I was reporting off this morning on a rule out chest pain pt. He was a 49 yr old guy who had an extensive family cardiac risk hx, he had had a CABG in his 30's, had been an alcoholic until 8 yrs ago, when he gave it up. He had abused recreational drugs. He previously had smoked 4 pks a day, but now was down to 1/2 pack a day. He still occasionally indulged in pot, was married for 30+ years, had had stents, was not overweight, had early COPD, and was just about to get on disablity for his multiple problems. He also had had some esophegeal surgery secondary to his previous ETOH dependence.
The guy was actually very nice and really above board and honest. He had been a traveling worker who had worked on railroads. He had made the effort to quit drinking for 8 years, had cut back to 1/2 pack a day, was not pestering me for morphine, and was really nice.
So, one of the nurses in report was pretty judgemental. Let me just say that this nurse tends to give a pass to all the out of control diabetics who are 100 punds overweight, and is a only too eager to point out how judgemental I am if I comment on that.
This all made me realize how each of us has something that makes us judge our pts. For some reason, this guy seemed up front and honest. He didn't mind my remarks like "How in the world did you manage to smoke 4 pks a day!?". I saw him as someone who WAS making an effort. Yes, I think that whiny, overweight pts who have complications from their food overindulgences bug me.
So, what is it that particularly sets you off about your pts? For me it's the overeating, abdominal chronic pain pts, they really aggravate me.
"I remember being in the ER during nursing school and a guy came in who had overdosed. He was unconscious and in restraints, and these nurses were making fun of him. It still hurts my heart to think about it. They were laughing about the contents of his stomach, which he almost aspirated on (ohhh yeah..that's sooo funny). They were saying he ate a big mac, or something like that. The whole thing made me sick. They thought he was a big looser, because he was an addict. When I looked down I saw a human being who was in pain (emotionally, spiritually) who was coping the best he knew how. The weirdest thing was, he had on an inexpensive ring and I couldn't stop staring at it. It made him so real...so human. It reminded me that we are all the same, and even someone "in the gutter" may want to wear something that makes them feel good about themselves. I'll never forget that guy or the ring he had on.
I know people joke around, because it's how they cope, but I think it's important to always remain professional, and remember that it is a fellow human being entrusted to our care. You never know when you may be lying on that table, and you'd want the same grace shown to you."
I know people joke around, because it's how they cope, but I think it's important to always remain professional, and remember that it is a fellow human being entrusted to our care. You never know when you may be lying on that table, and you'd want the same grace shown to you.
I agree. I think making fun and laughing at people is wrong. I know how that feels and it hurts.
Venting "that patient just came back from smoking and is now asking for the bedpan" is another thing altogether.
Seriously - I had an instance today of what I find frustrating. A man who recently had a total knee came back to the hospital in 10/10 knee pain. His knee was swollen, red, hot. Fluid was aspirated and he was admitted. When I got out of report, he was writhing and crying out in pain. The nurse taking care of him who just sat through report with me was sitting there talking to the CNA and ignoring the pt. I finally had to say something, "Your patient is now throwing things around in the room . . . "
I have to agree with "agooduser" to a certain extent - sometimes we can stereotype a patient and that shows in our care of them. And I also think Marla had good points. What we think inside SHOWS on the outside.
I think there is nothing wrong with venting here or in private at work - it is all very necessary and good. Just try not to do it in front of the patient.
Now - my judgmental pronouncements: pregnant women who abuse their bodies with ETOH, illegal drugs, cigs. Addicts who abuse their children.
My irritations? Male patients who make sexual comments.
I'm judgmental of people who are judgmental of spelling errors. :) Somedays I can't even spell my own name right. I'm always embarrassed when I look back over my charting and realize that my grammar and spelling are mangled. I used to win spelling bees. Or else I make up words. Once I wrote pupiles equal and reactionive. Oh my.
Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.
At the risk of sounding a little nutty, one of the things that drives me up a wall is gum chewing. I can't stand to see a nurse chomping and popping away while caring for patients. Looks so unprofessional. As for patients, I have problems dealing with the attention-seekers (we all know who they are) and the somehow functioning addicts. Give me a down and out addict anyday, at least there seems some honesty there. Its the professional appearing, manipulative-type addicts that drive me crazy. They lie and manipulate (all the while you know exactly what the score is,) but you can't call them on it, you have to just smile and act like you buy their story; hook, line, and sinker.
Specializes in ER, ICU, Infusion, peds, informatics.
i remember being in the er during nursing school and a guy came in who had overdosed. he was unconscious and in restraints, and these nurses were making fun of him. it still hurts my heart to think about it. they were laughing about the contents of his stomach, which he almost aspirated on (ohhh yeah..that's sooo funny). they were saying he ate a big mac, or something like that. the whole thing made me sick. they thought he was a big looser, because he was an addict. when i looked down i saw a human being who was in pain (emotionally, spiritually) who was coping the best he knew how. the weirdest thing was, he had on an inexpensive ring and i couldn't stop staring at it. it made him so real...so human. it reminded me that we are all the same, and even someone "in the gutter" may want to wear something that makes them feel good about themselves. i'll never forget that guy or the ring he had on.
i know people joke around, because it's how they cope, but i think it's important to always remain professional, and remember that it is a fellow human being entrusted to our care. you never know when you may be lying on that table, and you'd want the same grace shown to you.
there can be a difference between laughing at a patient and laughing at the situation.
