Fed up with Stupid Parents

OP, I worked in a pediatric office for about 4 years and I know exactly how you feel!

Its not that anyone is trying to judge someone for being on medicaid, but honestly, if you work day to day in this setting, you understand where the OP is coming from.

One thing that always got me is when a parent would bring their child in for a high fever, you ask, "did you give tylenol or motrin?" and they say, "no I wanted you to see the fever" or "no, I didnt want it to take away the ear infection before the dr saw it".... really??? My answer, "please, if your child has a fever, give the meds, we will believe you if you tell us and tylenol/motrin will not mask an ear infection."

I LOVE working with children, its the parents that drive me crazy sometimes! I also hate when a parent tell their child to be good or the nurse will give her shots... or better yet when they say "theres that mean ol nurse that gives you shots" ... I simply reply, "noooo Im that nice nurse who protects you from getting really sick"....

Oh, BTW, my comment was a general one, all parents seem to say those things, I wasnt trying to say that only "medicaid" families say such things...

Also, we always had free bottles of tylenol and motrin to give out, for anyone. Some people would try to get me to give them my whole stock, but nooooo I wasnt falling for that one... If you dress better than me, have a nicer phone then me, have your nails and hair all done, then I will give you a bottle to use until you can make it to the store... Judgemental, maybe a little, yes... but if you can afford those finer things for yourself, you can afford some *generic* tylenol or motrin you can get for your child for a buck at the $ store... and this is to people of all incomes, all walks of life...

What really gets me hot is when sometimes these parents on state/government insurance programs could afford insurance for their children if they didn't spend their $$ on cigarettes/beer/hair/nails/cell phones/etc.

:igtsyt:

The parents that really irritate me are the ones that know their child needs immunizations at the office visit and they turn to the kid & say, "Do you want to get shots today?" :icon_roll

Duh, what kid is going to answer in the affirmative to that question?!

And why are you as the parent & an adult, asking that to begin with? :angthts:

Sigh...if only stupid hurt.

I actually did that (or something similar) last week. My son has been hospitalized a few times. He is 4. He has been poked, prodded, allergy tested, iv'd, etc. until the poor kid probably feels like a science project. He had his well child visit that was WAY overdue, because honestly we are in there so much that I can't keep up with it all (plus I have 2 more kids). He is due for shots between 4yo and 6. I didn't ask him if he wanted the shots, but I decided to wait because I like to tell him in advance what is going to happen so we can be prepared. A little less hassle for whoever has to administer.

Also, a few weeks back my youngest had been sick all week. Dr on Mon. ER on Fri...turned out he had strep. Maybe he had it Monday, don't know - wasn't tested, doesn't matter. Because aforementioned child is sick alot, called dr same day appt to have him tested to be on the safe side. Truck overheated before I could even get out of town (I live 45 minutes away from dr). Hated to do it, but had to cancel. Dr's office very forgiving thankfully.

These things really do happen.

mmm got one, infant, originally thought to have just an imperforate anus, actually has cloatia, brought from birth hospital to my NICU. First day post op dad comes in to visit (baby is only 2 days old) and before even asking how the baby was doing he wants to know how he's going to get his $7 parking validated for the day! (mind you dad is well dressed in a casual suit, blackberry cell phone, bluetooth headset...ie doesnt look like he's scrounging for that $7).

Ugh!! It's always the ones that have money that are looking for a free handout. About 10 years ago I worked in a peds office in a very well to do area and those moms were SUCH a handful!! We had one mom who snuck back into our lab area and stole about a half dozen boxes of Snoopy band-aids.....then when her kids visit was over she loaded everyone into her huge Lincoln Navigator. Another mom came in about an hour and a half after her scheduled appointment time for her toddler son's yearly check up (which was scheduled a good 2-3 months in advance.) When we told her that she would have to reschedule his appointment, she whined "But he was napping and I didn't want to wake him up!" When we wouldn't budge on the rescheduling thing, she started crying and having a pretty impressive temper tantrum. Then she actually picked up one of those little pumpkins that they have around Halloween and picked it up and raised her arm over her head like she was going to throw it at the receptionist!! She was promptly given a letter discharging her children from our practice.

I've often wondered which was worse.....caring for those that get free healthcare for their 15 children to 15 different daddies or those that are ridiculously wealthy and have way too much time on their hands...

Nurse 12b

It your posting a joke? I don't think you're ever going to get accepted into a nursing program until you work on your spelling. Please take a deep breath and go away from this forum. Nurses should feel safe here to vent without moralizing from people who have no idea what we do.

Oh my... when I worked in Ped's clinic, I had 3 exam rooms and I kept a box of kleenex in each room. We would go through soooo many of them because people would just TAKE them! stick them in the diaper bag and go! Finally had to start hiding them :)

But then we would always get these soap samples to hand out, nice soap like Dove... but really, how do you ask a family "want soap?" without them getting offended? We would just sit them out on the counter for them to take, but no one would take those!!! Just the kleenex! Oh and my bright green stapler that I loved...

