I'm gonna sue you

[jessiern]

I heard it for the last two days till I am sick of it.

Actually, I'm just sick of the patient. She is without a doubt the rudest patient I have had the displeasure of caring for.

She frequently told me she knew I wasn't a good nurse. If I were a good nurse, I wouldn't be fat, because nurses shouldn't have time to sit around and eat all the patient's food (I'm 5'4, 160lb, btw-not exactly a whale of a woman). And I am lazy because I took 5 minutes to bring her a pepsi-that I had to walk to the cafeteria and get for her 250lb tail.

Was told numerous times she would sue us when she was discharged-when I asked her exactly what for, I was just told becuase I was so incompetant.

I could go on about this witch, but I'm so sick of her, I don't want to type anymore. Not confused, BTW. A&Ox4, 58 years old. Gave all the staff hell. Even told the doc not to come back in her room till her learned english (he's from india, and does have an accent, but has good english skills). This was after he waited outside her door 20 minutes for her to finish bathing-at which point I went in and told her to get dressed and get back in bed, or he was coming in with her bathing. (if he did, she would sue).

I just hate people like her. They make the job a little hard to swallow.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

We had this very same thing happen last week and the pt is the mother of my childhood friend (sweetness) and her sister (rudeness).

Rudeness never stopped complaining, she was constantly at the nurses station. Poor sweetness came every day and never said a word. She is so upset that rudeness is doing this. I cannot get in the middle, and always had a rule to never take a family, friend or coworker as a pt.

This pt is not allowed back to our LTAC because of rudeness. However, I have a question, we are a specialty hospital and can refuse pt, but what about the main hospital, can they refuse her? I know they have had enough because I work there sometimes agency.

Sweetness does make it known to the staff that she is not in agreement with any of the complaints her sister has.

The patient herself, the mother, would not be refused treatment in the hospital. Neither would the hospital refuse to treat Miss Rudeness, if she needed it. However, if Miss Rudeness were to become disruptive of Mom's care (or of the rest of the staff or patients) then Miss Rudeness might find herself escorted outside.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

I've also had patients who use the I'm-Gonna-Sue method of staff interaction.

Never works well, as we always pass that information along in report so we're extra careful around Mrs. Lawsuit, and we document the heck out of it! Nothing ever seems to come out of it from those people anyway: they're just trying to get a free lunch of some sort.

I've also had the patients who threaten to leave if they don't get X-Y-Z. I IMMEDIATELY tell them they certainly have that right, and I'd be happy to get the forms for them to leave AMA. And that the doctor and hospital would be billing them directly, as their insurance wouldn't cover them in this case. Works every time (except for those who don't have any insurance, in which case MY 'threat' of LETTING them leave without their free food and drugs makes them back off). Manipulative SOB's, huh?

[PMHNP10]

I heard it for the last two days till I am sick of it.

Actually, I'm just sick of the patient. She is without a doubt the rudest patient I have had the displeasure of caring for.

She frequently told me she knew I wasn't a good nurse. If I were a good nurse, I wouldn't be fat, because nurses shouldn't have time to sit around and eat all the patient's food (I'm 5'4, 160lb, btw-not exactly a whale of a woman). And I am lazy because I took 5 minutes to bring her a pepsi-that I had to walk to the cafeteria and get for her 250lb tail.

Was told numerous times she would sue us when she was discharged-when I asked her exactly what for, I was just told becuase I was so incompetant.

I could go on about this witch, but I'm so sick of her, I don't want to type anymore. Not confused, BTW. A&Ox4, 58 years old. Gave all the staff hell. Even told the doc not to come back in her room till her learned english (he's from india, and does have an accent, but has good english skills). This was after he waited outside her door 20 minutes for her to finish bathing-at which point I went in and told her to get dressed and get back in bed, or he was coming in with her bathing. (if he did, she would sue).

I just hate people like her. They make the job a little hard to swallow.

careful now...you don't want those geniuses who somehow became mgmt. to have to bring up your "bad attitude" because after all, it is your fault that the patient is such a rude, ignorant, hateful person

[brighella]

Sheesh, as much as I hate to say it, sounds like my mother. She was admitted with a suspected sm bowel obstruction, but not before she insulted the ER doc's man-hood, called him a nincompoop (probably in addition to some other choice words she did not share with me), and complained loudly about how no one spoke any english. :imbar I had a talking to with her, understanding that she didnt want to be there, but that was no reason to be insulting, and that just because the docs didnt get her exactly what she wanted, it did not mean that they were ignoring her or torturing her. (POC in the chart that the nurse showed us looked pretty standard to me) Since the docs weren't going to give her all the meds she wanted she decided she was going to leave in the wee-smalls. She wouldnt even sign AMA paperwork, she just left. Im sure the entire staff heaved a collective sigh of relief. Its probably why my professors think i deal really well with my patients, even the crabby ones...my mom and husband give me lots of practice dealing with difficult sick people. Understanding that theyre miserable bullies sure helps keep things in perspective...*Im* not the one doing anything to them, whoever is near is a target - for no better reason than proximity.

Sarah