I am always gracious and try to accomodate reasonable patient/family requests, but my name tag yesterday must have read 'Handmaid' instead of RN. I was instructed (not asked) by several different patients/family members the following:
"Go get us about eight or ten chairs so everybody can sit down in here."
"The baby's father hasn't had anything to eat today, can you make him something?" (This was 1930 and FOB who missed the 0915 delivery had just shown up).
"Can't you get the kids sandwiches?" (I was happy to bring graham crackers and juice, but was met with "Well, that's not enough for dinner.")
"I can't use a taxi voucher because that way I have to go right home. Don't you have a petty cash fund? I need to stop at my friend's house and the store first."
"My boyfriend wants a set of the baby's footprints, a copy of the baby's picture, and that test to make sure he's the father."
This, of course, all in addition to the usual "The baby's diaper needs to be changed," "Bring me another Percocet. Somebody here (a visitor, not the patient) has a headache," "Take his (another visitor's) blood pressure," and "He needs some scrubs to wear."
Sorry for the rant. Yesterday was a long 14-hour day and I just needed to get it out. :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire
Good for YOU! I applaud you for calling the police. Good outcome. I've had visitors threaten me with a gun (got arrested, was back before the end of my shift), a machete and scissors. I've seen a co-worker attacked by a "service dog" (You ever seen a service dog with a chain around it's neck and used as a leash?) that the patient's step-son sicced on him, and another coworker imprisoned in the patient's room against her will by the same visitor and dog. (The stepson didn't want any "Fag" taking care of "Pa", so attacked the male nurse who was assigned to the patient and dragged a female nurse into the room and away from her patients.) No charges were pressed. No consequences to the visitors. I don't understand why hospitals don't value their professional staff enough to support them, and to protect them from this sort of nonsense!
This is not a problem for me as before I became a nurse was a DI at Parris Island, national level free style wrestler and 2 years in Pro-football. My theory is that since I usually work in teaching institutions, provide a service by "teaching them" how inappropriate it is to be physical with one of the nurses or physicians that work with. As I told a patient once, it doesn't take much to add another injury to your chart, you get to choose how intensive it is if you don't put down the knife. And people thought he was too drunk to make decsions!
We have these same problems in our Women's services dept. Our hospital is very big on patient satisfaction. If we have a family complaining they want a comp tray, extra chairs, or even an extra bed in their room, the nurses will tell them it is not allowed but if they complain to our nurse director, they end up getting fruit baskets, complimentary movie tickets, comp trays with every meal, and we have even moved them to a suite so that they can have a room large enough to have an extra bed in it. So we end up looking like the bad guys because we try to play by the rules, while our nurse manager keeps reminding us that we want our patients to be VERY SATISFIED!
Talk about the proverbial slap in the face!!!! Your NM DOES make you look like the "bad guys" and thus undermines the "nurse-patient" relationship that nurses need to establish with patients and pits staff against the very people we are there to help. "Hey, theres the nasty nurse who said we couldn't have an extra meal tray (or other ridiculous demand)" OUCH!!!
I have a real problem when any type of bad behavior gets rewarded :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire
The facility that I work at just anounced that there will now be "Visitor Guidelines". It's about time!!!!
Good for YOU! I applaud you for calling the police. Good outcome. I've had visitors threaten me with a gun (got arrested, was back before the end of my shift), a machete and scissors. I've seen a co-worker attacked by a "service dog" (You ever seen a service dog with a chain around it's neck and used as a leash?) that the patient's step-son sicced on him, and another coworker imprisoned in the patient's room against her will by the same visitor and dog. (The stepson didn't want any "Fag" taking care of "Pa", so attacked the male nurse who was assigned to the patient and dragged a female nurse into the room and away from her patients.) No charges were pressed. No consequences to the visitors. I don't understand why hospitals don't value their professional staff enough to support them, and to protect them from this sort of nonsense!
This is not a problem for me as before I became a nurse was a DI at Parris Island, national level free style wrestler and 2 years in Pro-football. My theory is that since I usually work in teaching institutions, provide a service by "teaching them" how inappropriate it is to be physical with one of the nurses or physicians that work with. As I told a patient once, it doesn't take much to add another injury to your chart, you get to choose how intensive it is if you don't put down the knife. And people thought he was too drunk to make decsions!
