Holding our tongues vs things we really want to say!

Sconna · Jul 10, 2008

or the woman who requested to have her blood pressure taken while her husband was being seen in the er. i explained to the ignorant person that she'd need to sign in to be seen. hoping she wouldn't. i also reminded her about the co-pay. her reply... "i got the gold card" mass health! where do these people come from. they suck the love right out of ya. i think the system should be sending these people what is and what is not covered in an emergency room. i wish to god she'd get stuck with that bill.

Sconna · Jul 10, 2008

I've seen that as well. We don't do it simply because it's not an emergency. We are not parenting their child. I think now the drug store have drug test for such thing.

navynurse06 · Jul 13, 2008

I'm reading this as I'm working traige tonight.....I just had a lady that wanted to be bumped up to the front of the line b/c she was in so much pain. (Younger girl with back pain). She wanted me to change her pain rating from a 8 to a 10. We are slammed right now...stable box backed up..... Of course, I wasn't the nicest to her...so I'm Sure I'll get a bad complaint from her!

Traige really test my patients! What I want to say is if you are well enough to complain about the wait then you are well enough to set back down! But of course I don't say that.

cursenurse · Jul 13, 2008

What I want to say is if you are well enough to complain about the wait then you are well enough to set back down! But of course I don't say that.

I've said a variation of that. For the people who can't breathe, but are able to yell continuously, and spew profanities, I tell them that they are doing alot of yelling for somebody who can't breathe! I tell them that if they can yell, they can breathe.

navynurse06 · Jul 13, 2008

cursenurse....I totally agree with you. My favorite traige line is "People are triaged by level of urgency not by what time you get here." I tell that to the ones that come up to the window complaining that so and so went back before me and I"ve been here longer than them.

psalm, RN · Jul 13, 2008

There is another thread about a teen walking into the ER for a pregnancy test...
That teen could have easily went to the drugstore and paid 5 bucks for the stupid test but instead goes to the ER. Where's the emergency at? Thank you, wonderful teen, for wasting valuable healthcare resources because you needed a pregnancy test. Now the hospital and it's employees are stuck with the cost of your ignorance.

...she could have gone to any number of places, PP or Birthright and gotten a test free or low cost.

...unless her best friend's mother volunteers or works for PP or Birthright. But I agree, there's enuff drugstores selling pregnancy tests. The ER isn't the place.

lrobinson5 · May 13, 2011

or the woman who requested to have her blood pressure taken while her husband was being seen in the er. i explained to the ignorant person that she'd need to sign in to be seen. hoping she wouldn't. i also reminded her about the co-pay. her reply... "i got the gold card" mass health! where do these people come from. they suck the love right out of ya. i think the system should be sending these people what is and what is not covered in an emergency room. i wish to god she'd get stuck with that bill.

you are charged for going to an emergency room when it is deemed not necessary, at least in california when you are on medi-cal. i know this firsthand. i had a complication from an epidural, i was around 9/10 pain, my headache was so bad it felt like my brain was going to come through my nose. i couldn't sit up and nurse my baby. a nurse at the women's health center told me to go to the er. i got a bill for $13,000 because they said i was misusing the emergency room. :crying2:

after i called and exhausted all phone appeals they knocked it down to $1,000: the cost for setting up my iv plus ns.

sorry for the off topic backstory

rph3664 · May 14, 2011

...she could have gone to any number of places, PP or Birthright and gotten a test free or low cost.
...unless her best friend's mother volunteers or works for PP or Birthright. But I agree, there's enuff drugstores selling pregnancy tests. The ER isn't the place.

I know this is a really old thread being revived, but I believe that the reason some women do this is because they believe they can get an abortion at the ER if they are indeed pregnant.

bisacat · May 17, 2011

When I am the triage nurse I get sooo frustrated over the abuse of the ER. What I get (some) satisfaction from is, instead of the standard "what brings you here?" etc....I say "What is your EMERGENCY today?".....I love watching these idiots short circuit. "Um...uh, well it's not REALLY an emergency but, um, I just want this looked at or some pain meds"....at which point I pause, act confused and then say something like "So you got bit by a mosquito and are here because you have a small, red, spot on your arm that is itchy?" I act flabbergasted.

Or, this KILLS me....the moronic birth vessel that brings in her toddler with the 104 temp and says to me, "I don't got no aspirin (ugh!) or nothin' cause I don't got no money for that ****". I actually (politely) mention prioritizing and I suggest that different choices need to be made, the child's fever needs attention (warn against seizures and death here) and I then gently mention that mom needs to maybe (gasp) keep pediatric motrin on hand before buying cigarettes, etc (Wish I could mention the acyrlics, tattooes, cell phone, booze, etc)

VICEDRN, BSN, RN · May 20, 2011

If you want to be "seen" by the doctor, do you have an appointment?

Poor kid. He has YOU for a mother.

No, it isn't normal that you know how to treat STDs and you are only 19.

NOW you think you made a mistake? You have five kids by a dude serving life in prison!

You know what? I already know you are lying and that grin on my face? Its 'cause I figured it out not because I like something you said.

Should I even bother giving you discharge instructions? I have to pee and I am sweaty and you are busy texting...

There is NOTHING wrong with you!

There is NOTHING wrong with this kid except he has bad luck with the parent thing.

You are attention seeking drama queen and a soon to be full on stark raving nut case, ok? And yeah, no matter how pathetic you are pretend to be, this dude who brought you is totally gonna leave you!

Really? You expected your significant other to stay and then drive you home? The disgusted look on their face wasn't a giveaway that they know you are faking too?

Drug addict!

LIAR!

Really? No one in the healthcare field has EVER informed you that HTN can lead to renal failure and cardiac problems? This is the first time you are hearing this? REALLY?

Smoking? You didn't know that was bad for you?

Are you literate?

Your S.O. has AIDs.

I saw you stick your fingers down your throat.

Don't even THINK about hitting that kid. He is bouncing off the walls from the albuterol, genius!

lady partsl bleeding is related to the menstrual cycle and yes, sometimes its heavier than normal.

You are not sick enough for the kind of attention you are complaining about us not giving you.

Nice threads. I think you can afford benadryl or tylenol. Oh! Did you sense that we are not supportive or helpful of your complaints that you have no money for thus and such? Well, you guessed right! Good for you! (and yeah I thoroughly investigated the gift from baby daddy versus money of your own thing when I asked about your nice bag so don't try that thing with me!!)