welcome to the hilton...please dont forget to tip your waitress

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2002

Hi yall

From deep in the heart of texas

Amy, I loved the way you put everything, nicely done. As Ive been an assistant nurse manager for bout 14 years now. I agree with you. But I had a good one last night. The nurses were hard out on the night before so I brought them in chili and tamales as a way to say thank you for your work. A pt with gall bladder disease yelled at the staff that we werent sharing all this fine texmex food with her. I should have given her some of my firey hot spicey chili and a couple of tamales to see what that wouldve done to her gall bladder. I can imagine that. By the way I make the hottest spiciest chili around, its good but you taste it for 2 hours afterwards.

teeituptom

dianacs · Mar 4, 2002

Does this treatment happen only to the female nurses or does it happen to you guys also? Assuming that the patients know you are a nurse and not a doctor, of course...

aussie oi oi oi · Mar 4, 2002

I'm with the surgical ICU queen, oh yes I am a strong advocate of prozac aerial spraying, why not drop in a bit of vitamin H (haloperidol just for taste)!!!!!

I just love the pts who have had surgery, we are doing nothing for them yet they refuse to go home, the rellies sit on the buzzers all day long and then complain because you take too long to answer buzzers, get the towels, change the water, get a cups oh yes they are most upset when you tell them it is rest period, why a rest period I don't need a rest say the rellies...........

Maybe if we started charging an entrance fee to the unit per reallie, nah that would not work................. but sometimes people think it is the hilton, sometimes i wish they would go and get ............................... oops I thought it but I did not say it!

But I suppose you have the wonderful pts with the great families that genuinly appreciate all your efforts, so I suppose there is an umbrella for every shower of rain!!!!!!!

I know I am the eternal optimist!!!!! If all else fails allocate the pts from hell to the RN going on leave!!!!!!!!!! (she/he has the time to recover then............. I know I got the escort from hell to match the plane from hell to match the two pts from the other realm, all before I went on leave, took me two bottles of vodka and a week to recover LOL!

aussie oi oi oi · Mar 4, 2002

Don't forget the bypass pts that want a cigarette with my pre med thanks sister, and when I go home my wife is going to cook me a plate of bacon and sausages, yeah that was a good issue of resources. Why should I change my lifestyle I have new arteries now, somebody needs to mention the word redo to the se pts. yeah right lets all take bets to see how many years or months it takes for them to occlude!!!!!!!!!!!

oh yes I have chest pain but I don't want to take my nitrates as they interfere with the taste of my coffee, I don't want my angio because I want to watch days of our lives, I don't want blood taken in the morning as I want to sleep in. Maybe somebody should remind pts why they come to hospital, it is not just to give us practice.

But I do have good days I just need to remind myself only 10 more sleeps until Paris!!!!!!!!!!! At least I know that I am not the only one that gets fed up with pts stupidity, and the best thing is it seems to happen no matter where in the world you work !!! LOL

thisnurse · Mar 5, 2002

carol was a frequent flyer where i used to work.

everyone in the hospital knew her by name. everyone in the hospital said...oh no, not carol again.

carol came to the er with a postive suitcase sign.

in her suitcase she brought her own salt packets, diet pepsi, ketchup and mustard packets and an array of skimpy nightgowns.

(carol was in excess of 300 lbs)

some of the cool things carol did:

screamed at me for taking her BP in the same arm as her IV. i asked her why i couldnt take it there (just to see if she knew) and she said she didnt know but i just couldnt. since her other arm was on the other side from the cuff i took it in the iv arm anyway. she then reported that her IV felt "funny". i checked it. flushed well, no redness, swelling, no problem.

i am out of the room not even 5mns when carol starts screaming NURSE! NURSE!

there she is sitting on the bed with blood all over her. seems her iv "fell out" lol....I TOLD YOU IT FELT FUNNY

move my bedside commode closer to the bed

(i do and then leave the room...two mns later)

move my bedside commode further from the bed,...its too close

im retaining water, im retaining water, im retaining water

(how could she tell?)

docs humored her by putting her on fluid restrictions....lol

WHY THE HELL AM I ON FLUID RESTRICTIONS?????

BRING MY DIET PEPSI BACK HERE!!!!!

