most and least favorite DX to care for?

codebluechic, ASN, RN · Sep 24, 2001

No ortho! I run from any hip or knee.I never could figure out those CPM's! My favorite...open heart.

deespoohbear · Sep 28, 2001

Favorite patients: CHF, respiratory patients , AMI, unstable angina.

Least favorites: Pt's who are in with a resp dx and have an order to go outside to SMOKE!!! Slays me every time. The "dump" patients that tend to get left because their caretakers need a LONG break, or because the nursing home doesn't have enough help for a particular shift. And my all time least favorite patient is the one who has a parent/sibling/cousin who is an RN. What a nightmare when you get this patient. True colors shine atth

BadBird, BSN, RN · Sep 28, 2001

My favorite patients are acute MI's, chest pain, AAA repairs, trauma, ventilatory patients on an ativan drip. My least favorite are anything psych and GI bleeds

texaslvn · Sep 28, 2001

Favorite dx: anything Neuro

Least: hate taking care of G.I. bleeders

imn2nursing · Sep 30, 2001

I think the coolest patient I ever took care of was a patient that had his finger cut off in a plant, the plastic surgeon reattached it and I had to put leeches on his finger every couple of hours to re-establish the blood flow... it was neat....... My favorite is ortho, I really love taking care of old people, they are like a big history book ..... The least favorite would have to be C-Diff ( I forgot the correct term but we called it C-Diff) Man o man this is some wicked stuff. It really puts new meaning to the phrase "something has crawled up them and died!" , also I really dislike taking care of nephrology patients, they seem to be REALLY whiney!:)

kimberle · Sep 30, 2001

I work on a ventilator dependent unit, where a pt. upon admission requires at least 8 hrs. ventilatory support a day. My favorite pts. are COPD, I can fine tune those vents and drugs up 'til then end. I really lose my cool with the ALS patients. They're so grieving and manipulative, and since it gets to the point they can't move any part of their body they get really needy. Essentially they expect to be assisted to mimic life to as close to normalcy as possible, even if all they can do is blink an eye to direct you all day long. For example, 5" to spell out turn TV to Ch. 15 and take my sheet off, while I'm sweating to get back to my septic pt. And it's the healthy ALS pt. that will complain about not getting adequate care, while the ones that really require it, the sick ones, are too sick to complain. OK. OK. I'm calming down now....thank you for listening :)

Slowone · Sep 30, 2001

Favorite..... the STABLE s/p MI that was just transfered from the unit and wants to go home!!

Least favorite...this may sound weird but pancreatitis patients ride my nerves. I'm sure it's not the diagnosis itself but I have not taken care of one pt that wasn't always the whiniest of my pt load. Don't let me get near eyes or feet either...YUCK!!!! :eek:

ALOHANURSE · Nov 3, 2001

Favorites are abd. surgeries. Something about seeing a patient progress from NGT, TLC, foley, venodynes, and PCA to just a HL and clear liquid diet really makes my week. I also like THR'S AND TKR'S just love to see people get better and go home happy.:)

Least favorite has to be scrotal abcesses. I've seen more than my share, and the worst was the time I was required to apply a wound vac to this poor chaps bilateral fileted scrotum. :eek:

Also not high on my list: addicts that try to manipulate me and copd'ers that have to go off the unit to smoke then come back wheezing and begging in that raspy voice for a respiratory treatment.

ICUBecky · Nov 4, 2001

all i can say is god bless psych nurses! i hate anything psych.

most favorite: ventilated, heart attack patients or post open heart patients, who are so critical to need balloon pumps, swans, and later on CVVH. who are on every vaso active drip possible, and sedated. so much technical stuff and thinking. really fun when they start crashing. i know i'm sick...but i love the rush and how fast they make the shift go.

least favorite: whiny, impatient, thinks he's at the "waldorf astoria" hotel patients. sometimes i wish they can all be ventilated and on diprivan!!

kids · Nov 4, 2001

LOVE: patients with any kind of a tube: chest, T, NG, JT, GT, drains, IVs, trachs, shunt, new or revised ostomies, unhealing ulcers, tunneling, gaping wounds, necrotizing faculitis, blood, mucus, pus!

HATE: anything Psych (hey, who am I to say theres not really someone standing there)

kellysue · Jan 4, 2002

i love taking care of someone who dying. to be there with them and their family is awesome.

i hate codes and i hate working with restraints!

hhmmmm...like death, hate codes. i hope i dont sound like a sicko:eek:

hapeewendy · Jan 4, 2002

wow great topic!

upon sitting down to actually think about what I like and dislike, diagnosis wise , I suprised myself!

I enjoy the adrenalin of a code situation, one that makes it is even better, I also like the complexity of care in a fresh CVA or anoxic brain injury patient , the rehabilitation process for those folks is awesome to be a part of!

I like my fair bit of surgical patients too, abdo surgery patients are neat cuz there is a fast turnover and your health teaching usually means something!

I found working with mothers/newborns in a clinic setting extremely rewarding also

and I do enjoy cardiac and respiratory patients a lot, also anything that is not common, some psych cases are interesting allbeit stressful to be part of

as for dislikes , i cannot stand some of the personality traits associated with some of the different pt diagnosis, not all the patients fit the mold of course, but I cant deal with off the hook anxious COPD'ers , some renal patients arent always the nicest , same goes for chrons/colitis patients and those undiagnosed ABD pain patients really send me for a loop , they dont wanna be NPO eventhough they are having this horrible terrible stomach pain, go figure :)

basically its not the diagnosis I dont like, its some of the personalities of the patients.

many diagnosis can be fun to deal with, we all have our faves, I too enjoy the geriatric folks

(who are oriented that is!)