee cake from the vending machine. We don't get breaks as there is no one to cover us. Asking your co-worker with 5 or 6 of her own patients..to watch your 5 or 6 or more isn't an option.

It feels better to read all these posts and know that every ER in the country deals with the same stupidity day in and day out. I feel better reading them and knowing I am not alone. Thanks for brightening my day.:up:

Specializes in ER.
Preggers Polly: Oh...I've been vomitting all day...I'm (enter wks pregnant here).... Excuse me ladies n/v is a side effect of pregnacy not a medical emergency. Please see PCP for this.

I know I'm a horrible uncaring nurse.

Ok I usually never complain about posts but this one rubbed me the wrong way!! I had a recent terrible bought with hyperemesis with this pregnancy. I lost 12 pounds in 5 days and could keep nothing down and my OB told me to go to the ER, I waited like 6 hours to go because as an ER nurse I did not want to go to the ER. I had to go to the ER at the Hosp that my OB sees patients and not the one I work at. The Triage nurse pretty much said to me when I told her my problem " thats part of it" well no its not my BUN and creatinine where screwed up, I was dry as a bone and was admitted for IV meds and fluid for 5 days!!!! Vomiting all day and getting no hydration or nutrition for a long period of time regardless of the cause is not normal!!!! :banghead:

Specializes in ED, Tele, Med/surg, Psych, correctional.

nursejennie..

don't get offended...

we're talking about the woman who found out she is pregnant yesterday..is 8 weeks along and vomited twice this morning before she rushed herself to the ER in a state of panic.

as a proficient ER nurse who works in triage quite often..I can tell you that I am perfectly capable of telling the difference between someone who is clinically dry and someone who isn't. Things like skin color and mucous membrane appearance are a start. Someone whose veins are bouncing higher than a trampoline and is crying liquid tears for 10 minutes in my triage booth, ate KFC last night and tolerated it and only vomited twice before sitting in front of me has a long way to go before they need to be admitted for dehydration.

We're talking about the exaggerations here...not the real deal sick people who we WISH came in as often as the non-urgent cases we're talking about.

Specializes in ER.
nursejennie..

don't get offended...

we're talking about the woman who found out she is pregnant yesterday..is 8 weeks along and vomited twice this morning before she rushed herself to the ER in a state of panic.

as a proficient ER nurse who works in triage quite often..I can tell you that I am perfectly capable of telling the difference between someone who is clinically dry and someone who isn't. Things like skin color and mucous membrane appearance are a start. Someone whose veins are bouncing higher than a trampoline and is crying liquid tears for 10 minutes in my triage booth, ate KFC last night and tolerated it and only vomited twice before sitting in front of me has a long way to go before they need to be admitted for dehydration.

We're talking about the exaggerations here...not the real deal sick people who we WISH came in as often as the non-urgent cases we're talking about.

Must be my preggo hormones!!! :bluecry1::p:nurse:

Specializes in ED, Tele, Med/surg, Psych, correctional.
Must be my preggo hormones!!! :bluecry1::p:nurse:

LOL!

Trust me..if I saw you in my triage booth..you'd have an IV and a bolus up as well as Zofran 4MG IVP in your body before you even got called to register.

:D

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