Nurses cannot perform miracles

Plus, did you ever try to get a good sleep in a hospital???

Ah, yes. I frequently encounter people that think that all hospitals should be like St. Mungos in Harry Potter. Wave a magic wand and we're all good.

Thought about posting this on Facebook but didn't think it would be well received, so I thought maybe my fellow nurses could relate. Yesterday I entered a patient's room with high hopes of reviewing the care plan, working on pain and nausea control, and going over post op instructions from the surgeon but instead was met with one complaint and one snarky remark after another without me so much as being able to get a word in.

Eventually she apologized and I try to be understanding because I know nobody wants to have an illness and be in the hospital, but one thing she said stuck out to me. She said "I thought I came here so you guys could help me." That was before I had even gotten an assessment in, by the way. There is just this notion in America that anytime someone experiences pain, is diagnosed with a disease, or experience any type of discomfort the doctors and nurses will fix it. We are a death and disease denying culture. I wish healthcare wasn't advertised as a cure all but as a chance to have a better quality of life. Just had me feeling frustrated...

You're right to keep it off Facebook!

This attitude of having "NO PAIN" started in the 1990s or thereabouts when a whole generation of surgeons and anesthesiologists started telling patients that they won't have any pain after surgery because "The nurses will take care of that." And then the nurse gets to explain to the patient that the physician was mistaken, or exaggerated or lied or whatever because "If I give you enough medication to take away all your pain, you won't breathe." Funny how they'll believe a totally unrealistic thing the doctor said, but won't believe an absolutely realistic thing said by the nurse. This expectation of no pain is what I blame for the opioid crisis.

The idea everything can be fixed stems from various sources. High on my list is the AHA which corners the market on BLS/ACLS. I just renewed these and if a lay person were to take BLS they would come away thinking the AED can fix anything, the majority of non-medical folks believe that most people can be revived from VFib et al neurologically intact.

The vast majority, of course, are not revived at all let alone neurologically intact. Essentially the AHA receives a lot of donations based upon misinformation and don't even get me started on medical dramas.

Same with cancer society and any other org dependent upon donations. Seeking donations in and of itself is not a bad thing but these orgs really make it sound as if the outlook is rosier than it is. The AHA does not address failure at all in BLS and ACLS devotes @ a paragraph to poor outcomes. Little wonder the public thinks miracles can be done.

You shut that down immediately, and don't worry what the patient thinks. Often they apologize afterwards.

Had a patient like yours who wouldn't let me get a word in when he arrived on the floor. After one minute of him yelling at me, I told him he needed to stop right now.

Patient: blah blah blah...pain...blah blah blah...you people...blah blah blah ARGH ARGH ARGH

Me: Sir, you need to stop yelling right now.

Patient: silent because no one has ever told him to shut up

Me: I can't do anything, and I do mean anything until I have checked you out, looked at your chart, and I figure out what to do. I am your nurse, and I will take care of you, but you have to calm down.

Patient: blah blah blah, pain.

Me: I can't help you right now.

Patient: ....

Me: ....

Patient:...I'm sorry

Me: let me see what I can do, but I am going to do a full assessment before anything else.

Patient: okay. You do what you have to do. I'm usually not like this.

I have a special script for drug seekers. It goes like this:

Patient: 10 mg of oxy isn't enough!

Me: It seems the oxycodone isn't taking care of your pain.

Patient: Exactly! You get it!

Me: Absolutely. I will immediately get that order discontinued, and we'll start you on Advil with the Tylenol. I'm going to call your doctor now.

Patient: Wait, my pain isn't that bad. The oxycodone is working.

Me: Well, if that changes you let me know. Tylenol and Advil have been proven to work more effectively than narcotics, and I want to take care of you pain.

It's all about how you approach it, but remember that you are ultimately in control. Don't put up with it, and let them know you mean business.