There are situations that arise at work when I respond professionally, but there is often things running through my head that I want to say but I don't. I'm only thinking it! I want to start this thread to express some things that I wanted to say at work, whether it be to a patient, doctor, visitor, or other person. Some of the things are funny and some are passionate! Please share :)
I am a new nurse on the unit, not familiar with the residents, and not familiar with their family members. The family members are also not familiar with me! A visitor that I have never seen in my life came up to me while I was passing medications to a patient and said: "How much did Mom eat today?"
What I wanted to say: "We don't have any patient here named Mom."
I work in a very busy specialty clinic, my md is the only one that performs certain procedures for 90 miles in any direction. I was getting a 97 year old man prepped for a procedure and he went on and on about how long he had to wait (family wanted him moved to the top because he was 97. Dude, he's not even the oldest person we were seeing that DAY)
any way, he keeps going on about how long he was there and I'd respond with consumer-friendly statements and one was "well, dr x helps a lot of people in a day". To which this guy snapped. "Maybe he needs to help less people!" I bent down to get eye to eye and said "who do you think we shouldn't help?"
he shut right up. What I WANTED to say next was "because if we straw-polled the people waiting yet to be seen, they might vote that the crabby 97 year old guy on hospice be the first one on the do not help list!" Thank god for filters
The grandiose lies some patients' family members tell me make me want to say, "Doubt it!". I had one "medical doctor" ask me what I was giving his mother. When I told him it was penicillin, he asked me if that was for pain.
The big one is "I'm a nurse." It's an easy ruse because everyone knows nurses have no set of skills in particular.
I had a patient say she was having a diabetic attack. I brought in the glucometer and explained that I needed to take her blood sugar. She wouldn't give me her finger and I explained that I needed to do a finger stick to check her blood sugar because she felt like she was having a diabetic attack. She said she doesn't have blood sugar problems, she said I need to check her diabetes. Oh you have diabetes but not blood sugar problems? Makes perfect sense.
Wow! Either she was making it up, or her primary did a wonderful job of educating her.
I can't stand people who fail to follow a treatment plan or are non-compliant. Then when their health deteriorates, they expect prompt attention, to be moved ahead of the line, with the physician called immediately to meet their demands.
I would love to respond: so how long has this being going on? This is NOT Burger King so you can't have it your way.
What makes me silently crying inside is denial. Total, irreversible, persistent and cold as a stone denial. I am pretty sure that it is not "belief" or "hope". It is conceivable how family can hold for the last straw for comatose patient who is young, strong and just was at the wrong place and at the wrong time. But 97 y/o terminally demented, blind, double AKA and suffering from intractable pain... full code, and the family requested sedation and pain meds withdrawal so that Mother Dear could be aware of their presence and love and could "participate" in PT so that she "got stronger, fitted with protheses and walk out of the hospital"? GCS of 5 for the last 10 years attempted to be enrolled in university (of Michigan, not less) because of his periodical grimaces and seizure-like movements are seen by family as "the way he communicates"?
This!! My last shift, almost exactly. Only difference is Dad is oriented when off sedation and Mom is at the bedside, completely oriented, but the "family" wants Dad to be a full code (with mets CA and resp. failure). Trouble is, that is not what the patient and spouse want, but for some unknown reason we are all following the wishes of the "kids". Numerous family conference and social work referrals cannot budge the "kids". So, so sad!!!
I work for a state funded insurance company and there's a person on Facebook that has started a "go fund me" page for their mom, who happens to be one of the clients I manage. They claim they need thousands for medical costs, and I know for a fact that its bologna because mom is on government insurance at no cost. They even provide housing and food for visiting families at the nearby hospital. They have raised thousands of dollars already. I would love to tell everyone not to donate to wherever that money is going to.
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
I work for a state funded insurance company and there's a person on Facebook that has started a "go fund me" page for their mom, who happens to be one of the clients I manage. They claim they need thousands for medical costs, and I know for a fact that its bologna because mom is on government insurance at no cost. They even provide housing and food for visiting families at the nearby hospital. They have raised thousands of dollars already. I would love to tell everyone not to donate to wherever that money is going to.
Anonymous comments from a public IP address do wonders
Specializes in Pedi; Geriatrics; office; Pedi home care..
