Hmm...that's nice

Nurses Relations

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What are your feelings when a patient or family member pulls the 'nurse card' (current or former nurse) on you when you or a team member is delivering care? I typically found family members the worse, but as long as it didn't interfere with my duties I would achknowledge the fact but pretty much ignored them and just smiled a lot.

This is related to my point. The profession of the patient or his relatives really doesn't matter -- we do our best for everyone.

This is the same for people who pull the "I'm related to so-and-so here" as if it will somehow get them better/different treatment. When our hospital president's dad was on our floor everyone was like "Ohhhh" until I said something like "well whomever it is they get the same care as John Doe in the room next to him so what's the big deal?"

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

Several years ago, I worked in a rehabilitation hospital. We were about to receive a Hollywood celebrity (you would immediately recognize the name) who was recovering from an injury. The CEO told us that we should give her "the VIP treatment". I said, "With all due respect, sir, if I am taking care of her, she will get the same treatment as the rest of my patients." Not sure that he liked my response, but there you go.

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

My Dad keeps telling all his doctors and nurses that I'm a nurse but I always make sure to let them know I don't work in their field and I'm just there to help. (He has stage IV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with lung mets)

Usually they're happy to see me because he's a bit difficult to get information out of and I' think it's pretty clear to them that he needs someone to advocate for him.

When the family member is the one who tells me their a nurse I usually smile and say "that's great". Most recognize that each nursing specialty is unique and there's far more we don't know than we do.

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
I had just the opposite happen. I was visiting a relative in the hospital in Canada. He had just had orthopedic surgery, and he asked me what he could expect post-op. The nurse who was taking care of him happened by at about that time. She sarcastically said, "You certainly seem to know a lot. Are you a nurse or something?" I couldn't resist the temptation to pull out my RN license. She turned and walked away.

Pull out your RN license? Why not just answer "yes"?

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What are your feelings when a patient or family member pulls the 'nurse card' (current or former nurse) on you when you or a team member is delivering care? I typically found family members the worse, but as long as it didn't interfere with my duties I would achknowledge the fact but pretty much ignored them and just smiled a lot.

I haven't even been a nurse for a full year yet, but every single time that I've been told that a patient's family member was a nurse, that person proved to be an out and out loon.

I was pulled to the ICU this past weekend and a patient's alleged nurse spouse decided to sleep in the bed with the patient- which no. Just no. The ICU isn't a hotel. Another nurse friend of a patient claimed the patient had pressure ulcers, and despite literally EVERYBODY checking and discovering that was not the case, she would not be dissuaded. That one yelled at everyone, went bonkers, and after a few days of her foolishness, security carted her out of the hospital. Another nurse sister of a patient was also crazy. He didn't even want her there and she was constantly making crazy demands, yelling, and other things that showed us all she didn't have a clue. Security was eventually called on her as well. I know the House Supervisor was over them. We all were. That last one turned out to have lost her license over drugs.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I had just the opposite happen. I was visiting a relative in the hospital in Canada. He had just had orthopedic surgery, and he asked me what he could expect post-op. The nurse who was taking care of him happened by at about that time. She sarcastically said, "You certainly seem to know a lot. Are you a nurse or something?" I couldn't resist the temptation to pull out my RN license. She turned and walked away.
You pulled out your RN license? WOW! That seems like using a hammer when a flyswatter would have worked.
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I had just the opposite happen. I was visiting a relative in the hospital in Canada. He had just had orthopedic surgery, and he asked me what he could expect post-op. The nurse who was taking care of him happened by at about that time. She sarcastically said, "You certainly seem to know a lot. Are you a nurse or something?" I couldn't resist the temptation to pull out my RN license. She turned and walked away.

I know he asked you but it would have been more polite, more professional and more correct to let his nurse answer the questions. You could have clarified anything he didn't quite grasp or ask your own questions. If I had been the nurse I would have been annoyed too, especially with the license thing.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I know he asked you but it would have been more polite, more professional and more correct to let his nurse answer the questions. You could have clarified anything he didn't quite grasp or ask your own questions. If I had been the nurse I would have been annoyed too, especially with the license thing.
That license thing was WAYYYY over the top!
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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
That license thing was WAYYYY over the top!

I don't disagree. I guess that the pulling the nursing license out part of the post didn't register in my caffeine deprived brain, but after it was pointed out by multiple posters I started to wonder why that nursing license was right there, able to be pulled out at a moments notice. I mean, I sure don't carry my nursing license with me everywhere. Heck, I am not even sure where it is.

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
I don't disagree. I guess that the pulling the nursing license out part of the post didn't register in my caffeine deprived brain, but after it was pointed out by multiple posters I started to wonder why that nursing license was right there, able to be pulled out at a moments notice. I mean, I sure don't carry my nursing license with me everywhere. Heck, I am not even sure where it is.

In my state, we receive a "Wallet card" with our license info on it when we receive our license. I guess we're supposed to carry it around, but it's too annoying to pop it out of the perforation without ripping it. And everything is verifiable online anyhow.

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Specializes in NICU, ER, OR.
Many years ago there was a pt. at the psych hospital at which I worked who frequently spoke of having played with the Grateful Dead. Everyone considered him delusional...until Jerry Garcia came to visit him.

No!! Get outtttt seriously!!!! That's a STORY!!!

Cool!!

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Specializes in NICU, ER, OR.
Personally I never out myself, but my husband, who I can only guess is super proud of me, outs me to anyone and everyone, every chance he gets. It's really embarrassing.

When a parent (I'm a school nurse) mentions that they are a nurse, I do the same as OP. "Oh, how nice", and know that when I speak to them about their child, I can use medical and nursey terms. It is what it is.

My husband does the EXACT same crap , I get so embarrassed lol

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