Most ridiculous patient requests?

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2010

I helped nurse an older, extremely crude guy (everyone was sick of the sexual expletives and requests he came out with). I was younger than, & he practically yelled out: "Hey nurse honey, how about coming over here & giving me a BJ?" And I replied: "Hang on, I'll just go & check if that's in my job description!" then I never went back! Of course I complained about him and he was warned yet again - but he didn't stop making these requests.

It makes u wonder about these people, ie: what sort of environment, etc they have been exposed to, to act like that in a public place?

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2010

as a cna, i was called into a room. the lady requested that i walk her into the bathroom, remove her pants and undergarments, help her onto the toilet, stay with her while she "went", wipe her and replace her clothing, then assist her back into the room.
what's the problem? you are thinking. that seems like a very reasonable request to give to a cna!! oh, but did i mention that the lady requesting my help was actually the 35 year-old (and able-bodied) wife of the patient?
i also was asked by a 375lb woman to insert her tampon for her. i politely offered a maxi-pad instead. (i am not sure that i would have granted her request even if i had been willing.)
once, when a patient found out that he needed to have a catheter put in, he asked me for the "ugliest durn nurse" that we had on the floor to do this task. it wasn't the request that made me nervous, rather it was how the nurse that i would find to insert the cath would react if she found out about the man's request.
finally, while settling in a newly admitted older gentleman i was told to make sure that he got a nurse who was "damn sexy". i smiled to myself at this request, as i knew who his nurse would be, and this nurse was very attractive, however the nurse also happened to be male.

sorry, i work in private hospitals, and i would never put anyone's tampon in for them, albeit they had paid a lot of money, were fat or thin! and in our hospital i would say we don't stock them anyway.

so gross!

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2010

I worked as a secretary in an outpatient physician's office and as a patient was leaving, he walked up to the front desk and asked for a toothpick lol. Sorry sir this isn't a restaurant!

I've worked as a unit secretary in various hospitals for many years, so you would get to know many family members of long term patients. These families would come up to me & say things like: "How come our Mum hasn't had her ABs yet?" or "Dad hasn't been taken out of bed yet, what is up with that?" I used to explain over and over again to the SAME PEOPLE, that no I was not a nurse (then) and they would have to see the nursing staff for any of those concerns. They weren't happy but I honestly don't know what they expected me to do about these complaints: bully the nurses into doing their jobs faster? As if...

LPN*PRN · Jan 20, 2011

I know this post is old, but I'd like to share this one. Pt calls for the nurse. I respond, may I help you? Pt says, yeah come kill this cockroach. pointing at this huge cockroach on the wall!

gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN · Jan 21, 2011

Got a new one, working 11p - 7a shift on rehab unit. It's about 2am, young male unable to sleep, claims he's starving:

Me; why are you starving

Him; I haven't eaten all day

Me; why not they brought you up trays

Him; I don't like American food

Me; well thats what they cook here, what do you want me to do?

Him; go to McDonalds and buy me food

steelydanfan · Jan 21, 2011

I think it's totally warranted not to want to leave her 4 month old baby alone in an odd place. Whether or not the nurse has time to sit with the pt is another story...

A hospital is NOT an ODD place! It's a building full of professionals with LOTS of high tech equipment!

steelydanfan · Jan 21, 2011

Why does the perfectly healthy family member come out to the desk, request a straw, ice cup or blanket for the pt. in room 33, watch the nurse get up from her work to go answer the request, and disappear from the nurses station when she comes back? So, I have to then retrace thier steps. Couldn't you just have ******* waited at the desk?

Darkfield · Jan 21, 2011

Had a young (suicidal) man ask me repeatedly for my phone number, after I straight cathed him. Should have used a 24 french, at least.

clh62590 · Nov 23, 2011

I realize this is a pretty old thread but I had to share this. I once had a pt ask me to sit on his face. I declined to fulfill that request.

NurseRatchet8715 · Mar 14, 2017

I work the night shift in the PACU at a level 2 trauma center in the heart of a "bad area" of the town, so we get a lot of drug users. Standard PACU orders for Dilaudid are pretty generous: 1mg x3 every 5 minutes as needed. So when I get pts that have a very high tolerance because of drug use, it's hard to find that line between managing their post-op pain and them trying to get high...I can't tell you how many of these patients sincerely ask me "well why can't you just put me out again?" While they're nodding out.

Uuuummmmm because you're not having surgery and you're not on a vent?!?!

Or the classic sob story about how they haven't had anything to eat or drink for 6+ hours pre-op, and here I am with a full bladder going on 8 hours, haven't had nothing to eat or drink for the past 8 hours either and telling them I truely understand, but they think you're just saying that. ðŸ˜©

Sue Damonas, BSN · Mar 14, 2017

I was working 3-11 on day and a patient was waiting to go for a cardiac cath. The cardiologist was delayed with an emergency so the pts cath was delayed. The family then demanded that the cardiologist buy them all dinner at a restaurant because they were inconvenienced.

cwentworth · Mar 16, 2017

My strangest request happened during a home visit at a Continuing Care Community. My client lived in an independent apartment. She had hurt her foot and needed to keep it elevated. She asked me to pour her a glass of wine. I felt like a waitress again!