Least Favorite Things Patients Say

[remotefuse]

What are some of your least favorite things that you hear from your pts? Of course we are all nurses to help people, but some responses from pts make for an instant eye roll. My least favorite thing is when pts ask to take their morning medications when they "wake up". I work nights, and I hear that ALL the time. This is one of the few times that I can be firm with a pt, especially if they are on something like vanco and need specific blood levels or I will usually just tell them that I can come back in 15-20 min, and if they don't want it at that time then I will "pass it to day shift" which usually means it won't get done. (Not knocking day shift. It just happens that day shift wont pass meds for a couple of hours after report and the med might be do again. So they just ask me to document against it./say they refused it.)

There are plenty of instances where the pt gets to make decisions like when they take their meds, but I'm not staying late to pass meds because a pt not wanting to wake up at 0630.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

"My veins roll, no one can ever get an IV in or draw blood".

Challenge accepted.

I was doing post op instructions after an intravitreal injection on Friday, saying the same thing I say EVERY single time: "use artificial tears as often as you want, to keep your eye comfortable".

"Artificial what? No one has EVER told me about those before"

"Never? You've had 42 injections and no one has EVER mentioned using tears?" (which is a total falsehood)

"Nope, you're the first".

So I explain about formulations, etc.

"Oh, OK. Hey, are you going to give me a little purple box of eye drops before I go like I always get?"

"Um, THOSE would be the artificial tears that you've never heard any of us talk about"

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

"Make sure you wake me up to give me my pain shot. I can't sleep without my pain shot."

I hear that too often. And when they finally do wake up, 4 hours AFTER they could have gotten their "pain shot", they freak out because "My pain shot is 4 hours late". Never mind that they were snoring, not restless at all. Nevermind that they had slept for those additional 4 hours. I was supposed to wake them up so they could sleep.

[Farawyn]

The vein rolling comment gives me the same charge.

[Girlafraid13]

"But the other nurse does it all the time"

Well nope not me.

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

"Yeah, I have a ride."

[Farawyn]

"Yeah, I have a ride."

Hahhahahahahaha!

"No English."

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

Can I get a meal ticket?

Can I get another meal ticket?

I haven't gotten a meal ticket today, I don't care what you say.

I can't believe this hospital only gives out one meal ticket.

Can I get a parent tray since he can't eat?

[cardiacfreak, ADN]

"Can I go smoke?"

When the patient has denied pain all shift and then the doc walks in and patient is having pain.

[OCNRN63, RN]

"The service here was very good."

I know that to some degree, nursing is a service profession, but that's something you say about a restaurant. Although, come to think of it, nurses are turning into waitresses with this push for "customer service."

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

"The service here was very good."

I know that to some degree, nursing is a service profession, but that's something you say about a restaurant. Although, come to think of it, nurses are turning into waitresses with this push for "customer service."

I was thinking about that yesterday as I said, "I would be happy to," when a client asked for me to get a pillow and blanket. Of course I want to advocate for their comfort and I don't mind. I just hate that THIS is what we are getting graded on, so to speak, instead of outcomes.

For crying out loud, our surveys indicate that we are below target for HCAHPS, which is supposed to be reflected in our personal evals. But the organization has billboards all over three counties indicating that we are leaders and superstars in certain areas. Because of that, my director states the management petitioned to have us meet that requirement. The rationale is that if we are purporting to be the best, then reward, or at least acknowledge the people that make it so, instead of relying on the opinions of a few less than exceedingly satisfied customers.

BTW, I do not like that it is depended on reaching "always" or "extremely satisfied." Why isn't simply satisfied not good enough?

[Farawyn]

"Can I go smoke?"

When the patient has denied pain all shift and then the doc walks in and patient is having pain.

Look who's over on Yellow!

[RainMom]

BTW, I do not like that it is depended on reaching "always" or "extremely satisfied." Why isn't simply satisfied not good enough?

We are told that there is no reason we can't get all 5's (on a scale of 1-5) on our patient surveys. Yet, when it comes to our own employee evaluations, a 5 is beyond reach because "there is always room for improvement".