Have you ever lost it with a patient?

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, PACU, Med-Surg.

I mean completely lost your cool? I did. Today. We have a frequent flyer who startde the day with bad behavior and I let him get to me. I shouldn't have, but I did.

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Yep.

And anyone who denies it is a liar.

:nurse:

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.
Yep.

And anyone who denies it is a liar.

:nurse:

So very true. You took the words from my keyboard LOL.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

3:52 pm by Hygiene Queen

Yep.

And anyone who denies it is a liar.

Or new.

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Saturday.

Screaming coming from room. She didn't like what she got for lunch. Scared other patients and visitors.

Walked in, found out what was wrong. Told her she was totally over-reacting, inappropriate, could not talk to me like that and when she'd calmed down, I'd be back.

I almost gave her the "starving children in Africa" speech but didn't because she's a manipulaltive 55 year old. I don't work Psych and she was in no danger from her meal tray.

Three visitors gave me the thumbs up when I left the room.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Oh yes.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

Snotty wealthy woman over the phone who was coming in for a peritoneal dialysis consultation with the PD nurse. She patronized me throughout the entire 5 minutes we spoke. I wanted to choke her when she came into the office!

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Specializes in Gerontology.

Yep.

Pt peed on floor on purpose because he did not feel like walking 6 steps to the bathroom. After I gave him heck he told me he wanted to see the doctor.

I told the doctor what he did. She yelled at him too! :)

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Yep.

Pt peed on floor on purpose because he did not feel like walking 6 steps to the bathroom. After I gave him heck he told me he wanted to see the doctor.

I told the doctor what he did. She yelled at him too! :)

I had the same thing happen. Urinal in reach, 40 something, alert and oriented patient with no mobility impairments and mad because I wouldn't hold his member in the urinal for him. Guess who got to clean the floor? Here ya go buddy...some towels to wipe it up and a firm discussion about what is and isn't appropriate behavior in a hospital. He sure had some explaining to do when his wife and the physician walked in and found him sopping up urine from the floor. Discharge orders were quickly written and he got sent on his merry way.

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I've not only lost it with patients, I've lost it with visitors, physicians, and staff. That's what almost 30 years in nursing will do to you.

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Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.

Oh yes I have lost it with not only a patient but with family members as well. They need to be told and I was doing the telling. Why on earth do people have to act like idiots is beyond me but they do.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.
I've not only lost it with patients, I've lost it with visitors, physicians, and staff. That's what almost 30 years in nursing will do to you.

I only lost it on a visitor twice, the first time the pt husband kept following me around and almost into patient rooms to tell me his wife was in pain. I knew and had medicated and called MD. I also had a pt with a chest tube c/o pain and needed to assess him and medicate him. I finally told him to stop following me around and that I have already addressed his wife's needs. I also lost it on her docs that night for not consulting pain service as I requested.

I lost it on a pt daughter after being repeatedly told not to suction her mom on the vent she kept it up. She said that she does it all the time, and since she is a nurse too it is ok. Management told her it was not and threatened to have her booted if she kept it up.

I have lost it on docs who wont listen or keep asking for unreasonable things.

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