I swear, sometimes it seems I can not get through a shift without a patient or visitor complaining about something. From pain meds, to food quality to wait times, nurses hear it all! However, this past week, I had a couple strange complaints...
1) Visitor (patient's aunt) was mad that we did not have a blow dryer available to borrow.
2) Patient stated he did not like the way the sun came through his window.
3) Parent did not like that we carried Powerade, wanted staff to "go across street" to buy him Gatorade.
What are some of the stranger (outrageous) complaints you've heard?
I would have tried very hard to make sure the cat was Ok!!
Several years ago I had a patient (primary care) who had a stroke and was hospitalized. I went to her house three days in a row to feed her cat and clean the litter box!!! She had been our primary patient for over 10 years. Her family lived out of state and she had no one else. They did take the cat home with them.
Specializes in Med-Surg., LTC,, OB/GYN, L& D,, Office.
Not so much an outrageous complaint as request; when a known drug-seeking young woman asked to see the empty tubes-from a recently given meperidine injection to ensure she was getting the full dose, ordered.
Not so much an outrageous complaint as request; when a known drug-seeking young woman asked to see the empty tubes-from a recently given meperidine injection to ensure she was getting the full dose, ordered.
I had one that wanted me to inject normal saline into the empty vial, swish it around, and redraw it to make sure that every drop made it into her vein. I'm typically pretty cooperative, but I had to say no and draw a line there.
New RN had a really bad time sticking me for bloodwork. She tried twice then offered to grab a tech. I said, paraphrased from being in an ER at 0600-0700 with bad abd pain "Nothing personal. I know you tried. But sure, go ahead and grab him"
He gets it first try. Well, shoot.
About a half an hour later, I ask the doctor a few yards away when results will come back, in between browsing this site and trying to kill boredom as the pain was only intermittent.
Right as he replies I hear "YOU ARE THE WORST NURSE EVER YOU CAN'T DO AN IV FOR (Insert expletives) AND I WANT A NEW NURSE YOU SHOULD BE FIRED...." (Myriad of other words)
Nurse comes back into my room. I flat turned to her and said something to the tune of "I overheard you overthere. Don't worry. You did a great job. I can't be mad at you for not getting mine. I'll make the same mistake in 4 years when I'm in your shoes I'm sure"
We exchange words. I have never met a ruder person, than whoever unidentified woman was in that other room. I'd like to think that being kind before, and after that to that poor nurse hopefully made her night a little better.
Matter of fact, I wrote an appreciation letter for her and that tech. I need to go to a Fedex store and print it Tuesday. Next time I'm by the hospital, I'll drop it off. :)
Maybe it's that I'm going for both nursing and auto mechanic for a career, but holy moly.
There needs to be mandatory classes in high school: How to act in a emergency room, including:
1. If Grandma Jane comes in diaphoretic, nauseated with left arm pain with heart palpitations, she'll be seen first to make sure that MI doesn't cause her very death right here. Sorry about your toe pain sweetheart. I'm sure you'll get your dilaudid soon! She came in before you, yes, while her ST Segment is as high as your pain level in MMs x 10.
2. If a nurse cannot get your needle stick on try 2, she'll offer to get you the tech. Gladly accept the offer, making sure to be professional about her humanly error. Cussing about will get security called, and she's going to be your nurse until 0700 when she goes home. I'll bet my last dollar on that!
2A. Unless the nurse mistakes your TONSILLectomy for a VASectomy on surgery orders (I'm sure it's happened somewhere), there's nothing worth complaining about for mistakes made
3. From mom, a retired nurse who hated when people would come into the ED with 5 day old coleslaw in their privates causing infection....please know when and when not to come in. Know what can be treated at home.
4. You've been waiting 8 hours for the common cold because other people exist, and want to see their family tomorrow. See point #1.
Several years ago I had a patient (primary care) who had a stroke and was hospitalized. I went to her house three days in a row to feed her cat and clean the litter box!!! She had been our primary patient for over 10 years. Her family lived out of state and she had no one else. They did take the cat home with them."
A lot of these are from our monthly discharge survey reports:
"You should have soft serve available to families on the floor."
"My 15 year old son was placed in a room next to a baby. It cried all night. Unacceptable."
"The nurse didn't come in right away while my baby was crying. I was trying to take a nap."
Phone call at 1AM from an angry parent because we told her 7 year old it was time to turn off the TV/lights and go to bed at midnight and scolded him for throwing Connect 4 at a volunteer earlier in the day. "I'm paying for that hospital room. He can do whatever and act however he wants."
Mom of a elbow fracture kid ask if she goes down to OR to talk to someone will they take her child sooner. When I tried to explain that they take patients as based on urgency of care and severity of injury she yelled "My kid has a broken arm! What could be more urgent than that?!?!" Hmmmm maybe the 8 year old on the news right now that got shot in a drive by this morning on his way to school...
There are at least 2-3 parents every week who ask "can somebody come sit with my baby while I run to the car/to get food really quick". "Car" could mean various things, and quick could be 15 minutes or 6 hours. Also, not always a baby. It has been a developmentally appropriate teenager once who barely looked up from their phone when you were talking to them. At least one of those will get sent survey and send it back every month.
Giving someone a pill in the ED, I turned on the faucet and got some water. "This water is warm. You are such a bad nurse." Said in the voice like she was scolding a child. For clarification, the water was its normal temp coming out of a faucet....i.e., not hot water.
humerusRN, BSN
100 Posts
In pediatrics, it's "Why can't someone come in here and sit with my baby while I go out to get food?" Because we are not a babysitting service, ma'am.