Survey:When you are the patient or family member, do you identify yourself as a nurse

[Brian]

Here are the results of last months survey question

When you are the patient or family member, do you identify yourself as a nurse? :

Please feel free to read and post any comments that you have right here in this discussion thread by clicking the "Post Reply" button.

Thanks

[jschut, BSN, RN]

I'm sure I would...like it was said....they'd be more straight with you....and I don't like no messin' around when it comes to one of my kids or anyone in my family....

Julie :)

[shay]

Nope.

[Tookie]

Brian

I really found this hard to answer this yes or no.

Identification can depend entirely upon what occurs.

Recently l had surgery (emergency) ER - a couple knew- they knew me personally - didnt tell them into the ward - until l felt there was a need to know - ie if l felt that they were treating me inappropraitely - without due respect to any patient

I dont normally when family are involved unless again l am concerned about the treatment or that the staff are not giving appropriate care - does this make any sense?

I would have like to have the option to say - depends upon the circumstances

Tookie

[SOCRATES SOUL]

Not directly no, but being agency nurse and having had my family admitted to the hospitals I know quite a large number of them anyway!

But for those that I dont know, I will ask questions regarding treatment/test results using the terminology that makes it unmistakingly obvious that I am also 'one of the troopers in the trenches'........

And another thing is that I am always polite to a fellow nurse whilst visiting and not be intrusive or obstructive and so are all the other family members and respect visitng hours!! And dont forget to give them those choccies upon discharge!!!

[Froggy]

I don't normally say anything off the back. Docs sometimes assume that you will understand everything and then don't do the patient teaching that is warrented. But if there is a problem or an "uneasy" feeling you better believe I'll be the advocate for a friend family member or myself. I don't want any of them to be treated any less than what I would do myself. :roll Froggy

[BadBird, BSN, RN]

I usually do not say anything, but my husband always opens his big mouth and says my wife is a nurse and this drives me crazy. I don't feel the need to tell someone else how to do their job and I think that when they know you are a nurse they are a little nervous. I did end up in the hospital that I used to work for when I herniated a disc in my back and everyone was wonderful.

[BernieO]

I usually don't tell them but after the first question or response they can tell. I went to an out of town large medical center last week. After I told the doctor my sx, he said you must be a nurse. For family members, I speak up and definitely act as an advocate. For my Exp Lap TAH coming soon, I'm not sure if I'll tell the staff. But can't they read it on the chart anyway? Whether your care is different being a nurse or not is a good question. I know I didn't get a thorough preop teaching from the preop nurse. But then I also didn't need the instruction (was a preop nurse once).

[OBNURSEHEATHER]

Nope. But sometimes family will open their big fat mouths thinking it'll get them somewhere to have a nurse in the family.

Heather

[deespoohbear]

I ususally don't run into this problem because I work at an 80 bed hospital where you know everyone. So, if someone in my family is admitted it is already a well known fact. If someone in the family is admitted to one of the larger facilities in the "big" city near us, it depends. If I think the family member is getting good care, I won't bring it up, but if I see something WAY out of line you can bet I will speak up and introduce myself. I try not to be a pain in the butt and let the staff do their job. I know that 99% of us are working understaffed, underpaid, and unappreciated. But sometimes things happen that have to be addressed. One thing I do enjoy about working at a small facility is that I know all the docs and that has worked to my advantage in some cases. :D Interesting topic.

[LasVegasRN]

I don't identify myself as a nurse. They usually figure it out after I start asking specific questions. IF I get a hint of a condescending attitude, then I directly let them know.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I wouldn't tell, but I ask good questions so they know eventually that they need to be thorough. I think announcing it puts everyone on the defensive, they assuming you are judging their care, and I think they assume I will be a demanding asshole. I think that a less stressful first meeting is better for everyone.

[Dr. Kate, BSN, RN]

I don't identify myself as a nurse. It dates back to when I was a brand new RN. I ended up hospitalized with what turned out to be a twisted, infarcted parovarian cyst. I was in serious pain (now I'd call it 7-8/10). Those were the days of IM cephalosporin administration (give that 8-9/10 in the butt). After a sleepless night, I got a lecture from the head nurse about how I should have been more considerate (I had accidently hit the wrong button on the TV/call light control in my lovely 4 bed ward during the night.) She wouldn't have said that to any other patient. So, I stopped being a nurse after that.

The good thing that came from this was I learned early on about pain management (we didn't know the term back then) and that no matter what they do for a living, once they're in the hospital as patient or family member that's their primary role and as a nurse my role is to help them deal with that role not insist they perform their professional role.