Ok...so which of you on allnurses.com is this family talking about? :)

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

I read a site called notalwaysright.com about how customers are crazy (there are also sister sites notalwaysromantic, notalwaysrelated (dopey family members), and notalwaysworking (nutty employees).

This was the "headline story" on notalwaysright.com recently, not everything is goofy or funny...some stories are pretty sweet, like this one:

Why Nurses Should Rule The World

Doctor | TX, USA | Family & Kids, Health & Body

(My 5-year-old son has received a serious injury to his eye. After a pediatrician recommends us to an eye doctor, we are referred to a specialist that works out of a university two hours away from home.)

Nurse: "These are all the contact numbers you should need. I also went online for some directions, and called ahead to let them know it should only be a few hours."

My Son: "I don't want to."

Nurse: "What's the matter?"

My Son: *visibly getting upset* "I'm scared."

Nurse: "But you've been so brave this whole time! How about this: if you go see the new doctor, I'll give you my phone number and you can call me if you get too upset, okay?"

(The nurse writes down her work extension and cell phone number on a piece of paper and adds it to my paperwork, insisting that I feel free to call if I have any problems or questions. My son stays calm all the way to the university and through the appointment with the specialist until we're told he's going to need surgery. Crying and upset, he begs me to call the nurse from the clinic.)

Me: *on the phone* "I'm so sorry to bother you, I know you're still working, but he's really upset and asked to talk to you."

(I put the phone on speakerphone so my son, crying on the exam table, can hear.)

Nurse: "Hey buddy! What's wrong?"

My Son: *crying* "The doctor here wants to give me surgery!"

Nurse: "There's nothing wrong with that. It'll make your eye all better. You'll be able to see again, like we talked about."

My Son: "But I'm scared! It's going to hurt!"

Nurse: "Of course it's not going to hurt. That nice doctor wouldn't hurt you!"

My Son: "Have you been given surgeries?"

Nurse: "Yeah kiddo, a few."

My Son: "And you came back to life?"

Nurse: "Every single time."

My Son: "Promise?"

Nurse: "Swear."

(My son has calmed down considerably throughout the conversation, and there's not a dry eye in the room.)

My Son: "...Okay..."

Nurse: "See? I knew you were brave."

My Son: "Thank you! Love you!"

Nurse: *laughing* "Love you, too."

(I thanked the nurse a thousand times, and she insisted I call her ASAP to let her know how the surgery goes. Later that day, she texted us a picture of herself and her family with a 'GET WELL SOON' sign they made for my son!

Source: http://notalwaysright.com/why-nurses...he-world/24550

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Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

That was fantastic to read, thanks for sharing.. The little things mean so much to others, sometimes we just don't realize it.

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Awww how sweet!!! Thanks for sharing

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Hate to be the Debbie downer, but SERIOUSLY???? Inappropriate on a number of levels.

Thank goodness that this child (who obviously is as cute as can be--and this is NOT what this is about) made it through surgery OK, but

this is poor practice, crossed all sorts of boundries, and not something I would ever advise a nurse to do.

And it may be extreme (or not....) if that child had complications, the family could come back and say that Nurse so and so assured our child that all would be OK!! On speakerphone with lots of people listening!! And who knows what else (she texted us a picture, used our private cell phone!!!) Never cross personal with professional. They are your patients, not one's friends, or family. Ped patients touch my heartstrings as well, but this is, in my opinion, crossing the line.

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Specializes in Hospice, LTC, Rehab, Home Health.

@Jadelpn

While I would agree with you 99.9% of the time, There are areas of the country i.e.Podunk USA pop. 250 where everyone knows everyone else and all their business where the lines between personal and professional aren't quite as sharply defined. This is a story written by a family member, we have NONE of the important details that would tell us the relationships that exist in the town where this took place. There are times when the boundaries are stretched and in Peds this happens more often than other settings. If we are too rigid and legalistic we can lose sight of compassion. I wish she would have told the child it may hurt some, but the nurses would give medicine to help it not hurt. And the parents were given, I'm sure, the possible complications but we do NOT burden children with this information.

If this took place in Big City, USA and the nurse had never seen this child before than you have a point, but since we don't know; can't we just enjoy the heart and intent of the story! Everything doesn't have to be a nursing school lecture!

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
Hate to be the Debbie downer, but SERIOUSLY???? Inappropriate on a number of levels.