Man, I must be wroking in the wrong hospitals-----all this food available to patients and, particularly, to their visitors 24-7. Wherever I have worked, we are stuck with the vending machines when the cafeteria is closed---and, since it's closed all weekend, the vending machines are pretty much empty if you are there doing call on the weekend----other starving staff members have gotten to them before you did.
We don't even have peanut butter, graham crackers, etc. available for the STAFF in the operating rooms where I have worked---we get salaries; we are capable of bringing our own snacks and lunches when we know the cafeteria is closed. We don't expect anybody to provide for us.
Wonder why so many ER patients (and L&D, and med-surg, etc.) and their visitors DO feel entitled? Oh, I know----freakin' management and administration who are all about "customer service" at any price have ENABLED them to feel that way.
Gosh, I dislike hospital management. I am so glad I do not have to work the floors or the specialty units---I'd go postal on those visitors demanding food, and PARTICULARLY to ER patients demanding food. If you are sick enough to be in an emergency room, you should remain NPO---who knows; you might need to go to surgery? If you have an appetite, you do not need to be in the emergency room. As far as your guests, they can leave the hospital and find a restaurant or fast food place, or go home to eat.
Depends on the hospital. IMO my current workplace really caters to crazy family members and does not support its nurses.
Last year we were having a celebration for the nurses on our unit that we paid for ourselves. It was catered and was set up for us ahead of time, but by the time we got there a family of 350 lb. visitors (4 women) had come in and eaten all the food designed for 26 people. The hospital didn't want to do anything about it due to the bad publicity, but as the coordinator I called the police and had them arrested for theft (meals were charged to us at $15/person so was well above the petty larceny amount). Suggested that if it wasn't a big thing the hospital would pay for their "snack" insted of the herd of visitors. Not only did they spend the weekend in jail due to not being able to post bail, but they had to pay us back with interest.
They were in the lobby last week as one of them was up in the ICU with an MI, demanding to be wheeled up to see their sister as it was too far for them to walk (waddle). Then they complained to administration that ther were not enough double wide chairs in the waiting area for all of them to have seats at the same time.
My only fear is that they are diabetics and might need hyperbarics in the future!!!!!!!
Some people are just so damn sorry that it boggles the imagination. They deserved to be locked up! :angryfire
I'm not a nurse yet - just an ER Tech - but I experience stupidity like this quite often as I work in the only ER in town. Just the other day I went down to the cafeteria to get a patient a food tray (not unusual) and although I brought him all the junk food I could find (that's what the nurse requested as that is the only thing he will eat) he had the audacity to say, "last time I had french fries too - I want french fries now". I answered very politely that "there were none in the cafeteria", although I wanted to say, "hey buster this isn't McDonalds...if you want french fries, go get them yourself!"
p.s. this particular pt. is a "frequent flier" that usually comes in just to get a meal.
Guess I wasn't clear..the percocet request was for a visitor, not the patient. Can you stand it?
I did redirect the ridicuous requests to a more appropriate venue, but it just kills me that we are still thought of as servants. :angryfire
The advice to bring it up to the nurse manager was a great one, too. She's not particularly proactive, but my hospital is huge on the Press-Ganey survey thing and I can just see one coming back about me not feeding/comforting/catering to non-patients...
I work with medical clinics. In our work unit, we call it the "Burger King syndrome" i.e. " I want it my way and I want now!".
I have had patients calling stating that they are on the way to airport and will at the pharmacy in 10 minutes, and want their Vicodin waiting for them. Others call and state they are on the way to the ER, and want the ER staff outside waiting for their arrival. ( I usually explain that is done on TV and not in the real world.) I had a young woman aka Diva , who told me she had too much to do and was going to demand that the ER staff see her right away for her sore hand. ( This is after I offered an appointment in the Urgent Care clinic for later in the evening.)
I had a patient's family call and state they had a family member, who had to be seen right away, but the family was too busy to transport the patient and insisted that the medical clinic provide provide a ride to the clinic.
My favorite demand was a patient, who was scheduled to see a surgeon, but didn't want to take time off of work for the office visit. The patient wanted the surgeon to wait for him in the clinic until after he got off of work at 7pm.
My hospital makes us end every patient/family interaction with "Is there anything else I can do for you?" I had half a mind to re-phrase it to, "Is there any nursing-related need I can take care of for you?" except since most of my patients think nurses are waitresses/babysitters/servants anyway, it probably wouldn't make a difference.