I've been in your shoes. I introduce myself; and, say I new here. Then I ask Who is your Mom, Dad , until ,etc. (depending on who they ask about). Then after they Iidentify; I say Give me a moment and I'll be happy to find out for you.
I had a 90 something y.o. pt with alzheimers who had broken a hip. She was not A/O at all and not even verbal but her daughter insisted on replacing the very large, heavy and cumbersome immobilizer with bazillions of velcro straps each and every time she was incontinent (which was frequently) so that she could walk again.
Right
The countless + drug screens in L&D who invented the craziest stories for how they got a + drug screen. My two favorites: the one who was + for ecstasy because someone sprinkled it on her spaghetti at a party and she thought it was parmesan and the one who took methadone from her "friend" down the street because "no one told me that would hurt my baby".
Right
And the one who came in by ambulance and ended up being an emergency C-section with track marks all over her arms. She refused to admit to any drug use and we didn't have time to wait for the lab results. The dr sat on her bed and in a sugary sweet whisper said "I am about to take you back there and slice your belly open, I just need to know what you've taken" and suddenly she admitted to taking heroin.
Right - because nurses are so dumb to believe all that!
But here is my all time favorite - We had a frequent flyer PITA that we were well acquainted with in L&D who finally had the baby. She was upset because baby's cord blood was Oneg and that couldn't be possible because she was A+ and dad was B+. I started to explain why that was, in fact, possible but let's just say we weren't going anywhere with that. So, she insisted on having it redrawn. We did and the baby was still Oneg. When I went to inform her of the second results she burst into tears and sobbing said "That means that when he grows up and his wife gets pregnant he'll have to take shots!!"
What I wanted to say? "yup"
And that is exactly what I said as I backed out of the room and shut the door
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Well, the thing is, the patient is someone's mom, dad, sister, brother, etc. It would be awkward to name your own mother "Mrs. Jones", don't you think so?
some providers treat it with insulin, although it is VERY much off-label. But, of course when someone's blood glucose is in 200th range all the time and the diagnosis is still "borderline", then
What makes me silently crying inside is denial. Total, irreversible, persistent and cold as a stone denial. I am pretty sure that it is not "belief" or "hope". It is conceivable how family can hold for the last straw for comatose patient who is young, strong and just was at the wrong place and at the wrong time. But 97 y/o terminally demented, blind, double AKA and suffering from intractable pain... full code, and the family requested sedation and pain meds withdrawal so that Mother Dear could be aware of their presence and love and could "participate" in PT so that she "got stronger, fitted with protheses and walk out of the hospital"? GCS of 5 for the last 10 years attempted to be enrolled in university (of Michigan, not less) because of his periodical grimaces and seizure-like movements are seen by family as "the way he communicates"?
No, I don't think it would be awkward to name my own mother "Mrs. Stone." If I were talking to a stranger about her, for an example, a nurse I had never met, I absolutely would refer to her as Mrs. Stone. It's pretty easy to say "How did Mrs. STone eat? I'm her daughter." Or "I'm Mrs. Stone's daughter, and I'm wondering how my mother ate." As easy as that is, we still have FREQUENT visitors who get all bent out of shape if you don't know who "Mom" is. Instead of calling me an ignorant moron, just tell me "Mom's" last name (because, unfortunately, "Mary" doesn't help much either) and I can easily find out what you need to know or can locate the nurse who can.
Sadly, there are many adult children who don't seem to actually KNOW "Mom's" last name -- usually men. I all too frequently hear "Well she just got married a couple years ago." Really?
I can't stand people who fail to follow a treatment plan or are non-compliant. Then when their health deteriorates, they expect prompt attention, to be moved ahead of the line, with the physician called immediately to meet their demands.
I would love to respond: so how long has this being going on? This is NOT Burger King so you can't have it your way.
I think if you are not compliant, and I mean blatantly non compliant (as in u have cancer and are still smoking), insurance should stop paying for your medical coverage. Period. It's total nonsense for a diabetic to continue to eat crap and for anyone to smoke, period.
Buyer beware, BSN
1,139 Posts
Maybe the visitor was a family member-brother or sister-who decided at that moment to make their existence known to you.
Stranger things have happened before. Consider it a gift. That's right! A gift.
By the way, how is mom?