If you didn't have to bite your tongue?

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What would you say to patients?

Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.

This is a hospital, not a hotel. 

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Specializes in ER.

You Pollyannas are putting a damper on this thread. Seriously,  is this the time and place to toot your own  horn about your holiness and the healthcare system in your country of origin? Don't you know that people are the same everywhere?

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I care as much about your health as YOU DO, not more, not less.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

For "Bite my tongue". I think I would inform family members that their presence makes staff want to attend to the patient less frequently. Visitors really make it feel like additional patients.

But, really, I just wish there was actually time for education. I was talking to a patient who just had surgery, explaining basic diabetes and anatomy. She cried. She's been treated for years and was never able to "put it together". Doctors prescribe meds. Nurses give them. And the patient just hopes they are being treated correctly.

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SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!

Like I told you when you called the first 3 times, your surgical specialist will NOT prescribe meds for migraines, HTN, or diabetes. You have a PCP for that.

Oh, your article on facebook said that?  Then I’ll tell my doc to disregard his 12 years of schooling and 20+ years experience. 

I don’t have to ask *the doctor*, I already know he does not treat UTI (we’re a completely different speciality), call your PCP or urologist. 

Stop arguing with me, COVID is real, and your physician you’re waiting to see is currently at the hospital putting a trach in someone’s throat because they can’t breathe on just a vent mask.  

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!  LOL 

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Specializes in school nurse.
1 hour ago, T-Bird78 said:

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!

 

This covers SO many situations...

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12 hours ago, Emergent said:

You Pollyannas are putting a damper on this thread. Seriously,  is this the time and place to toot your own  horn about your holiness and the healthcare system in your country of origin? Don't you know that people are the same everywhere?

Oh Emergent, that comment is clearly (at least in part) aimed at me. First time I’ve ever been accused of being a Polyanna.. Not to mention the holiness ?

Hmm, it wasn’t really horn tooting that made me bring up universal healthcare. That was me acknowledging that you Americans might actually have cause to feel a bit more negative about patients. All those customer satisfaction surveys on whether the dinner served was up to snuff and whether all 120 cable channels were working on the TV, and whether the nurse was sufficiently fawning and attentive and brought 27 pillows and 41 pitchers of water in a timely fashion, might lead to some negative feelings in said nurses… Not to mention management who wants to make tons of ? 

What do you mean that I’m putting a damper on this thread? Was it supposed to be a misanthropic, patient-bashing gripefest and I ruined it by not having that many problems with my patients and not feeling that I have to bite my tongue very often? I don’t have a lot of negative thoughts about my patients. I just don’t. And I do speak my mind if I feel I need to. I’m a realist. I don’t expect perfection from human beings, so I don’t get disappointed when they fail to deliver. 

I can’t help that I actually don’t have a problem with the absolute majority of my patients!!!

Sue me ?

(Nope, you can’t. We don’t do that either over here in universal healthcare land ?)

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Specializes in school nurse.
20 minutes ago, macawake said:

Oh Emergent, that comment is clearly (at least in part) aimed at me. First time I’ve ever been accused of being a Polyanna.. Not to mention the holiness ?

 All those customer satisfaction surveys on whether the dinner served was up to snuff and whether all 120 cable channels were working on the TV, and whether the nurse was sufficiently fawning and attentive and brought 27 pillows and 41 pitchers of water in a timely fashion, might lead to some negative feelings in said nurses… Not to mention management who wants to make tons of ? 

 

The current Joint Commission standard is 31 pillows and a (chilled) bedside drinking fountain.

I imagine your facility is in some trouble, if these are typical examples of it's deficiencies...

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
2 hours ago, Jedrnurse said:

The current Joint Commission standard is 31 pillows and a (chilled) bedside drinking fountain.

I imagine your facility is in some trouble, if these are typical examples of it's deficiencies...

LOL! I love it!! I've had my life threatened over not bringing a patient (who was NPO) a turkey sandwich. The American healthcare system definitely leads to entitlement and patient satisfaction over actual good outcomes, because sometimes what satisfies the patient worsens their health (aka those pitchers of water for someone on a fluid restriction!) However, like @macawake I didn't find myself hating patients. I certainly got frustrated with behaviors from out of control alcohol withdrawal or psychotic patients, but I can't blame someone for their actions when they are not in touch with reality.

