thought these were funny and true. add on if desired....
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"
WANNA-BE WANDA: the family member who claims to be a nurse and offers many suggestions to treatment, up to and including which vein to use and suggesting 'starting the IV with a butterfly', and when asked whether RN or LPN, states they are CNA.
ooooh, this drives me crazy! I don't know how many times I have explained to people, "butterfly" isn't a gauge of IV.......
Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.
Tenacious Telephoner: Can't make it to the ER myself to check on Mama, but I'm gonna call every 15 minutes to make sure you update me on what's going on with her. Cuz I care so much....
These ones make me want to pull all of my hair out. I have started adopting a new line with these people. The confidentiality line. I just say, "Your mom is stable. She's doing just fine. I'm really not at liberty to discuss her medical information over the phone but if you want to come in and visit her you can."
I think we should have underground fences (like the one to keep dogs in the yard) unstalled under the doorway of each patient room. All visitors are fitted with shock collars as they enter the ER. Step outside your alloted space...ZAPPPPP!!!
Sorry, I know that didn't sound particularly compassionate did it? Been a long week already!
I think we should have underground fences (like the one to keep dogs in the yard) unstalled under the doorway of each patient room. All visitors are fitted with shock collars as they enter the ER. Step outside your alloted space...ZAPPPPP!!!
Sorry, I know that didn't sound particularly compassionate did it? Been a long week already!
I posted the same idea a while ago!!!
But for some reason, no ER's have adopted the visitor shocking policy yet....
BEDPAN BETTY: Family member of the patient who comes in ambulatory after waiting for 4 hours in the waiting room and starts yelling for a bedpan for "mother" to whomever passes in the hallway. (Even better when they are on a stretcher *in* the hallway).
BACKBOARD & COLLAR CLAIRE: The concerned friend of a usually pleasant LOL who comes into the ER boarded and collared after a strong breeze knocked her down and her grocery cart right on top of her. One of her legs can be externally rotated and shortened, she has a bleeding lac on her head, and she is quiet until you get her transferred to the bed. You explain what needs to be done to get her off that terrible board, give her the call light and tell her exactly where you are going, and that you will be back shortly with pain meds and the doctor. Said friend then tries to undo the straps to make the patient more "comfortable" while you are gone.
That's all I can think of - and oh yeah... I'm a terrible person/nurse for even thinking these things about these poor, suffering people and that goes for all of us. Especially if you are in triage and "make" sick people wait their turns.
How about Suicide Sam - loves the attention given by the social workers and wants yet another placement that includes 3 meals and a bed because he's unable to work due to his anxiety and is having thoughts of hurting himself (again).
thought these were funny and true. add on if desired....
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"
WOW!! I must admit, I'm guilty of quite a few of those titles; I never really thought about how my actions are preceived when my MAJOR care at that moment is the health of my loved one {in various cases my kids, my mom (& in-law), my grandparents (& in-laws), my 1st-cousin, my siblings (& in-laws), my husband, and myself have all experienced injuries/symptoms that warranted ER trips}. Thanks for the laughs, I'll try to remember how my actions can be viewed in the future
WOW!! I must admit, I'm guilty of quite a few of those titles; I never really thought about how my actions are preceived when my MAJOR care at that moment is the health of my loved one {in various cases my kids, my mom (& in-law), my grandparents (& in-laws), my 1st-cousin, my siblings (& in-laws), my husband, and myself have all experienced injuries/symptoms that warranted ER trips}. Thanks for the laughs, I'll try to remember how my actions can be viewed in the future
so, you accompany ALL of the above mentioned relatives when they visit the ER????
:chuckle
1TachyRN, RN
144 Posts
This is great!!! I love it!!! Er...umm...I mean...
FOR PETE'S SAKE PEOPLE!! WHERE IS YOUR COMPASSION??? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU PEOPLE ARE NURSES!!!!
:bdyhdclp: