Insensitive nurses

[MHSA LPN]

I'm a student. During clinical I watched one nurse assist another in inserting an IV for a blood transfusion. The nurse, who happens to be an assistant manager, told the patient "You stink like a farm animal ... You're just a sh--ty sh--ty bang bang." The other nurse said nothing. The manager kept repeating himself over and over ad nauseam. The Pt was 11 with CP, pseudomonas, pneumonia, diarrhea, contractures, secretions, etc. You get the picture. What would you do? And are many nurses this insensitive? The Pt was alert. I'm starting to really rethink whether I want to be a nurse. By the way, I did do something about this.

[Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN]

People like that just make me crazy!!! how can anyone be so cruel. My cousin had CP and had all of her wits. So many peopl;e trerated like she had no mind or sense until she said something. She had a difficult time speaking but we all (family)could understand her I know many Cp patients that are NOT mentally handicapped. Be careful what you say in front of patients you just don't know what they are capable of.

[nurse grace RN, BSN]

Your statement is so true, we should always be aware of what we say in front of patients, and family members for that matter. Also, our voices carry from the nurses station to the patient rooms- so we should give evreyone the dignity and respect that we would like people to show us if we were the patient.

One of my biggest pet peeves is nurses or staff who "assume" that CP or other patients with handicaps don't understand what we say or realize we are verbally abusing them. They are very aware of it and we should be aware of what we say even in the unconcious because when they wake up they remember what was said and done to them.

Just my .