Patient or Client??? Which do you say?

[Olive Oyl]

I am in nursing school...our instructors and our books refer to patients as clients. We've had long discussions with differing views as to which is correct. Which do you say?

[loricatus]

I refuse to call a patient a client. To me saying 'client' implies I have a business relation with them, which I certainly do not. I think this term was developed either by hospitals who view patients as potential sources of revenue; or, by nursing instructors who are afraid that by calling them 'patients', nurses may be perceived to be practicing medicine. Whatever the case may be, this is a 'patient' who is seeking some form of medically related treatment/service and I don't give a hoot if they pay for the services rendered or not, since I have no interest in them from a financial standpoint.