Patient asking for something at the wrong time...

thelema13 · Feb 9, 2012

This happens EVERY DAY. When people come to the emergency department for sniffles, stubbed toes and lacerations that have stopped bleeding on the ride over, you can expect this to continue and get worse.

That is why I staple an information sheet on our local urgent care clinics onto all visits I deem trivial. I am the king of treat and street.

RockingItInTheER · Feb 9, 2012

our er had three events that had just happened almost simultaneously and we had all been running around trying to save three liveswe had two stabilized and the third was still ongoing when I noticed a woman trying to enter the EdI told her no visitors due to the three emergencies when she started asking about another patient who had been pretty sick himself I felt bad for a second so i paused to ask what did she wantshe said oh we were just wondering how he's going to pick up his car because the ambulance drove him here and he left his car at our churchturns out she wasn't family but a woman from his churchI told her I was sure his family would take care of it and had to walk away from her while she continued to rattle on about completely inconsequential junk

beckyboo1, BSN, RN · Feb 9, 2012

Back when we had semi private rooms, we were coding bed 2 while bed 1 whined and sighed and threatened to tell her husband that we werent paying attention to her, just her roommate! We just rolled our eyes. I can't believe the nerve of ppl.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Feb 9, 2012

patient coding in room 2. Patient in room 3 can see all the excitement, and calls out to me while i'm running back and forth getting various supples from the unit that he is ready to be discharged. I called out that i couldn't right then - that a patient was having an emergency. His wife proceeds to follow me down the hall towards the room where the code was happening harping on how her husband needed to be d/c NOW. I literally had to stop her from following me into the room.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Feb 9, 2012

Back when we had semi private rooms, we were coding bed 2 while bed 1 whined and sighed and threatened to tell her husband that we werent paying attention to her, just her roommate! We just rolled our eyes. I can't believe the nerve of ppl.

The nerve of bed 2 to code like that!! Some patients will do anything for attention!

GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 9, 2012

Nurses, have any you had moments when someone asked for something at the wrong time? You know what I'm talking about. Please share stories with the rest of us.
Read more cartoons here: About A Nurse - Nursing Cartoon Series

Needless, to say it has happened too many times to count, however, the latest one occur when a doctor and myself had a pt. on all fours performing a rectal exam, when the curtain swing wide open and a another pt. stood there & stated "what happened to the bath you promise me!!!" :eek:

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Feb 9, 2012

Back when we had semi private rooms, we were coding bed 2 while bed 1 whined and sighed and threatened to tell her husband that we werent paying attention to her, just her roommate! We just rolled our eyes. I can't believe the nerve of ppl.

This one sounds familiar. We're coding the B Bed while the A bed (behind the pulled curtain) is non-stop b**tching about how we're ignoring her, she doesn't like the curtain pulled like that, who are we to keep her from seeing what's going on (one of my favorite complaints, btw) and that she was thirsty. Where was her nurse with her icewater already? (umm..that would be her doing the compressions). And no, this was NOT a demented person, just an incredibly self-involved one. Mean, rude, and ridiculous. She had to be told by the nursing supervisor (who was in the code and SO pleased to have to say this): "I'm sorry you're feeling 'put out' by this woman who is dying, but we're doing our best to keep her alive. You're obviously going to live for the next 20 minutes so you'll have to wait."

If it were in a movie, it would be deemed "implausible" LOL

Guest372004 · Feb 9, 2012

I love this! I would love to be able to say "this person is dying and we are working on saving, and you are obviously going to be still breathing this day, so you have no choice but to wait", and close the curtain! But where I work that would be "insensitive". I can be that way but then the patient "fires" the nurse. And we get called in for "the talk". Working at a hoity toity hospital in an affluent area has its downfalls.

s-whnp, NP · Feb 9, 2012

My first shift on my own as a newgrad. A code black: moving every patient/bed/IV pole/02tank into the hallway because of a potential tornado. One patient in the hallway demanded his night-time medicine right then and there. NBD two other patients needed to get blood transfusions for active bleeding *Rolls eyeballs. I love people

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Feb 10, 2012

I love this! I would love to be able to say "this person is dying and we are working on saving, and you are obviously going to be still breathing this day, so you have no choice but to wait", and close the curtain! But where I work that would be "insensitive". I can be that way but then the patient "fires" the nurse. And we get called in for "the talk". Working at a hoity toity hospital in an affluent area has its downfalls.

As it was the nursing supervisor doing the talking, at least we didn't have to worry about that! I mean really: complaining you don't like the curtain being drawn between the beds because you want to see what's going on...and then being nasty about it like it's your RIGHT to view the other person naked with a full code on them??

MegEDRN · Feb 12, 2012

kimberlyabonita,

Ha! I'm a new nurse and I get fooled by that voice. Sometimes, I just can't tell if my coworkers mean what they say or if I, too, have become a victim of the overly-polite-super-obnoxious-sugar-sweet nursey voice sprinkled with a twist of sarcasm. I can only hope that someday, I will perfect that art. =)

merrywhiterose · Feb 15, 2012

I work in a Long-term care/rehab facility. I have several residents that think they should have their PRN pain meds exactly after 4 hours since the last time they got them, even if they aren't in pain. It doesn't matter if I'm sending someone to the hospital, they still think I should stop & give them their pain meds.