Ever had a nurse or doc as a patient? - page 8

1. 
   Dec 2, '05

   MamaTheNurse - thank you, I'm very blessed. Twenty years ago the survival rate was abysmal and chemo primative compared to today. Every day is a gift.
2. 
   Dec 3, '05

   I've worked in LTC for 10 years and I've had several patients who were retired RN's. It's very interesting. In those days, nurses wore white and nursing caps. They had metal bed pans and glass syringes and mortal and pestles (sp). They did total patient care and backrubs and delivered babies. They experienced patients with plagues and fevers that kill. They have lots of stories to tell.
3. 
   Dec 3, '05

   Quote from nursey_girl

   I must have really been stressing about it because the day shift charge nurse was right there to console me..." Honey, Don't worry about him... this morning he peed in his denture cup!"

   Wow, that's funny! Much more effective that assurances that he puts on his underwear one leg at a time ;-)
   
   Still in nursing school now, in my 2nd clinical, I had an anesthesiologist as a patient. He was so nice and laid-back, it was a great experience. I was nearly floored, though, when he was asking me questions about his care, because he really didn't know - he was in for something that was just totally outside of his specialty. So, we both had a little giggle about the little nursing student teaching the anesthesiologist how to do this thing.
4. 
   Dec 4, '05

   I have had many RN's and MD's in my care. Most of them have been very pleasent as pt's, and are very wise especially the mature one's.
   
   I also had the oppertunity be a patient in the ICU I work in (had a Type I DeBakey dissecting aortic anyurism) , that went the whole length of my aorta). Sugery went well had to be opened twice, but my nurses and MD's were acceptional very professional and caring and my discharge education was much easier for them.
   
   Thanks for letting me share.:wink2:
5. 
   Dec 4, '05

   I've taken care of numerous docs and nurses...not one problem out of any of them. I did take care of a PA once (he had CF and all that it entailed). He would check his own blood sugar every hour (with his own machine), then he started demanding insulin every time he did it, adjusting the dose to what he thought was acceptable. I told him that his insulin was ordered AC/HS and I would not be giving it to him just whenever he asked for it. He told me that he was friends with his endocrinologist, and would say it was okay. I told him that the endo would have to come in and discuss this with him. Then, the PA decided to gun for "World's Biggest A$$ Award" started yelling that he was a PA, and he knew his body better than anyone, and who was I to question otherwise. I told him that while he probably did know his body better than me, he most certainly was not practicing under my license. Well, the on-call happened to be on the floor at the time, and entered the room to aid in my defense. What ensued was a shouting match between doc and PA that could be heard from all the way on the other end of the hall. The outcome: patient did not get insulin whenever he wanted. His wife was an NP...she was a peach as well.:uhoh21:
   
   The biggest problems I have had have been with family members of patients who have some sort of medical background. A nephew of one patient ranted at the desk about something really dumb, and announced that he was a doctor (turns out, he was a veterinarian).
   
   Another patient I took care of had a wife who was not only "dinosaur nurse", she was also a nursing instructor (and from what one of her former students told me, not a very good one). The patient was on dialysis and slated to go early in the morning. The wife called and demanded that he get breakfast before he go. I told her that they would give him breakfast in dialysis lab. She said that was unacceptable and demanded he have dialysis in his room so he could eat. I told her it wasn't warranted, and he would be going downstairs. The patient had also had toe amputation. During his stay, she would routinely unwrap his dressing, let it "air out", and re-wrap it with the same dressing. Surprisingly, he ended up with a horrible infection and ended up having his whole foot amputated. She was a real cow.
   
   When I am a patient, I try not to let it be known I am a nurse, and when they find out, I just keep quiet and let people do their jobs. The last time, I was in the hospital, I was getting stitches in my hand in some small town ER. The doctor was asking me questions when my mother blurted, "She's an RN for a large city hospital." To which the doctor replied, "So you already know everything then!" I guess this was the one time I did behave like a hefer because he proceded to put stitches in areas that weren't numbed, then couldn't understand why I was unleashing a tirade laced with profanity. He broke the sterile field at least a dozen times, dropped two suture kits which I was ultimately charged for, couldn't figure out how to operate the cart and almost dumping me on the ground, then left my hand looking like a pound of raw ground beef with sutures in them. It was horrible, and I got charged $1300 for this little adventure. I don't think I behaved badly because I was a nurse (I think anyone in that situation would be just as upset), but I'm sure the staff attributed my behavior because I was one.
6. 
   Dec 4, '05

   
   Well I've had both, the nurse was fine, the md was a quadraplegic with a neurological disease that was progressive. The md was quite bitter about his disease and made everyone around him the same way, bitter that he was around. He was instrumental in getting a number of people fired. I was there through the agency and gladly never returned either. I think it goes back to basics it depends on the person and their circumstances regardless of occupation or title.
   