Abusive patients who were alert and oriented, I let them know their behavior is not appropriate and I wouldn't return to their room until they act appropriately unless it's a medical emergency. I learned not to take insults personally, because it's always about the patient, not about me. I think it's unhealthy to take on all the abuse we face as nurses and stew over it. And that is why I left acute care! I hope one day America will get socialized medicine, although I know it's not perfect. It could help improve the inequities in our system and no more satisfaction reviews if it's all the same system!

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Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

Well, many of my patients are intubated so they don't have much to say. I also don't bite my tongue much. I tend to say things I think need saying, and if I throw in some humor I can usually get my point across without direct insult. 

Now, STAFF is where I have to bite my tongue, so here goes.

To S.- we all know that you're looking forward to retirement in six months. Unfortunately, the job exists for the six months between now and then. No, you can't change the assignment every single morning because you don't like that family member, or the patient is heavy and your back hurts, or you don't like the way the light comes through the window in that room.

To D.- you are the single laziest nurse I have encountered in my nine years of nursing. Do you think we don't know that you don't even turn a patient until 30 minutes before shift change? The fact that EVERY mouthcare kit I left at 7am is still unopened at 7pm is something I've addressed with you directly yet you clearly don't care.

To A.- that Critical Care RN sparkly decal you've ironed onto your sweatshirt is lovely but it doesn't actually make you an ICU nurse. Not when I took over a patient with the foley up her a$$, and you charted the patient that I had to intubate 30 minutes into my shift was breathing unlabored without accessory muscle use two hours earlier. (Despite other nurses noting he had looked like that six hours before.)

To Z- I don't even know how you don't need a paycheck, but the fact that you're completely out of PTO, but continue to call out for stuff like your cat going missing, is ridiculous. Not sure when adulthood will hit you, but best of luck when it does.

Phew, thanks for that thread! from, a very judgmental nurse.....

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.
On 10/14/2021 at 6:48 PM, JBMmom said:

Well, many of my patients are intubated so they don't have much to say. I also don't bite my tongue much. I tend to say things I think need saying, and if I throw in some humor I can usually get my point across without direct insult. 

Now, STAFF is where I have to bite my tongue, so here goes.

To S.- we all know that you're looking forward to retirement in six months. Unfortunately, the job exists for the six months between now and then. No, you can't change the assignment every single morning because you don't like that family member, or the patient is heavy and your back hurts, or you don't like the way the light comes through the window in that room.

To D.- you are the single laziest nurse I have encountered in my nine years of nursing. Do you think we don't know that you don't even turn a patient until 30 minutes before shift change? The fact that EVERY mouthcare kit I left at 7am is still unopened at 7pm is something I've addressed with you directly yet you clearly don't care.

To A.- that Critical Care RN sparkly decal you've ironed onto your sweatshirt is lovely but it doesn't actually make you an ICU nurse. Not when I took over a patient with the foley up her a$$, and you charted the patient that I had to intubate 30 minutes into my shift was breathing unlabored without accessory muscle use two hours earlier. (Despite other nurses noting he had looked like that six hours before.)

To Z- I don't even know how you don't need a paycheck, but the fact that you're completely out of PTO, but continue to call out for stuff like your cat going missing, is ridiculous. Not sure when adulthood will hit you, but best of luck when it does.

Phew, thanks for that thread! from, a very judgmental nurse.....

I didn't work CCU, but I did work with some of these people. I would add:

To E: yes we are all aware that you are expecting, and yet, the work still needs to be done. So please, do not expect that the one aide is assigned only to you and that we will all do your med pass for you. It is will good for you to get out of your chair from time to time. 

To J: I realize that you a float and that there are certain patients you are not qualified to take. However, it's not my fault that the ones you can take are on 2 different halls. I am not going to move patients or only give you two so that you don't have to walk so far. I walk all over this bloody floor and you can too. 

To B: the kitchen sends us only 2 extra trays and 2 sandwiches and both are spoken for. Please consider planning ahead and bring your own lunch or go to the cafeteria, instead of chowing down and leaving only saltines and Jello for the poor admits who have been in ED for 6 hours. 

To C : I understand that you had an admit three hours ago. We have 5 new ones, and your coworkers have taken the other 4. I should hope that the majority of charting is done. There is no rule that anyone is limited to 1 admit per shift. 

Whew, that feels better! 

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I didn't bite my tongue. 

"**** me and this ****ing $***. Mother ****er."  

Patient was unconscious. Code situation. Hence all of the cursing. Maybe it's not professional. It helps, though.

Everyone was fine at the end of the day. 

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