Another thing the hospital is throwing around is having the patient say, "Did you wash your hands?" to every nurse who comes into the room. :angryfire
Come on. I don't ask the deli guy, "Are you sure this didn't get dropped on the floor?" and I don't say to my accountant "Did you use a calculator and check your math?" For administration to have patients ask if I washed my hands implies that unless my patients are on the lookout, I'm not doing my job. Way to support your nurses, administration!
Sorry- off topic. It's late and I'm overtired. Can't wait to see what ridiculous requests will come my way tomorrow, though!
My nurse manager catered to a very foul mouth, rude, 20ish patient, when I informed the patient I couldn't meet her demands. My manger promised her everything under the moon, short of personnally picking her up for an appointment.
I had to point out that he had violated protocol by making her these outrages promises, and since he was the one to create the problem, he needed to correct it. I also informed him that he had rewarded this young lady for her unacceptable behavior and catering to her every whim would encourage this type of behavior in the future.
My manager tried to back pedal and have me recontact the patient. I insisted that since he had overridden my assessment and care plan, HE would have to contact the patient and explain why he could not keep all the promises he had made to her. I also carefully documented my conversation with the manager, so when the patient complained that the manager had made all the promises and failed to follow through, I would be off the hook.
I have been on both sides, as the nurse and as the patient's family. I received very good attention from the nurses as a family member (I didn't tell them that I was a nurse), but I would try to help them by getting my own things, ie coffee, blankets etc. I would also get in trouble for getting linen by myself. I needed to be in the room to help my husband with some of his care, but (now don't get mad) some of the nurses were better than others. One came in to give IV antibiotics and was just about to hang it and I had to call her on it that it wasn't his. She just laughed. Other things happened but I won't mention them. I had to be the one to talk for my husband, he was too sick. They had hostesses on the floor who would get the patients and families snacks, deliver the trays to all the patients and even newspapers and they also collected all the menus and helped the patients fill them out. This was wonderful, but it was decided that they didn't do enough and they did away with this service and then the families had to wait forever for things. I agree that that the nurse shouldn't have to do this, I know that I can get sidetracked and sometimes forget what I am doing when I work the floor. The last time that my husband was in the hospital, the nurses and everyone was fantastic!! I couldn't say enough good things about them.
Sadly, I have heard all the things the OP wrote and I work in a NICU!
I always reply to the parent that asks me for a sandwich and juice, "Our babies don't eat those". They then tell me it's for them, not the baby. (no s*#t!) and I tell them, "I know. But we take care of babies here and we don't have those things. Same reply for request for Percocet, Maalox, Tylenol. We don't have 'em, go back to your roon and tell your nurse you have pain.
Sorry your aunt isn't feeling well. The ER is downstaires.
Please don't sleep here. You have to go home and sleep. You are here to see the baby and you can't do that with your eyes closed and we need the chair your feet are on for other parents.
I have been on both sides, as the nurse and as the patient's family. I received very good attention from the nurses as a family member (I didn't tell them that I was a nurse), but I would try to help them by getting my own things, ie coffee, blankets etc. I would also get in trouble for getting linen by myself. I needed to be in the room to help my husband with some of his care, but (now don't get mad) some of the nurses were better than others. One came in to give IV antibiotics and was just about to hang it and I had to call her on it that it wasn't his. She just laughed. Other things happened but I won't mention them. I had to be the one to talk for my husband, he was too sick. They had hostesses on the floor who would get the patients and families snacks, deliver the trays to all the patients and even newspapers and they also collected all the menus and helped the patients fill them out. This was wonderful, but it was decided that they didn't do enough and they did away with this service and then the families had to wait forever for things. I agree that that the nurse shouldn't have to do this, I know that I can get sidetracked and sometimes forget what I am doing when I work the floor. The last time that my husband was in the hospital, the nurses and everyone was fantastic!! I couldn't say enough good things about them.
My favorite type of family members to deal with are just like you, ARladyRN. :kiss
It's wonderful when families come in and participate in caring for their loved ones, it warms my heart when I see the love they put into it. :redbeathe
Despite the fact they are going through a trying time, they tend to be the most understanding of what a nurse goes throught and will be the first to say "thank you".
I hope your husband is doing well and I wish both of you the best.
mackrn
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