Thank goodness that this child (who obviously is as cute as can be--and this is NOT what this is about) made it through surgery OK, but

this is poor practice, crossed all sorts of boundries, and not something I would ever advise a nurse to do.

And it may be extreme (or not....) if that child had complications, the family could come back and say that Nurse so and so assured our child that all would be OK!! On speakerphone with lots of people listening!! And who knows what else (she texted us a picture, used our private cell phone!!!) Never cross personal with professional. They are your patients, not one's friends, or family. Ped patients touch my heartstrings as well, but this is, in my opinion, crossing the line.

I really have to agree here. It was a nice story and the nurse touched the family in a great way. We just had a huge thread on giving out your private phone # to patients, and this is an instance when a professional boundary was crossed. Also, I don't even look at it as a problem with "the nurse assured us it would be ok" (nurses provide this false reassurance all the time). For me, it is more the idea that if something goes wrong, they now have you personal number and could harass you to no end--not to mention what crazy family members might do.

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This story has outstanding examples of everything they said NOT to do in nursing school- what about saying 'those nice doctors wouldn't hurt you' and 'surgery won't hurt'...that's a real problem for me because how are they going to feel when they are surprised by the pain post op and had no prep for it before hand? The truth presented in a compassionate way works better for me.

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Thank you for the story, legal pro and con, this story supports why the public entrusts in nurses and the nursing profession is so highly regarded next to lawyers. This story does not seem to be all about patient satisfaction scores, it was the right thing to do.Thank you to a caring nurse.

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@Jadelpn

While I would agree with you 99.9% of the time, There are areas of the country i.e.Podunk USA pop. 250 where everyone knows everyone else and all their business where the lines between personal and professional aren't quite as sharply defined. This is a story written by a family member, we have NONE of the important details that would tell us the relationships that exist in the town where this took place. There are times when the boundaries are stretched and in Peds this happens more often than other settings. If we are too rigid and legalistic we can lose sight of compassion. I wish she would have told the child it may hurt some, but the nurses would give medicine to help it not hurt. And the parents were given, I'm sure, the possible complications but we do NOT burden children with this information.

If this took place in Big City, USA and the nurse had never seen this child before than you have a point, but since we don't know; can't we just enjoy the heart and intent of the story! Everything doesn't have to be a nursing school lecture!

Then I will respectfully agree to disagree. I live in a really, really small town, and the LAST thing I would want if a ped surgery goes wrong to have to see patient and all family members while I am grocery shopping, after I assured them that it would all be "ok". Just because someone lives in a community where everyone knows everyone, all their business, and what they don't know they learn via the rumor mill, even MORE SO to not get involved beyond professionally. Plus, the rumor mill is such that by the Tuesday after next, I would be either performing the surgery myself, or lamb-blasting the parents for not taking my advice, or getting caught for a DUI whille I was driving the kid to surgery myself....:blackeye:

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I think most of the stories in that site are grossly exaggerated, but I'm a sure that on a basic level a nurse did make the child feel a little better about his procedure. Paedeatric nurses are awesome :)

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My first thought was simply that this was a nice story about nurses. I even teared up a bit. This is written from the mom's POV, right? I didn't get the impression mom was a nurse so she probably has no idea about boundaries.

But yeah, telling a kiddo it wouldn't hurt is not a good idea. Giving out personal phone numbers too. However, as a hospice nurse in a small town, we sometimes cross boundaries unintentionally.

Had a really great inservice a few years ago from a physician who specialized in boundary issues. He gave great examples of times when it is a definite "NO NO!" to times when it would be hurtful to the patient to say no.

We don't turn down the offer of a cup of coffee and some homemade coffee cake from hurting family members who simply want to have a chance to sit down and talk. I didn't turn down the potted aloe vera plant given to me by the wife of a patient who simply took a cutting off her own plant and put it in a cheap pot. She would have been so hurt if I had said no. I asked him afterward about that and he said I did the right thing. Now, if she'd offered me her family's antique grandfather's clock . .. . .(it happened to him) THAT would be a "NO NO".

The physician said pay attention to "the hair on the back of your neck" . . . . if something feels wrong, think hard about it.

Our local hospital's phone system went down last weekend. We called all the hospice families and gave them the manager's cell phone number to call until the system was back up. We're lucky - no one has abused that offer.

Anyway - I think the point of this thread and the story was about how nurses should rule the world :up: It was a sweet story.

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Work extension, maybe. Personal cell number? NO WAY IN HADES.

Sweet story, but no.

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