Hey now, I am a nursing student and a vet with a child that is on Medicaid. I hate that she is on it, but I don't want her to go without. Just because someone is on medicaid does not mean you can treat them any differant than with someone with regular ins.

I know I never want to be a nurse like any of you that treat parents of children on medicaid like they are ignorant. We are doing the best that we can.

Oh and the father with the cild that had a cold, YOU should know that an ear infection or strep throat has the same s/s as a cold. SO who is ignorant now!!!!

Last week I had thought my child had just a cold and I took her to the Dr. because she had a fever and the Dr. did a rapid fast culture and it came back pos for strep. So that father is looking out for his child.

Oh, yes I am very demanding when it comes to my child, what kind of parent would not be!!!! Or is it only people that have regular ins that only have that right.

If you feel like you should put pt down because of their class, GET OUT OF THE MEDICAL FIELD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even when I become a nurse I will always be an advicate for all of my pt's no mater what!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh an pt eduacation is apart of your job, so help them understand...

You are going to have a short life if you go off on something without totally reading what was said. Not that I haven't been guilty before of that. But as the op stated:

I even caught myself telling one dad once, "so you saw the doctor and don't agree with her diagnosis of a "cold", so now your calling to request antibiotics because you diagnosed your child as having an ear/throat infection... really and where did you get your medical doctors degree from... where did you do your Pediatric Internship?" LOL I was lucky that the dad fell so dumb after seeing the patient again and it still being a cold that he didn't complain. I haven't let my mouth run like that again!

The child was diagnosed once with a cold from the dr. and still was seen again with the same diagnosis - a cold. So the op wasn't diagnosing the child herself. Just reinforcing what the MD came up with.

BTW you will find there are those you can teach and those that don't want to be taught. Non compliance is a big problem these days.

Wow - after reading through 5 pages of posts (some with very good information), I had to go back and read the first post to remember all the details that started everything. I am about to start my last year of nursing school and have three children of my own, so I understand being a parent as well as getting trained to think like a nurse.

As for parents that don't make routine visits for their children as well as those on medicaid that were mentioned, I don't believe the problem is with the people who have medicaid specifically. We currently have medicaid for our three children, and I am grateful that they are cared for and try to make their yearly visits and make sure their shots are up to date. But there are some people I know (some I am related to) that don't have medicaid and don't find these to be important issues. My nephew is 7 and hasn't had insurance in 3 years, not because his parents don't have the money, but because his father would rather spend it on other things like jet skis and 4-wheelers. That is an parent who needs to get his priorities checked. Unfortunately, it is becoming more common to worry about buying fun things than making sure your kids are cared for.

And as a side note about the medicaid, I know the doctor doesn't get paid much for it, and what they do get paid they have to wait for, which I imagine is a pain. However, I have a family doctor that is great with my kids, knows the whole family by name, and takes the time to ask how school is going everytime I have to see him. I am glad to hear I am not the only one who has had to use this service for my family, and will kiss the ground when I am done with school and no longer have to go through the process every year. I can't stand it, but it is better than my children not getting the care I need.

For those working with the difficult parents, whether it be in doctors offices, schools, or hospitals, you have patience that I can only imagine, and every time you help the child, even if the parent is hard to deal with, you are making a small difference BTW, even without yet being a nurse, we have all had those moments where we want to yell at someone and ask what they were thinking when they did something!

I also hated when I worked in the hospital and family members would come in with their kids and would tell the kids that "if you don't behave that nurse over there is going to give you a shot!".

You shoulda seen the parents faces when I replied "No I won't" to the kids right in front of them!!! Priceless...

Why do I have to pay/be punished all night with a scared kid cuz you're trying to discipline through me. Um, thanks but no thanks. Parent at home and your kids will be in order when they get to the hospital.

:Don't get me wrong folks I love what I do, but some of the parents that are not willing to follow instructions or question everything that the doctor says really get to me sometimes.

G-d forbid parents question the doctor on their child's health and wellbeing!

If I had a dollar for every time a pediatrician gave out BAD and WRONG advice on breastfeeding, I would be able to retire 20 years early.

I am a parent who doesn't take my kids to WCC after about a year, as long as their weight gain and development are appropriate. I also selectively/delay vaccines. I'm sure I'm one of those parents that you probably roll your eyes at. Don't worry, I've heard it all before.

Oh, and when my older two children were young, we didn't have a thermometer or children's tylenol in the house. I believe that it's better to treat demeanor, rather than numbers, and that except in cases of septicemia, poisoning or heat stroke, fever in children is not dangerous. I don't medicate fevers in children (I do, however, medicate pain and discomfort that interferes with their ability to rest). We still don't keep children's tylenol in the house (when I do medicate, I far prefer children's motrin).

Edited Jul 8, 2010 by klone

Interesting that this post impugns the intelligence of parents, yet it's written with enough typos to make me wonder about the OP's HSD status....

Really? I used to be a professional editor, and I didn't see more than one or two typos.