Me... Me... Me: A Sense of Entitlement

[Joe V]

We've all seen this type of patient. They start out in the ER insisting that they be seen first because no one else could be in as much need of medical attention as them. This behavior carries over to the floor once they've been admitted. They want it, and they want it NOW. What are some experiences you've had with such privileged characters?

[Garden,RN, ASN, RN]

That one takes the cake and I have had the same thing. On the other side though, the patients don't know what is going on. I have been a patient and it really looks bad from this side. It often looks like the hospital personnel, yes mostly nursing, is doing nothing. Even the CNAs think that we aren't doing enough.

[Garden,RN, ASN, RN]

I don't like the tone of the thread perhaps we should listen to our patients more. Some of the kids and seniors that I have cared for over the years have had underlying needs within the scope of our nursing practise. The child that constantly gets ill and you later find out is homeless. The senior that is depressed but has no one to even deliver a grocery. While the ed may not be the ideal place to address these issues, it certainly would be nice to address the root cause by referring the patient and solving it once and for all. This is wholistic care.

[showbizrn]

How about the patient who is rushing you to give him his prn med? He asked, "what would happen if I didn't get my inhaler at all?" I answered, "You'll die." He walked away.

Enough said.

[anitalaff, BSN, RN]

TriciaJ said:

How do you make a culture more positive? By learning to see the humour in every situation. That's what this thread is. When people vent to one another, they are more able to start seeing the funny side. But every thread has its self-righteous goody two shoes who's busy being "positive".

Hopefully when you get past being a "sunshiner" you too will develop a sense of humour. No one creates more negativity than the person who is holier-than-thou. I was actually enjoying this thread until I got to the ubiquitous diatribe.

That was unnecessarily harsh, IMO. Methinks the nurse doth protest too much.

[anitalaff, BSN, RN]

RN&momo5 said:

We all hear these stories, and have our own to tell. My question is what can we do about it? Everyone (nurses, aides, and techs) are becoming accustomed to being treated badly and we laugh it off. Is there anything we can actually do? This behavior will get worse. People are even reacting violently to be told "No". "No" you can't have 4 mg of Dilaudid. "No" I won't push your meds faster! "No" you can not drive home after a narcotic. Ect, ect.. While venting this ridiculous behavior and sharing anecdotal stories can be helpful, the reality is - something needs to change.

This is a VERY good point, and it deserves its own thread.

[anitalaff, BSN, RN]

TheCommuter said:

Many moons ago I had a little old lady who was fairly independent: ambulated without any assistance, fed herself, and was able to perform all self-care and ADLs. She was simply there to receive teaching regarding her new colostomy before discharging home.

However, this woman was one of the most entitled wenches I've ever met. She'd always whine, "I'm a sick lady and the people here are to serve me."

I'd always retort, "No! You're a well lady who needs teaching on how to manage your colostomy so you can take care of yourself when you go home!"

I LOOOOOVE your response! Thanks for that.

[TriciaGT]

When I was a House supervisor, I had a lady with a sprained ankle leave after being triaged. She then came back via ambulance thinking she would get seen faster. I had to explain to her that not only did she lose her original place but that she would have to wait awhile because we were very busy with sick patients. She ended up waiting in the lobby with ice on her ankle and was discharged home shortly after being seen.

[Nita Faye]

We served a large Medicaid population in OB. (You loose money on every Medicaid delivery) I've had them come in and say, "I want everything I am entitled to..." Insert eye roll here. Who packs for an OB delivery and doesn't pack panties, tooth brush, tooth paste...