Patients & Pet Peeves

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a nurse of 2 years and a recent hire on a acute medical/surgical floor.

I'm learning so much, which is great. However, it also feels like a whirlwind.

Does anyone have any pet peeves - behaviors that patient's have that make you frustrated?

However, I so dislike when patient's who are A & O curse in conversation. Or if they openly belch when I am nearby them or speaking to them. Thankfully, these are only minor incidents. Of course I always mask my inner thoughts and treat the patient with all due respect.

Anyone have any pet peeves? How do you deal with the situations or do you just let it go?

The patient who wants to go smoke and the doctor who overrides nursing and hospital policy and let's them.

The adult child- patients who still have their parents calling the doctors for them. Cut the cord, parents. And adult children, stop using your parents as your secretary. They've done enough for you.

The clinic patient who wants everything to be done over the phone-- evals, prescriptions, etc.-- and will constantly badger nurses for the OK to cancel their agreed upon follow up appointments. Sometimes you just have to come into the clinic. Sorry.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

My biggest pet peeve is not really anything to do with my residents, but sometimes their families. There are more than a few too many families that are completely unrealistic about their loved one's prognosis and fully expect Grandma to get up and walk out the door any day now. You would think that the fact that Grandma is in a LTC facility and every MD that has seen her doesn't feel there is any chance at ever having a full recovery would be a clue but no...Grandma is going to get better and go home soon!

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Specializes in Cardicac Neuro Telemetry.
The patient who wants to go smoke and the doctor who overrides nursing and hospital policy and let's them.

The adult child- patients who still have their parents calling the doctors for them. Cut the cord, parents. And adult children, stop using your parents as your secretary. They've done enough for you.

The clinic patient who wants everything to be done over the phone-- evals, prescriptions, etc.-- and will constantly badger nurses for the OK to cancel their agreed upon follow up appointments. Sometimes you just have to come into the clinic. Sorry.

I cannot stand families with the unhealthy dynamic between adult children and parents. It's usually between a son and mom and half the time, mom answers questions for the son as he looks to her for some sort of guidance when he's asked a simple question. If you're 55 years old, it's beyond time to quit acting like a toddler and cut the cord.

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Specializes in PACU, Stepdown, Trauma.

A/O x 3 patients who keep pushing their call light after you literally left the room 30 seconds ago... and you asked if there was anything else they needed.

The one patient who has 40 members who all call and ask for an update... please assign ONE designated spokesperson for your family!

Confused patients who keep ripping off their telemetry and trying to take off their oxygen and pull out their IV. I can deal with it for one shift, but when it's nearing the end of the third 12, I'm pretty over it.

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My pet peeve is when you have patent who is fully capable of answering your questions, but the family persistently answers for them. Like "how are you feeling today" etc. I will usually speak up and let them know the patient can answer for themselves.

Annie

THIS IS MINE. Your adult son/wife/husband/mother, etc. can speak for themselves. SHUT IT. I am not bothered by much anymore but that one still hurts the insides of my teeth. I used to get worked up over the "suck my ****" and the blatant hitting on me but now I just tell them they can't afford me and skip out of the room. :D

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The adult child- patients who still have their parents calling the doctors for them. Cut the cord, parents. And adult children, stop using your parents as your secretary. They've done enough for you.

The clinic patient who wants everything to be done over the phone-- evals, prescriptions, etc.-- and will constantly badger nurses for the OK to cancel their agreed upon follow up appointments. Sometimes you just have to come into the clinic. Sorry.

YES! I had a male, early 20s, and mom was sitting in the waiting room with him. I called him back, he told mom to stay there, I let the door close behind us and was heading to the scale with him. Door opened and mom came barrelling down the hall, saying "Excuse me, but I need to come back with him because he's never been to the doctor by himself and doesn't know what to tell you". I told her it was his decision since he's over 18, and he gave in to her stare. All I could think, as she answered every question for him, is that he STILL hasn't been to the doctor by himself and still won't know what to say next time. I had another pt, college freshman, whose mom called to schedule the pt's sleep study in a town 4 hours from here but close to where the pt goes to school. Parent told me she'd make sure they could go and could rearrange their schedule if they needed to. Um, pretty sure the college kid would like a say-so in when we schedule their appts because they might have class or a test the next day and wouldn't appreciate spending the night before in a sleep lab!

And why, oh why, do pts not know how BP is checked? I have so many pts clamp their arm by their side and bend their elbow when I come toward them with my cuff. Even after gently guiding their arm out and away so I can wrap the cuff, they still bend their elbow when I'm trying to place my stethoscope! I know they've had this done before!

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

The families of patients in the ICU that don't understand why you wouldn't make an exception for the visitation policy/food policy/whatever policy. Don't you understand that their family is in a crisis right now?!

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Specializes in Med-Surg., LTC,, OB/GYN, L& D,, Office.
SisterofMary said:
I am a nurse of 2 years and a recent hire on a acute medical/surgical floor.

I'm learning so much, which is great. However,it also feels like a whirlwind.

Does anyone have any pet peeves - behaviors that patient's have that make you frustrated?

However, I so dislike when patient's who are A & O curse in conversation. Or if they openly belch when I am nearby them or speaking to them. Thankfully, these are only minor incidents. Of course I always mask my inner thoughts and treat the patient with all due respect.

Anyone have any pet peeves? How do you deal with the situations or do you just let it go?

Somehow over time I think you'll find these little faux pas will have fallen by the wayside, especially when you consider the whole scheme of things and much more concerning considerations. Also, when acknowledging what stress, pain, and narcotics do unleashed on even a very straight and narrow personality like my own...

it helps develop a degree more tolerance.

In ICU waking & heavily sedated unsure who where and what was going on...I was only aware some crazy person was swearing a string of curse words of the most abhorrent and combining them effortlessly with pronouns, nouns and objects. WORSE the voice became more clear and one I knew well, my own...!

The day -shift supervisor and night shift supervisor's heads floated above me...screwed up in consternation, the first I used to babysit her daughter when I was in high-school. The second nurse was the wife of an industrial supervisor that worked with my father. So, on I WENT happy to see them as the onslaught of f-bombs flung out of my mouth only more sing-song than angry!!

There's just no telling what kind of patient you'll run into on any given day.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
Clock watchers who rate their pain a 10/10 while eating and not gasping for air, and as soon as they swallow their pain meds, they say they feel better.

Or the ones who are allergic to ibuprofen and paracetamol and can only take severedol or oxycontin

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Mine was/is when competent , adult patients feel like they can say anything to you. Like personal comments about your appearance , lifestyle , whatever. I always wondered where they got that idea that they had that right

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Irish_Mist said:
I cannot stand families with the unhealthy dynamic between adult children and parents. It's usually between a son and mom and half the time, mom answers questions for the son as he looks to her for some sort of guidance when he's asked a simple question. If you're 55 years old, it's beyond time to quit acting like a toddler and cut the cord.

Awwww- LOL. You just described me with one of our sons. Give us helicopter nurse/ moms a break

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Specializes in ICU and Dialysis.

1) People who stay over at visiting times and make me kick them out. You are an adult. You know it's awkward and uncomfortable for me to have to parent your lack of manners.

2) people who try to bring babies or otherwise ridiculously, inappropriately young children into the ICU. Barring certain end of life situations, it's a pointless risk to a child's health.

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