Before you make fun of a patient, make sure they can't see you.

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Well, my mother is in the hospital on med. surg.. I know she suffers from hypochondriasis and is driving everyone batty with all the dramatics and whining and carrying on she is doing (frankly, I'm glad I don't have to be there to hear it right now) but the night she came in she said she had a seizure (I know her potassium was very low but I don't know if it was a seizure as much as a result of the panic and anxiety). Anyway, her arm flopped over her head and her neck bent to one side and she was jerking around.

When it was time for shift change both the nurses were in the room and when they stepped outside she heard laughing and through the crack in the door she saw the offgoing nurse with her arm over her head and her neck bent and flopping around like my mother had done.

Uh oh...:uhoh3:

When the other nurse stepped back in the room my mother told her you can tell that other nurse I saw what she was doing, she may as well have stayed in here and done it.

It's nothing to write the hospital administrator over, but I'm sure it made for an embarrassing moment for all involved.

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Specializes in Occ health, Med/surg, ER.

Wow, sorry that happened to you and your mom......that is a horrible situation.

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downright shabby.

i'm sorry your mom experienced that.

leslie

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That is despicable behavior. Making fun of a patient is unprofessional and inexcusable anytime, but especially while in the actual hospital setting.

How would they feel if someone did that to them? :madface:

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

How great that you went to see your mother; I know that was of some concern to you earlier.

You aren't asking for advice, but I'm wondering... why WOULDN'T you write to the facility's administrator? I would think that individual would want to know about his nursing professionals mocking a patient in distress...

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I am really sorry this happened to you. I absolutely hate nurses who do it. I had an EMT do that just the other day in front of the pt. He thought the pt was incoherent. He wasn't. Just old and frail and kept his eyes closed all the time. He answers when spoken to. I went over and reassurred the pt and gave him a hug and asked if I could do anything for him. He responded " no thank you ma'am". Well..the EMT nearly fell over. I just shook my head at him and said quietly to him.." That wasn't nice".

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Wow.

I agree with above; I think this should be reported. If you are afraid it will impact your mother's care, then wait until she is discharged. But that nurse needs to be reprimanded.

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What those nurses did was wrong and they should be reported. That is just cruel the way they acted.

I'm sorry your mom had to witness that.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Telemetry, Hospice, Home Health.

That is horrible and I would encourage reporting that. I can imagine that some patients would be so hurt by that and feel so unsafe that it could really impact their recovery.

On a similar note it is important to be careful about what we say even if patients aren't around. My classmate had a transgender woman for a patient and down the hall a few doctors and nurses were talking and my classmate heard one of the doctors (an intern) call the patient a freak using a very disgusting tone of voice. It so happens this classmate is transgender female to male. He was very upset at the cruelty of this attitude in such a diverse, urban hospital. It definately was reported.

Sun

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Specializes in OB, NP, Nurse Educator.

Obviously those nurses have never heard of the Golden Rule - the one about Do Unto Others....

My mother (all 4 feet 9 inches of her) would have gotten out of the bed and knocked the crap out of both of them for making fun of her. And she would have called the Nursing Supervisor, the local newspaper, and a TV station or two. Oh - and the family lawyer.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
she would have called the Nursing Supervisor, the local newspaper, and a TV station or two. Oh - and the family lawyer.
One major problem with today's society is that we're too lawsuit-happy and litigious. Of course, this is just my humble opinion.

Legal action is not necessary in all situations. It is time for people to stop looking for ways in which they'll make a quick dollar.

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Specializes in Utilization Review.

First, I'll say......This is actually not directed specifically to your post alone, but for several of the responses

Come on!!! I feel like I'm in a kindergarten class for cryin' out loud!!!

YES, it was awful, despicable, and tasteless to have done that in sight, or in earshot of the pt...

BUT, you mean to tell me that you haven't ever vented to another nurse about a challenging pt?

"Do unto others", although a nice thought, isn't REAL LIFE.

What's unfortunate is that the pt heard or saw it...

I think it would be nothing but appropriate to report that to the administrator........that nurse should be addressed. But to call the TV stations and newspapers, even a lawyer is RIDICULOUS...We ALL have bad days

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