Sometimes I stew over and study about things too much, but with my husband in the hospital and with some of the attitudes I've encountered lately I've been thinking about how expensive medical care can be and what people should expect at the hospital.
My husband hasn't been treated poorly, but some of the staff have been less than gracious. I often read about how "nurses are there to save your butt, not kiss it" and "this isn't the Hilton, it's a hospital!" While I understand this to a degree, I think responses like this are rather arrogant and make it sound more like the patients are an inconvenience and are there for the staff than the other way around. Having worked in LTC and home health I know how unreasonably high maintenance some people can be (and yes, these were usually-but not always- the Medicaid patients). Truly, though, this wasn't the norm. Most people were not unreasonable with their requests. Even the ones that put us out a little when they ask you to make a phone call for them or get them extra ice or extra blankets. I'm not talking about rude folks who think you should jump when they snap their fingers, but from the ICU to the med surg floor, I was hesitant to ask for anything at all because more than once I got exasperated looks and sometimes huffy responses to anything I mentioned. I'd say half of the nurses were very accomodating but the other half were like, I've got my job to do and you're keeping me from doing it.
I say, part of the job is customer relations and decent bedside manner, no matter how annoying someone is to us.
What about the people who, like my brother-in-law, shell out tens of thousands of dollars in out of pocket cash to pay for his own quadruple bypass surgery. Why shouldn't he be treated like the customer he is? My husband has insurance, but isn't he in a way, a customer too? I know the hospital and nursing home doesn't include private nurses, but by the same token, if you knew someone was paying A LOT of money to be there wouldn't the customer oriented approach everyone complains about the hospitals adopting these days make sense?
I will admit I was appalled when I learnedsome hospitals were referring to the patients as "customers." But now I'm not so sure this is far off.
While my husband was in surgery I met a man in the waiting room who had a wife in surgery at the same time, and his wife and my husband were transferred to the floor within an hour of each other. I could actually understand the man's frustration at being thrown out of the room for 30 minutes while the nurses were with his wife. He said (obviously po'ed) "I wonder who they think is paying the bill here?"
I am a believer that nurses should run the floor. Thing is, a little power goes to some peoples' heads and they forget what they are really there for.
I've started to look at things more from a patient's perspective lately, and not to sound wishy-washy (but this is a wishy-washy situation) but I've looked at it from both sides now and right or wrong I can't help it this is the way I see it.
In the mean time I was relieve of her to give excellent care to the pt. I had rushed past her for. this pt was needing immediate attention but this nurse patient's little non essential request was more important.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
Moderator's Note:
This discussion has obviously touched a nerve, and it is beginning to get a wee bit testy. Please remember to debate the TOPIC and not other members. Thank you.
Yea, I guess I was on a mission to bring them down a few notches, but only the nasty ones.
Regarding the nurses I'm talking about, I don't think it would matter if they were working at a day spa. I've worked in the nursing home and know what it's like when things are busy and it looks like Christmas with all the lights going off. I'll just have to leave it at that...I'm very tired.
I guess you have never taken exception at being treated like you-know-what.
But no matter, the old man came home yesterday. Coming close to death didn't change him at all, and right now I wish he was back at that hospital, with a big, mean 300 pound Nurse Olga taking care of him.[/quote]
Sounds like your are just not happy and it starts with your sick "old man."
I do not know from where brokenheartrn got that quote. I am assuming at somepoint you said what she is quoting.
If this is the case I apologize. I did not realize you are currently in the throws of this. I thought this is something that had past.
There is not much in your post that indicates you were treated like "you know what." There is more about about how a nurse used body language to let you know she was put out and that you had to waite 15 minutes for a soda and his roomate's spouse had to waite 30 min while nurses cared for his wife. These do not sound like earth shaking from this side of the bed and likely will not once you have some time and distance to gain perspective. Then again there is probably more going on here than you are revealing.
Does OP believe that "paying out of pocket" entitles certain patients to different or better care than those not paying out of pocket? Are smiles and "graciousness" more important to self-pay patients?
Are patients with "good insurance" eligible too? Does it matter how much or how little the patient/employed family member actually contributes toward the premium? Who deserves better care: a patient with good insurance coverage that their employer pays for entirely and the patient/employed family member pays nothing or only a nominal amount toward the premium ... or someone with crappy limited insurance coverage who pays for the entire monthly premium because they work for a small business that is unable to afford contributions to employees' health insurance?
OP seems to be on a mission to make out some as deserving, some as not. The use of the term "waited on" in the thread title is telling, IMO. It seems it was not enough that her husband got competent nursing care which enabled him to leave the hospital alive -- she appears to believe that someone needs to be "taken down a notch or two" to facilitate her husband's healing, or her own.
Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.