this weekend, we had a very drunk man come in with c/o change in mental status. his etoh level was 0.433 (43% alcohol), so he was going to get several liters of fluid. his poor elederly mother (he was in his 50's) stayed in the room with him to hold his arm down so he could get the fluid. otherwise, he kept bending his arm. after a little while, we decided to restart his iv somewhere other than the ac so his mamma didn't have to stand there. (by the way, no one asked her to do this, she did it herself, with the door shut, so we really wern't sure of what was going on until we went in to check on him. he had a seizure when he first arrived, so he had gotten some ativan, so he should have been out cold -- and he was, other than bending that arm). so three of us go in there, two to hold and one to stick. we get the iv restarted, and notice that he was just soaked. too soaked to just change the bed. so we decided it would be best for him just to change out the stretcher.
well, lets just say that he was heavier than he looked. we managed to get him into a dry gown, but getting him from the wet stretcher to the dry stretcher, without getting the new stretcher wet.......well it was quite a bit tougher than it looked. add to that, he started peeing again all over the place, in great volumes. at one point, the three of us were giggling like little girls.
from all appearances, we were laughing at our very drunk, completly soaked, patient. but we wern't. we were laughing at the situation, and our ineptness at doing a seemingly simple task.
I think drug seeking behavior is the thing I am quickest to judge on. I'm not judgmental directly to the patient, mind you, but I have a running commentary in my mind that is probably not very polite. I know we are supposed to take the patient's pain rating as the gospel truth, but I have charted pain ratings using 2 different scales before. "Pt. rates her pain at a 10 on the numeric scale. Pain rating is a 2 per the FLACC scale..." etc.
I understand what you are saying, but at the same time that person may very well be in pain too. I was in the hospital several months ago with kidney stones and the pain was horrible. I was given demarol PO q 4hr prn and believe me those pills wore off in 3.5 and I was asking my nurse for my med because it hurt!!! I didn't think she minded because aside from my asking for my medicine I tried not to be a nagging patient. Well, on one of my rotations this semester I numerously heard some of the nurses call patients drug seekers because they wanted their pain med when it was due. It made me wonder if the nurses thought the same of me or if they secretly thought this of all pt's who request their medicine. I was really appalled by this because these people could very well be in pain like I was. I'm not saying that all nurses are this way, I worked with some wonderful women who treated their patients with so much respect and never judged. We aren't perfect, but I have learned a lesson....I will never judge someone's pain. It isn't my pain to judge.
This is a good topic, because I think as nurses we aren't supposed to judge our patients, but human nature makes us judgmental in some ways.
I am bothered by pg women who are smoking, drinking etc., because they are responsible for another life. I kind of put these women in a different category than the average person who may be abusing themselves, but no one else.
Other than that, I try not to judge people. Let's face it...life can be difficult, and most of us find ways (not always healthy ones) to cope. Some people really lose their way, for example drug addicts, alcoholics, and those with serious eating disorders (to name a few). Also, report is for relaying the medical facts and not for passing our own personal judgments along. When you state your own personal feelings to the next nurse, it sets up her psyche to feel the same way about that patient.
I remember being in the ER during nursing school and a guy came in who had overdosed. He was unconscious and in restraints, and these nurses were making fun of him. It still hurts my heart to think about it. They were laughing about the contents of his stomach, which he almost aspirated on (ohhh yeah..that's sooo funny). They were saying he ate a big mac, or something like that. The whole thing made me sick. They thought he was a big looser, because he was an addict. When I looked down I saw a human being who was in pain (emotionally, spiritually) who was coping the best he knew how. The weirdest thing was, he had on an inexpensive ring and I couldn't stop staring at it. It made him so real...so human. It reminded me that we are all the same, and even someone "in the gutter" may want to wear something that makes them feel good about themselves. I'll never forget that guy or the ring he had on.
I know people joke around, because it's how they cope, but I think it's important to always remain professional, and remember that it is a fellow human being entrusted to our care. You never know when you may be lying on that table, and you'd want the same grace shown to you.
I agreee! Many pts and pts family and co workers exhibit behavior that make me cringe. I have many similar stories to the ones mentioned in this post.
But I do not ACCEPT NURSES MAKING FUN OF PTS or FAMILY. That is outrageous. I see a human being in the bed-- not work, not a problem, not something funny, or ugly or whatever. Make sme want to cry! God forbid one of them has a terrible stroke or something and they are in the hospital, and they are getting laughed at. Some people just cannot look at situations from someone elses point of view.
I do want to say I love the honesty (and the humor) of this post. Its great to vent, but it makes you take a look at yourself and your actions. I really wish more nurses visited this site-especially the ones I work with.
I can't believe they had to drop the e in judgmental! English spelling rules are absolutely exasperating. Did anyone see the movie Spellbound? People who can spell that well are total freaks of nature!
It just doesn't make a bit of sense to drop that E. [evil]I protest[/evil]
Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.
Haha.. that's my other one, people who can't spell. I just don't understand it, since an incorrect words just LOOKS incorrect to me. But I realise it's just not important to some people.
Marylou1102
127 Posts
QUOTE
"I remember being in the ER during nursing school and a guy came in who had overdosed. He was unconscious and in restraints, and these nurses were making fun of him. It still hurts my heart to think about it. They were laughing about the contents of his stomach, which he almost aspirated on (ohhh yeah..that's sooo funny). They were saying he ate a big mac, or something like that. The whole thing made me sick. They thought he was a big looser, because he was an addict. When I looked down I saw a human being who was in pain (emotionally, spiritually) who was coping the best he knew how. The weirdest thing was, he had on an inexpensive ring and I couldn't stop staring at it. It made him so real...so human. It reminded me that we are all the same, and even someone "in the gutter" may want to wear something that makes them feel good about themselves. I'll never forget that guy or the ring he had on.
I know people joke around, because it's how they cope, but I think it's important to always remain professional, and remember that it is a fellow human being entrusted to our care. You never know when you may be lying on that table, and you'd want the same grace shown to you."
Thank you RN mom of two, That was beautiful.