WHY CANT I HAVE SALT!!!!!

change tubing on iv, restart it....out of room two mns...NURSE I WANT TO CHANGE MY NIGHTGOWN.

carol was really mad at me for allowing the cleaning man to empty her trash

I DONT LIKE MEN LOOKING AT ME (the men didnt like it either)

COME IN HERE AND HAND ME MY PURSE

(right beside her in the drawer...closer than the diet pepsi)

COME IN HERE AND PUT MY PURSE BACK

carol was a real treat.

we all looked forward to serving her.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2002

Obviously somebody loves these people or they would have been exiled to fantasy island, a long time ago.

keep it in the short grass yalll

teeituptom

amy · Mar 5, 2002

Tom, thanks for the ego boost!! HEY!!! You bring your staff food?!? HOMEMADE FOOD?!? Where do you work; I want to sign up!!! So refreshing to hear of a manager/assistant mgr. appreciating staff as you must. this nurse, did anyone ever try telling Carol "No"? Or, get up and get it yourself as moderate physical activity is part of the healing process? Nurse does not equal "your personal drop-and-fetch-it". If Carol speaks to people like that, how come no one sets limits with her? "I do not speak/talk/swear that way to you, do not speak/talk/swear at me." "Carol, you behavior is unacceptable." You may choose to add "and will not be tolerated." THEN WALK OUT.

Come back in a few moments and see if she has changed her tune. If she hasn't, same game, same verse. Unless she is truly on her last working brain cell, she will get it and I guarantee you will witness her transformation into a whole new and likeable (maybe!) person. If your coworkers notice the difference, they too may, with a little (or none needed!) encouragement, use the same tactics and receive the same results. A little "tough nursing (like tough love)" can go a long way. Obviously, all patients no not neccesitate these types of interventions, but some do. BTW, does Carol have a psych history?

Curlytop · Mar 5, 2002

Originally posted by SICU Queen
Mechanical ventilation and Diprivan...

I LOVE ICU...

TOTALLY AGREE!!!- Give me 3 vented/diprivan pts over two talking/ complaining/ nothing makes them happy pts any day!:roll

Curlytop · Mar 5, 2002

How about the families in ICU who suddenly think they are experts in nursing AND medical care. For example-- (1) Their family member is in the chair (via total lift by 4 co-workers) and the first thing the visitor says is "he/she's so tired & ready to go back to bed!!- and they have the audacity to wait after visiting times are over to "make sure" they get placed back to bed!

(2) "Their iv pump is beeping (I know!!), Their vent is alarming (Iknow!!) Their HR is up (b/c you're smothering them !!), Their temp is down- Is that a GOOD sign (A GOOD? Sign) - Oh- and my favorite - Are they going to MAKE it?? (Go ask Ms. Cleo is what I want to say sometimes!! Stop pointing things out to me and actually VISIT with the patient instead of watching the monitor as if it's a t.v. screen!!) AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!

thisnurse · Mar 5, 2002

set limits and tell carol her behavior is inappropriate? you are assuming she doesnt know ...well she DOES.

so you tell her that and your statement is next followed by 101 reasons carol is an azz. she turns you in to mgmt and guess what happens next?

not even worth the time or effort.

curly...icu pt families arent the only ones who think they have a medical degree. we get THOSE on the floor constantly.

i just wanted to tell you that his bag is going to be empty soon.

that dose of insulin is too high for my mom (bs is 900)

my dad had to go to the bathroom so i shut off his pump (heparin)

i want you to pick up my mom and put her on the bedpan (mom is 500 lbs)

my mom should be on IV antibiotics. (thats nice why didnt you tell that to her doc when you spoke to him this morning?)

and then there are the ones that tell you that you only have 10 mns before dads med is due (zantac)

gotta love them...lol

Curlytop · Mar 5, 2002

To This Nurse-- I was in no way saying that only happens in icu- I have nothing but empathy for the floor nurses. I purposely finish what I need to do before visiting times so I can get in and out of the room asap. Irate/ rude/ demanding families never affect the quality of my patient care but they just don't have a clue how difficult our job is without their stupid $.02 of info they learned off the latest 48 hours or other news show:(

ktwlpn, LPN · Mar 6, 2002

I work in LTC (a secure dementia unit) so we do it all including pick noses prn.It is the families that are buttholes-our residents are great. We have a few that swear by Reader's Digest-as in "I read about a new med for Alzheimer's disease in Reader's Digest-will you call mom's doctor(now) to get him to order it?" Most simply have little understanding of their loved one's disease-and the many characteristic behaviors we see.These family members really believe that the staff must be taking their Mom's shoes(she takes them off herself repeatedly and leaves them who knows where)Ditto the eyeglasses and dentures that we find in pillow cases and on dishes-sometimes in shoes... Some come to visit and try to re-orient Dad-argue with him and get him agitated to tears....Hello-Dad no longer recognizes a toilet-that's why you brought him here so why are you are surprised that he does not know you?Like a co-worker says-It is always about them-no matter what else is going on around some people for them it is "The ALL ME show all the time" I like to goof on them(out of earshot of course)-and I must admit they do add color and texture to the day...