Here are my two cents... As nurses/aides we do not see the kind of financial information that a social worker or case manager sees thus we do not care if you have insurance or not.
If you do great and if you dont that is okay... Why? Because our goal is not to pass judgement or limit care but to preform based on acuity and severity not on wealth.
My job as a Tech is not to decided who should I take better care of because of how much they paid but rather who needs it the most. If a patient is soiled and needs changing I will do that first because frankly a diaper change is a bit more important than how fast I can get you your can of coke.
I do resent the remark by the OP the we should kiss backsides. However I will cut her some slack as it seems this is a very current issue and she is no doubt in the throws of an emotional crisis with a loved one. She ain't been nice but some times we do get over emotional when it is our loved one going thought open heart. Who among us would be entirely sane in the same situation.
No it has to do with a sense of entitlement. A lack of understanding of a family member who states she is a nurse yet can not understand why a family member may be asked to leave a room for 30 minutes. If she is a nurse no one should have to explain this to her.
Respect is a two way street. One can not demand respect. One can not expect it when they fail to show it themselves. She fails to recognize nurses are human. She wants perfectly charming people every second. IT aint gonna happen.
Saying I know about those unreasonable people but I was not unreasonable, does not cut it.
Why doesn't it cut it? For my husband, I asked for Sprite, pain meds and an extra blanket...that was asking too much? Apparently for some of them it was.
You do not know what was going on for those nurses that day. Maybe the nice one was having a good day and the nasty one was not. I am not saying that is an excuse to be nasty. I am saying she is very judgemental while pretending to be understanding.
Of course I'm judgemental! We are all judgemental, don't put words in my mouth though and then accuse me of pretending. Don'tassume you know what my intentions were and then say I couldn't understand what those nurses were going through that day. As far as "that day," my husband was in there a week and it seemed to be everyday.
It's pretty obvious when someone is having a nasty day and when someone is just nasty.
She is making a huge issue over something she should be long over.
Boy, that is the pot calling the kettle black.
I had a family not too long ago. They all sat around the bed. They would call me in to hand the pt a glass of water and other such nonsense. They did nothing but complain about the care the pt was getting. I in all sincerity said to them that I did not understand why they would put up with this care for one minute longer. I said that if this were my loved one recieving poor care I would immediately take her home and care for her myself.
They hung their heads. All but one slunk out yes slunk never to be seen again. The one that remained looked very sheepishly at me and suddenly started to do those little things for his mom that he was quite capable of. No one ever heard another complaint.
Naturally, that is the kind of family member I was.
Perhaps we are seeing on here some of the nurses I'm talking about, too.
I do resent the remark by the OP the we should kiss backsides. However I will cut her some slack as it seems this is a very current issue and she is no doubt in the throws of an emotional crisis with a loved one. She ain't been nice but some times we do get over emotional when it is our loved one going thought open heart. Who among us would be entirely sane in the same situation.
I am sorry you find it compelling to ask as it compels me to answer when I would prefer to just let this go. Wanting to take people down a peg or two is not nice. Telling us to kiss booty is not nice. I will just leave it there. Please, take care.
OP seems to be on a mission to make out some as deserving, some as not. The use of the term "waited on" in the thread title is telling, IMO. It seems it was not enough that her husband got competent nursing care which enabled him to leave the hospital alive -- she appears to believe that someone needs to be "taken down a notch or two" to facilitate her husband's healing, or her own.
What's it telling?
He was very well taken care of, yes. As far as how he was taken care of, I can't complain. Maybe I hold a grudge, but when I'm treated rudely it's personal whether it should be or not, and I wonder if some of the ones who mortgaged their houses (the number one cause of bankruptcy in the US is unexpected hospitalizations)got the same slap in the face by some of the nurses that I did.
At the same time, I think how much some people pay to stay at the hospital and it came to mind, that if they would shell out $300 or more a night at a fancy motel and be treated like royalty why shouldn't they expect the same when paying $800 or more a night? They sure aren't paying for the gourmet cooking or high class decor. Surely those machines have been paid for by now.
Really. It was a legitimate question in my mind and I don't think the smirky responses were necessary and only made the smirkers seem to prove my point.
Gee whiz, I'm tired. And the comment about how I wish my husband was back in the hospital with a big mean nurse...yea, he was well enough to come home and start picking fights. I just stay in here on the computer to get away from him.
Anyway, it is interesting to see how defensive people can get over someone innocently voicing a sincere question. I guess the talk about lousy attitudes hit a little too close to home for some people, because they are showing theirs on here.
Agnus
2,719 Posts
In the mean time I was relieve of her to give excellent care to the pt. I had rushed past her for. this pt was needing immediate attention but this nurse patient's little non essential request was more important.