I have two doozies for you. I was working on a very busy and desperately understaffed general surgical ward. We had a patient come back from major abdominal surgery (excision of a bowel ca and formation of a stoma) who almost immediately started to go down the tubes BP of 60/30 HR 140 you get the picture. I fast-bleeped his team then escalated to a crash call. We worked on him a good two hours, got him stable then transferred him to HDU (he came through just fine) I was three hours over my shift time dealing with this critically sick patient.
Arriving for work the next day the Ward Manager calls me into her office and gives me a right royal telling-off for not doing a toe dressing on the patient in the opposite bed (hernia repair, slight graze on toe) When I said I'd had a full-blown crisis situation to deal with her response was "Well you could have asked someone else to do it" Words failed me at that point.
The second delightful occasion (on the same ward) was a lady in diabetic acidosis. Full on emergency. As we were working on her a relative of another patient in that bay opened the curtains around the bed and yelled at us "My mother wants a cup of tea". The medical registrar basically read her the riot act. Result? Official complaint against that doctor.
HEADDESK.
Can anyone top these fine examples of human tolerance and decency?
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I had a state surveyor complain that I used the word "manicure" to a..... gasp.....male resident. Whom I know very well. And she doesn't. Didn't say anything, just gritted my teeth and went on.
. . . I'm sorry. . .is that bad? I mean it's not like you said "girly-cure". What are you supposed to say?? btw these are both heartbreaking and humorous all at the same time.
I work in a very small ER, at any given time there are maybe 2 nurses 1 doc and me... Not too long ago we had a patient that was brought in multiple stab wounds, ligature(sp) marks around his neck... the whole 9 yards... were it not been for the fact that it was so cold he probably would have been dead long before he got to us... we are all in the room trying to stabilize him and get him ready to be shipped somewhere else.... patient in the next room comes out pulls back the curtain and proceeds to yell at us because nobody offered to get her kid some ice water while we wait to rule out his appy... ugh!!
Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.
I have one from years ago. I worked in a horrendously busy ER in a bad gangland part of town. Patients stacked on any bed in the hallway and at least 6 hour wait. We had a code terminating in one room. In the hall outside was a lady with known gallbladder problem with acute flair up. I knew she was in pain. I had her on a gurney and started an IV and drew labs so when the doc saw her I could medicated her as soon as I had an order. Her son arrives and proceeds to demand that we do more for his mom (just really cared about her). I related what I had done and that I'd get her in a room and treated as soon as I could. This wasn't good enough for him and he was yelling at me in the hall. Just then, the patient who had died in the room behind us was rolled out of the room, obviously gone patient. I said "ok,a room has become available", unlocked the brakes and rolled her into that room. that son did realize his mistake at that point and was just as nice as can be the rest of the time.
These are hilarious! Reminds me why I don't do adults. But of course I see plenty of crazy families in peds. I had a kid we got in that was in shock and resp failure. Kid was intubated in ED and then brought up to PICU. Was in the room starting sedation and cardiac drips, drawing labs, starting lines, etc. Just trying to get the kid stable. Obviously running around. Mom and older sister are in the room and mom asks me for "something to put her stuff in". Then the older sister (who was 18 and had 2 kids, one of which was in CPS custody) started telling me about her kid. In the midst of all the chaos she starts telling me symptoms (cold symptoms) and then asks me what it could be and what she should do! I think I was "politely short" with her on that one.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i had a patient's daughter go bazerk on me one time because her mom's blanket was pink, not white. she went on to explain to me how this meant i was racist.
now there's a stellar example of perfect mental health ... not!
I was the patient, but while I was in labor another patient complained I was puking "too loudly". Gee, I'm sorry, I'll stick my head further in the bucket!
I had a patient's wife complain to my boss that she didn't want me taking care of her husband because I "kicked his bed". I wasn't even his nurse on this particular shift. What I actually did was undid the brake on his bed so I could move it out of the way to get the recliner chair out of his room because I needed it for another patient. The brakes on his bed were at the head of the bed and I had to reach my leg around the back of the bed to unlock it and when I did so the bed jerked a little bit but I definitely didn't kick it. She just 'thought" I did. I demonstrated how I unlocked the bed to my supervisor but I was still written up for it. The patient was eventually transferred out of our ICU and sent up to the med-surg floor where he coded and died a week later.
I was wearing Nursemate Quarks clogs at the time and if I had kicked the guys bed, I would've broken all the toes in my foot.
It's the trivial complainers that really make me HATE being a nurse somedays. Jesus Christ himself could be their nurse and these people would STILL find something to complain about.
. . . I'm sorry. . .is that bad? I mean it's not like you said "girly-cure". What are you supposed to say?? btw these are both heartbreaking and humorous all at the same time.
She was apparently trying to make a dignity issue out of it. This team was unbelievable. BTW, we did get tagged for nail care, and right in the paperwork it said the nails were 1/4 inch over bed:uhoh3:
I had a patient's daughter go bazerk on me one time because her mom's blanket was pink, not white. She went on to explain to me how this meant I was racist.
had a wealthy wife of her newly admitted Hubby in LTC, complain that her Hubby was served a "WINTER" fruit ( being a banana) instead of a "SUMMER" fruit, ( I think this was in June or something..;-) I'm not sure but I bet a pear or peach would of better suited her. Jeeeech!! save the banana till Jan. or something.......
I mean it's not like you said "girly-cure". What are you supposed to say?? btw these are both heartbreaking and humorous all at the same time.
nursel56
7,122 Posts
. . . I'm sorry. . .is that bad?
I mean it's not like you said "girly-cure". What are you supposed to say?? btw these are both heartbreaking and humorous all at the same time.