Hmm...that's nice

[DiplomaNurseRN]

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.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Are you really saying that a reasonably behaved family member who is authorized to receive protected health information standing next to the nurse discussing their family member's care while looking at a relevant screen with the nurse i.e. lab values, is behaving inappropriately and violating personal space/crossing boundaries? If so, I don't think it's the family member who has the problem with boundaries.

Anyone that stands behind me and looks over my shoulder is invading my personal space, I don't care if it's a chart I'm reading or comics.

If it was by mutual consent, and someone said "can you show me xxx?" No problem, come on over and take a look. But even if the patient themselves asked to see the chart they need to go through procedures. A POA is not a blank check to browse while the nurse is trying to chart.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I haven't had a lot of difficulty with the "I'm a nurse" statement. Typically I treat it as an ice breaker. I'm confident in my nursing ability and am not easily intimidated.

Recently I had a daughter who was an RN who had been a homecare RN from graduation. She was so nice though -- "I promise I'm not THAT nurse! I don't know enough of this to question anyway." (I'm an ICU nurse.)

Another one of the nicest family members was a stepfather, who was an EP cardiologist.

Myself I have outed myself a few times. At one of my son's first well baby checks, the pedi asked, "did anyone tell you that he has a heart murmur?" Me: "yes -- he has a VSD and a bicuspid aortic valve." Him: "are you in the medical field? You drop these terms a little too easily." A few weeks ago I got a call from a clinic RN about my mother-in-law's lab results. (She's a very young 73 yr old, but doesn't speak English.) Anyway I said "this is her daughter-in-law; can I give you her son's #" She then said that "they specifically asked me to call you because you're a nurse."

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

Geez,sorry. You didn't make that clear and the way you worded it was open to interpretation. If you don't want to be misunderstood you need to provide more details.

Point taken. :)

[Wuzzie]

Point taken. :)

[pc2801]

My ex had many medical issues and I was a CNA and nursing student the kast time I accompanied him to the hospital. Mom and dad took days and I had nights. I told RN and CNA that I was a student and would help with his care in any way they needed but tried to stsy out of their way. I was there to listen to the docs and relay info to mom and dad after rounds as well as help him sleep due to his anxiety.

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

My ex had many medical issues and I was a CNA and nursing student the kast time I accompanied him to the hospital. Mom and dad took days and I had nights. I told RN and CNA that I was a student and would help with his care in any way they needed but tried to stsy out of their way. I was there to listen to the docs and relay info to mom and dad after rounds as well as help him sleep due to his anxiety.

My dear grandma was placed in the ICU while I was in my final term of RN school. She went back to the ED after I graduated (prior NCLEX) I also tried to stay out of the nurses way and to assist with her care as much as I could. The nurses were so kind and supportive to me and her during that time. They gave me helpful info on her condition as I cried. I definitely tried not to step on their toes.

Grandma did pass away a few months after I started working, (besides the point of this post)

My only point is that we nurses should be respectful of the nurses who are working to take care of our loved ones, and the working nurses will probably do the same.