If you could speak your mind...

[GSDlvrRN]

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."

[Angelicpurl]

I got fired from a patient because her ice cream was originally too cold, then it was too soft....I had also put ice in their water pitcher and water in the ice pitcher. So the wife poured a Coke into the water. No labels, I just was handed 2 pitchers & SHE put the lids on them....I wanted to say, "YOU put the lids on wrong. It was Coke for the patients, NOT families."

I was on the phone one night with the doctor, discussing a critical patient that I had called rapid response team for (& they were transferring patient). He wanted a play-by-play on what had happened. During this, I was approached by family members. The LPN came to them and moved them down the hall, tried to help them. She worked closely with me and is very knowledgeable. They started yelling at her, demanding to speak to their mom's RN (me). She wasn't able to explain to them I was on the phone with their mom's Doctor. We both wanted to say, "give us a chance to talk to the doctor and let a NURSE who's been at mom's side talk to you."

I know a lady on Lantus 150 units daily, Glucophage 1000 mg 3 times per day, and 3 other diabetic meds. But, she's adamant shes not diabetic. Even with her blood sugars over 350. She says she doesn't have a BP problem either, but she's on 5 BP meds, 2 diuretics besides, and her BP was 168/112. Yep....so that chest pain, headache, swollen legs, leathery skin....CKD stage 4, and deterioration of vision are???

[djh123]

Oh My God - re: 'how much did Mom eat today?' - it's just unbelievable how 'out of it' some people's mindsets are. I'm in a 150+ bed facility, and sometimes I'll randomly answer the phone and someone will ask if they can talk to their mother (without giving a name). What happens a lot more commonly is that they'll come in and ask to see so-and-so, and are invariably surprised that I don't immediately know who they are, which unit & room they're on, etc. I often say, as I'm looking their person up, "there are 150 beds here, and I know my unit, a lot of the next one, but not everyone".

[sevensonnets]

And then there are families who come by the desk at lunchtime to ask "How did Mom sleep last night?" I want to say "How the heck do you think I would know? I was asleep myself! Mom's alert and oriented. Why don't you ASK HER if you want to want to know?

[luvsltcrn]

The one thing I would say ALL DAY, EVERYDAY if this were an alternate universe?

"Shut the F* up!"

This!!! At least once an hour!

[djh123]

I'm not going to explain what happened - not sure I'd remember all I was told anyway - but another nurse where I work actually said "GET OUT! GET OUT!" to an idiotic family member who had done yet another insane thing (there's a quite a history with this guy). I cheered her for doing it.

[djh123]

I had one family who not only would constantly ask me when Mrs. __________ had gotten a pain med, how long has it been, etc., they would CALL OR TEXT another family member, who would then CALL ME and ask the same question when I hadn't taken action based on what the first one(s) were asking!!!! B-e-y-o-n-d b-e-l-i-e-f.

[knurse10]

Patient on a 24 hr 750 cc fluid restriction asks for tea. I give 100 cc cup of tea.

Patient "really? That's a really small glass of tea"

What I wanted to say... "I'm not getting my ass chewed out by the cardiologist over a ******* cup of tea."

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

In the ER I have random family member walk up to me (who I have never seem before) saying that their "mom" or "dad" needs something or they want an update. My next question is usually "and what room is your family member in?" because you gave no identifying details other than the fact you are in this pod so presumably your family member is closeby.

[Angelicpurl]

I love it when they come into a room behind you after you close the door. I always say, is youreally mom/dad in the next bed (meaning same room)? I've only had a few say no, and at that, someone else in the room has said (usually patient or family), would you want some random person popping into your mom's room just because they want to talk to the nurse?

I would love to say too, did you look at your mom's white board? Do I look like a Fred, Bill, Bob, John....to you? Or, you just heard me say, Mrs. Jones, my name is Angelicpurl, and I'll be your nurse until 11. After I take a listen to your lungs, heart, and tummy, I'm going to check your wound. Before I leave, I'll write my name on your white board.

So, my name isn't Sandy, Brandon, Brenda, Jackie....

Once, after being interrupted at the med room door to them beating on it (same person!) with an ice pitcher, I wanted to say, how many times do I have to say I'm NOT the nurse for your mother? They even called me by my name! Their nurse was at the desk looking at a magazine. She said she even asked if they needed help, but not recognizing them, she thought they were with my patient since they said no & they were looking for me. I had heard her offer to help before med room door shut, and I did hear her say please don't hit the med room door for someone, and she got up to stop them, when I opened the door.

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

......

I would love to say too, did you look at your mom's white board? Do I look like a Fred, Bill, Bob, John....to you? Or, you just heard me say, Mrs. Jones, my name is Angelicpurl, and I'll be your nurse until 11. After I take a listen to your lungs, heart, and tummy, I'm going to check your wound. Before I leave, I'll write my name on your white board.

So, my name isn't Sandy, Brandon, Brenda, Jackie....

Once, after being interrupted at the med room door to them beating on it (same person!) with an ice pitcher, I wanted to say, how many times do I have to say I'm NOT the nurse for your mother? They even called me by my name! Their nurse was at the desk looking at a magazine. She said she even asked if they needed help, but not recognizing them, she thought they were with my patient since they said no & they were looking for me. I had heard her offer to help before med room door shut, and I did hear her say please don't hit the med room door for someone, and she got up to stop them, when I opened the door.

My theory on this is that they don't care who is her nurse....they want action and they want it NOW! lol

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

That made me think of the various things I want to say to patient family members who come up to the desk in my busy ER and interrupt my charting or reviewing of orders or whatever WORK that is done on the computer.

"Yes, let me stop this train of thought in my narrative note to get you a cup of ice water.

"HOw the heck am I supposed to know how long it will be?" (I usually give a more diplomatic response to the question which prompts my ire.)

"My name isn't nurse."

[blah_blah_blah]

"My name isn't nurse."

When I go by a room and patient yells "nurse!" when they see me walk by, sometimes I'll pop my head in and go "What can I do for you patient?"