Patient Entitlement

Nurses Humor Toon

Updated:   Published

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We've all seen them......the people who think they should always come first, no matter the circumstances. In the healthcare environment, we cannot always address the needs of patients in the order of occurrence. Contrary to popular belief, the squeaky wheel cannot always get fixed first. Share your stories about patients and their sense of entitlement.

Specializes in Ambulatory Surgery, Ophthalmology, Tele.

I had a female patient in for 24 hour observation for chest pain with history of angina. So far all tests were negative. She would really ham it up and become a drama queen when her daughter visited her. Once while the patient's daughter was visiting, there was a code in the room across from her. The daughter was upset that I was not in her mom's room (even though I was in there for a good 45 minutes just before the daughter came). I think we may have even called the daughter to see if she could visit so I could get back to my other patients.

I explained to the daughter that another patient had an emergency. The daughter said, "I know. I understand that but this is MY mom and I am worried about HER." Yes, I get that, she is worried about her mom but did she NOT see the rapid response team and all the activity that was occuring? :facepalm:

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I've been that freaked out mom! I took one child in for a seizure and kept bugging the triage nurse every 20 minutes bc she was just out of it, eyes glazed over. But to my defense I truly thought my kid was going to croak. Same kid, different visit, I also acted a fool due to an allergic reaction, tongue completely swollen out of the mouth (no history of allergies, she was 5 at the time). I didn't scream or berate anyone, but I sure as heck kept bugging the nurse. "It's getting more swollen and now she has hives, please help her now?" Nurse came into the waiting room and gave Benadryl, she was A-ok. I apologize ?

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Entitlement syndrome is probably what burns me out more than anything else.

But we've created this monster. We not only allow it, we encourage it--"patient satisfaction" is out of control.

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I think it all started in the retail setting :angrybird9:

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
calinurse11 said:
I've been that freaked out mom! I took one child in for a seizure and kept bugging the triage nurse every 20 minutes bc she was just out of it, eyes glazed over. But to my defense I truly thought my kid was going to croak. Same kid, different visit, I also acted a fool due to an allergic reaction, tongue completely swollen out of the mouth (no history of allergies, she was 5 at the time). I didn't scream or berate anyone, but I sure as heck kept bugging the nurse. "It's getting more swollen and now she has hives, please help her now" Nurse came into the waiting room and gave Benadryl, she was A-OK. I apologize 

I don't know...I have to tell you as an ED nurse a kid who siezed for the first time and was out of it....gets a room. ANY allergic reaction with a swollen tongue...buy another room. ASAP However if she can swallow....she can be watched in the waiting room for a bit.

I don't play with little kids airways.

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Esme why couldn't you have been my nurse!

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I agree....my son had a seizure and they shipped him to the ED of a much larger hospital. He spent a week in ICU after having another one and needing intubation. I'm no ED nurse, but I would have been quite concerned about a child with a swollen tongue and hives.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
calinurse11 said:
Esme why couldn't you have been my nurse!

((HUGS)) Thanks......I just wish people paid better attention.

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Specializes in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.
ReOxyS said:
I think it all started in the retail setting :angrybird9:

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

People get peeved if they don't get super service at the grocery store.

People get peeved if they don't get super service in freakin Big Lots.

People get peeved if they don't get super service at McDonald's.

People get peeved if they don't get super service for free services or when they're getting their welfare checks cashed.

Sheesh. Why??!?! Where did this entitlement nonsense come from? I've been in a facility that does push the customer service-style mentality but I think the implementation has been for the better as it seems to rub off more on employee interaction than for the customers. They don't care if they're getting good or bad "customer service." They don't even know what good service is because to them it's all bad and someone always has a bad attitude just because they didn't smile enough when they brought them water. Whatever.

Send everyone to do a tour of duty for 2 years in retail post-high school and we'll see about entitlement.

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I used to do outpatient chemo. There was myself and one other nurse for the entire Cancer Center. We had a very sweet woman who was to start chemo. She was elderly, dehydrated, diabetic, anorexic- which as you all know makes for a great IV start, right? She was not the difficult one, but her husband. Now I know her loved her very much and he obviously felt out of control not being able to help her, I could see that. But he was horrible to me and my coworker. If you did not get his wife in one stick , he would start screaming, kicking chairs. This went on every other week. I would get ice pick headaches on the mornings they were due to come in. They wouldn't even consider having a port placed. He was a retired oral surgeon at the hospital I worked for. He must have went and made some noise because it got to the point where the Vice President of the hospital came to our clinic on the mornings they came, and he would " sit in" on her treatments! He would be sitting there for the IV starts and the entire chemo infusion! He was a very nice man, and he knew we did good work. So he was there to appease the patient's husband. Talk about pressure! Still have no idea who this man was that he could get such a response from the hospital by throwing tantrum.

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
annaotis said:
I used to do outpatient chemo. There was myself and one other nurse for the entire Cancer Center. We had a very sweet woman who was to start chemo. She was elderly, dehydrated, diabetic, anorexic- which as you all know makes for a great IV start, right? She was not the difficult one, but her husband. Now I know her loved her very much and he obviously felt out of control not being able to help her, I could see that. But he was horrible to me and my coworker. If you did not get his wife in one stick , he would start screaming, kicking chairs. This went on every other week. I would get ice pick headaches on the mornings they were due to come in. They wouldn't even consider having a port placed. He was a retired oral surgeon at the hospital I worked for. He must have went and made some noise because it got to the point where the Vice President of the hospital came to our clinic on the mornings they came, and he would " sit in" on her treatments! He would be sitting there for the IV starts and the entire chemo infusion! He was a very nice man, and he knew we did good work. So he was there to appease the patient's husband. Talk about pressure! Still have no idea who this man was that he could get such a response from the hospital by throwing tantrum.

Screaming and kicking chairs? Sounds like classic Guilty Family Syndrome. Like the people who neglect their elderly parents until one ends up in hospital. Then they show their "love and devotion" by being obnoxious and demanding towards the nursing staff. I suspect this guy was a jerk of a husband but wants you to think otherwise.

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Wow, I thought there were policies to keep people like that OUT of the room when they got out of control! Not only does behavior like that stress the professionals, surely it stresses the patient!

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