Nurses receiving poor care....

[Mrs. SnowStormRN]

What do you say when youre the patient and your nurse is screwing up? Ive had this dilemma a few times, I often do not reveal myself as a nurse to the staff, even when I notice they are doing something incorrectly UNLESS its with my children OR could REALLY harm me. What do you do in this situation?

[Katie5]

But that's just so wrong! I truly detest the reality that those of us in the health care profession receive "better" (and sometimes this only means "adequate") care just because we know which buttons to push and whom to call.

What if your mom didn't have you? This is the part of American health care that I really, really don't like. And sometimes, to my chagrin, nurses are at the root of the problem, as your story illustrates.

No it's not just healthcare- it happens in all facets of all. The, "Who you know." syndrome.

[gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN]

Numerous times I have been sent to the ER by my DR for a suspected TIA, each time I sat waiting for 4 to 5 hours in the wating room. When finally brought into the examining room they would do an EKG & discharge me. Finally the last time I put my foot down and demanded tests, Dr looks at me (like I'm some kinda nut) and says "And what tests do you want?" When I got done telling him which tests were required and he got the results, he walked back into the room and said they were admitting me. I asked why, he said (sheepishly) "You've had a TIA" SHOCKER!!!! Needless to say, it followed me up to the floor that I was a Nurse so the rest for the of my stay I was well taken care of. Sad when you have to go to those lengths.

[Simply Complicated]

I personally don't think it's the letting them know you are a nurse that is the problem. It's the nurses who expect special treatment because of it. I'm not referring to the good adequate care that everyone deserves. But the one's who you would think they don't know what goes on, and are no better than the patients who get mad that you didn't get them their juice fast enough.

I've only been hospitalized once, when I had my daughter. I didn't get a chance to decide to tell or not, being that my doctor decided to let them know for me, lol. I've had ER visits with my daughter, and sometimes I've said I am a nurse, sometimes not. A few times it's just been when they commented that I seemed pretty knowlegable.

[mojitos2go]

When I had my daughter, the staff knew I was a nurse from the facesheet info. The poor young nurse was so nervous while starting an IV, I told her, "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies!" She did a superb job of inserting an 18 gauge needle into this sunburned and dehydrated patient.

[Old.Timer]

i never state that i am a nurse, but after a conversation or two it's usually somewhat evident that you have a bit more knowledge than the average family member.

my family has experienced several very devastating incidents while hospitalized. every single one of them was the result of an overwhelming workload or inexperience/poor training of staff; all disciplines.

since then, i suppose i've become what could possibly be termed a helicopter nurse :).

disturbingly, i've completely lost count of the instances where my intervention has prevented errors and/or ensured appropriate care for hospitalized family members. i've never faulted specific individuals. i see it for what it is... a system in collapse. i myself left clinical nursing once my barometer of a "good shift" became, "everyone is still alive ". i have tremendous respect for hospital nurses, they are doing what i loved, but was no longer able to deal with.

whenever my family is hospitalized, i stake out a spot in the corner of the room, stay out of the way and don't bother anyone. my family member rests and i work. it doesn't take long for staff to realize that i'm "good family" vs "bad family" and that i totally understand the constraints that they are working under.

it's pretty much confirmed that you are not a pia when staff hunts down a cot for you without being asked.

[BrookeeLou_RN]

I will speak up not to get better treatment but to receive the correct treatment. Once, in for kidney stone, my boss realized when he visited how sick I really was (I was infection control nurse at the time) when I said nothing about the dirty laundry on the floor in the corner! But when he visited just before Doc said I could go home, he realized laundry was no longer there and asked if staff had moved it. I said well yes after I discussed it with them. He asid yep you are ready to go home! I saw it all along but did not care at beginning. Once when father was dying I had to be PIA nurse but not to staff to the attending physician. He had God syndrome and I merely put him in his place after he yelled at Dad's favorite excellent nurse. The staff high fived me all day.

I also have a urostomy and I have let student nurses come and look and touch once while being inpatient. Their teacher was very grateful. I did my own in-service! Sometimes I have had to in-service actual staff on same subject.

And I agree they can always tell something is up cause I tend to speak in "nurse". :)