   :imbar
7. 
   Dec 4, '05

   Quote from ruby vee

   years ago, i took care of an rn with a brain tumor. she kept thinking she was at work and trying to help. one night when i was in a code, she "helped out" by making my midnight med pass for me. shudder! i'm not sure what she gave to whom, or why anyone would take pills from a "nurse" wearing a patient gown -- or even if they did. but everyone lived through the night and i didn't lose my job.
   
   as for me, when i woke up in the recovery room after my surgery, the old man on the next cart was confused. he was yelling and trying to pull out his iv. i extubated myself and climbed over my siderails to "help." i thought i was at work. so i can understand why the lady above was passing meds!

   good gravy! we never take a break do we? if i had known then what i know now, i think i would have stayed in food service, because, we never stop thinking like nurses do we? it's exhausting, but rewarding.
8. 
   Dec 4, '05

   Quote from nicholrwalker

   I guess I was an irritating family member......My 88 y/o grandmother was in the hospital,and we requested a private room for her. I stayed with her most nights. One night her nurse came in with an injection for her while she was receiving her abx. When I asked her what she was giving her she informed me it was Valium...for agitation. My grandma and I were watching T.V and no where near agitated. So I questioned the order...mean while she was proceeding to inject the drug into her port,at which time I told her to please stop....from what I know you cannot mix valium with anything and on top of that i would like to see the order or MAR. She left the room and did not return. I went to the nurses station at which time it was told to me that her shift ended at 10p, and our new nurse would help us. I asked for the supervisor. Long story short..grandma never had it ordered to begin with,and she had received it the last three nights before I got there. I was very hot:angryfire :angryfire Not to mention the nurse did not know proper administration of drugs. But most of all refused to come back and face us after she found out the med had never been ordered. :angryfire :angryfire

   A hospital can be a dangerous place.! Although I don't usually tell people I am a nurse, I ask enough questions to be a pest. Oh well. Imagine what happens to the people who don't have a family/friend advocate that is a healthcare professional! And let this be a lesson to ALL of us. Don't just follow orders blindly. Find out WHY we are doing things and IF they are still necessary. We ARE the pt advocates for those that DON'T have vigilant and knowledgable friends/family!
9. 
   Dec 5, '05

   I have had both Nurses and Doc as patients. The nurses are the ones who try to intimidate you. You just have to be bold and assert yourself. Be confident in your ability as a professional and treat everyone the same. If you are kind to all your patients you don't have to be putting out extra effort to impress members of the heath team.
   I have been a patient on more than one occassion and my second experience was the pits. I happened to be a patient on the Surgical ward that I worked with a diagnosis of Acute Renal calculi. On day two of admission no RN reported for work, there were only third year Students( I should have been on that weekend) . I had to get out of my bed with IVI in hand and assisted the students with IV meds . I was in pain and yet working. No one in admin said thanks, the students did and now RNs themselves , they still remember.
10. 
    Dec 5, '05

    I have had both nurses and docs as patients. They both can be trying at times, but I have to say the docs were the worst. A few of them think we are there personal servants and run and fluff their pillows every 5 mins. I get nervous with some of the nurses because they are watching you at what we are doing.
11. 
    Dec 5, '05

    This is an interesting thread as in my previous careers it was always doctors and lawyers that were the worst customers. Lawyers, especially. The nurses were cool!
12. 
    Dec 5, '05

    Quote from Bipley

    So... how bad was it?
    
    And while you are at it, ever BEEN a patient? How bad were you?
    :chuckle
    
    Com'on... be honest!

    I was a patient in a Kaiser hospital in Los Angles and less than 2 hrs. after returning to room from OR after having a ruptured appendix removed, was put in a w/c and taken into a room to assess a traction set up. Was recognized as one of the orthopedic instructors from LA County Hospital/USC Medical Center and since they didn't want to bother calling in the ortho tech, asked me. Told the unit manager the next morning (who couldn't beleive they did that) that had so much MSO4 on board it could of been upside down and still said ok.
    The same hospital stay (in a semi-private room) had 4 roomates die in the middle of the night. Seems like everytime I turned around they were coding someone in the next bed. Asked to be discharged so could get some sleep
13. 
    Dec 5, '05

    At our facility we had a retired ENT surgeon. (Apparently he helped develop instruments for microsurgery. Cool!) Anyway, this old guy had a fascinating Irish accent and he KNEW his meds. One of his meds was twice a day and one of the doses was a half-dose. The pill was TINY, but he could see if the dosage was correct or not and would let us know. His conscientiousness saved me from giving him the wrong dose once! (I rechecked the book, and doggone, he was right.) He didn't stay with us long, but he's one of the most interesting residents I've ever had.

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