As a med-surg nurse, thank you. Any time other patients are disturbed by a rational patient's behavior, limits need to be set. You were appropriate in waiting until you and the patient had no audience of other patients to tell her what those limits are. People who are sick or chronically ill tend to live in a world that is about just them and must occasionally be reminded that there are others will illness that must be cared for, too. The hardest patients for me, though, are the ones who will not call because they don't want to bother you....bother me! I need to know what you need! Sometimes it's hard to get into the room of the patient who is not on the call light.
Specializes in med-surg 5 years geriatrics 12 years.
sarjasy, I very much understand how the OP felt. And this IS the place to vent. Only those of us in the trenches really understand the stress and frustration that goes with working med-surg. If our vents have you so incensed, then scroll on to more pleasant posts.
sarjasy, I very much understand how the OP felt. And this IS the place to vent. Only those of us in the trenches really understand the stress and frustration that goes with working med-surg. If our vents have you so incensed, then scroll on to more pleasant posts.
I guess my only concern is that the OP looked more like a brag than a vent.
TELLING OFF A PATIENT? By this I'm guessing making the patient aware that he/she is being verbally or physically abusive. I don't see anything wrong with that.
I can understand that someone who has Alzheimer's or dementia can be rude because maybe they can't express themselves very well.
But there are just some people who are mean and nasty. They will feed off of our emotions. I will "tell them off". In my department, I work with adults--and I will hold my patients and their families to that "adult" standard. How is that unprofessional?
I can honestly say, someone here who's hating on this post needs to walk in our bedside nurses' shoes.
And you are a nurse...why exactly? You actually seem proud of telling a patient off. You are probably one of those that also complain incessantly of getting no respect and wonder why. Maybe you should try putting as much effort into understanding your patients as you do finding cute little graphics to put in your posts.
Sometimes patients need a talking to. Sorry after having been a nurse for five years, I for one am not going to let a patient berate me verbally or physicially abuse me. The other night, we admitted a patient and from the get-go she was barking out demands while we are trying to do her admission. I finally had had enough because she was so demanding and was beginning to frustrate the other nurses that I said "Ma'am, please let us do what we need to do to get you settled in, we cannot do everything at one time, after we are finished assessing you and getting your labs, your needs and concerns will be addressed"...It had to be said.
You are new here, this is a place to vent about frustrations we deal with on a daily basis. It would be wise not to be overly-judgmental right off the bat. We don't berate each other here so please do not it.
And you are a nurse...why exactly? You actually seem proud of telling a patient off. You are probably one of those that also complain incessantly of getting no respect and wonder why. Maybe you should try putting as much effort into understanding your patients as you do finding cute little graphics to put in your posts.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your patient is to theraputically put them in their place. Last time I did this I had a patient throwing a fit because we were making too much noise outside of her room. Even when explained to the patient that the patient in the next room very sick and the multitudes of staff going in and out of her neighbors room needed to be there she still threw a hissy fit.
In any other venue if a customer threw this kind of fit they would be escorted out.
I don't have a problem with having an "adult" conversation with another "adult" about behaving like an "adult". There are times when being sick warrants bad behavior and there are times when it doesn't-it's used as an excuse. I'm not a punching bag. There is nothing unprofessional about that.
In fact my motto is "if you can't go to Walmart and behave like that, then you can't do it here either".
:lol2:
Ellekat
78 Posts
As a med-surg nurse, thank you. Any time other patients are disturbed by a rational patient's behavior, limits need to be set. You were appropriate in waiting until you and the patient had no audience of other patients to tell her what those limits are. People who are sick or chronically ill tend to live in a world that is about just them and must occasionally be reminded that there are others will illness that must be cared for, too. The hardest patients for me, though, are the ones who will not call because they don't want to bother you....bother me! I need to know what you need! Sometimes it's hard to get into the room of the patient who is not on the call light.