Pts who insult you?

2018nurseandbeyond · Dec 4, 2018

thank you for the responses, i think im just letting it get to me. he refused to x3 before ( it was synthroid!) and I documented it and put it on the MD communication form. The doctor ordered a thyroid panel to see if he can still refuse but the MD said he had to still take his med

2018nurseandbeyond · Dec 4, 2018

i will see if i can change the times, the pts get woken up at 5 am for toileting eitherway by CNA rounds, but i will see if i can get it changed

blue0714, LVN, RN · Dec 4, 2018

Go back to your psych book when dealing with these type of patients. Most act out because they feel they have lost control over what happens to them and or no one is listening to them.

I know it doesn't make it any easier to take from them, but understandable.

Of course there's boundaries: cursing, touching etc is not to be tolerated and you have recourse for those things.

Otherwise, try not to take it too personally, because just know it probably has nothing at all to do with you. It's him-and he WILL be discharged at some point (yay.) Of course if he really wants to complain about you, let him know he can always request another nurse. Sometimes personalities clash even in a nurse/patient relationship.

Hoosier_RN, MSN · Dec 4, 2018

thank you for the responses, i think im just letting it get to me. he refused to x3 before ( it was synthroid!) and I documented it and put it on the MD communication form. The doctor ordered a thyroid panel to see if he can still refuse but the MD said he had to still take his med

You cannot force a patient to take their meds. The dr can order that all he wants, pt has the right to refuse

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Dec 4, 2018

thank you for the responses, i think im just letting it get to me. he refused to x3 before ( it was synthroid!) and I documented it and put it on the MD communication form. The doctor ordered a thyroid panel to see if he can still refuse but the MD said he had to still take his med

Well then, the MD can just come and push it down the patient's throat. YOU don't have to. The doctor would have to order a 72 hour psych hold... to legally force medication administration. Get an IM order.

Then you get to have security hold them down.

Party on.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Dec 4, 2018

im a baby-faced nurse with a young voice and a mousey demeanor, i have pts who i have to wake up to give their 5 am ( shift ends at 6:30 a) meds.
one pt keeps always insulting me, and made a rhyme with "danger, danger [my name] always waking me up and ruining my day and walking out of the room when i told her not to" ( no neglect he was just insulting me from the night before and i wasnt going to deal with it)
how do i stop it??? he keeps saying more and more stuff to me and i usually just explain the same thing i always do. his 5 am meds are important because the doctor ordered it. you have to take it before your other meds so it works. he usually shutsup but i cant deal with it. apparently he keeps talking about me to the other nurses and its frustrating. im just doing my job!!!
the other nurses roll their eyes at it since its all recorded im giving the meds but at some point i need to figure out how to get him to stop being such a dickhead

Pretty sure dickhead is not appropriate here.. or in the hospital. :) But yeah.. he is.

Neats, BSN · Dec 4, 2018

You are waking the patient up early in the AM for ordered medication. The patient is rude, picking on you, bullying you and the doctor continues to say he has to take his medication when the patient has refused before?? Just want to make sure I am getting this correct.

1. If I was the patient who keeps getting woke up early in the morning I would be a jerk, talk to my doctor letting them know I do not want to be woken up and to find another time to take my medication.

2. When you go into the room to wake the patient up for their Synthroid medication I would just ignore the words. I would have a conversation asking if he would like his medication changed to a different time or is this just fun for you to tease me this early in the morning when I have only had one cup of coffee and you have not even had breakfast yet. You need to learn to stand up for yourself.

3. Try to make this fun for him, it appears he is for some reason irritated with this early morning wake up or he is a bully either way you should find a solution that makes the most sense for the patient. If he wants to continue to banter with you then I suggest you learn how to banter back. Watch waitress at truck stops they are great to learn verbal judo from.

2018nurseandbeyond · Dec 4, 2018

the pt was re-educated r/t his panel so he takes them now. i like all your advice. i always give him a choice of "you can refuse if you want to" which is why i let him refuse before, but i have to follow protocol and try and see if he will take his med or not and then document it. does that make sense?

so after the re-education from whomever in the day he takes them again

edit: also this thread really blew up, im so shy from all the responses lol

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Dec 4, 2018

thank you for the responses, i think im just letting it get to me. he refused to x3 before ( it was synthroid!) and I documented it and put it on the MD communication form. The doctor ordered a thyroid panel to see if he can still refuse but the MD said he had to still take his med

While the doctor is free to say the patient has to take his meds there is literally no way to enforce this. Why wasn't just changing the time of administration to improve compliance brought up? Seems to me that changing the time of the med could fix this problem pretty easily.

Axgrinder · Dec 4, 2018

Sadly you can't chant your own rhyme in response to his juvenile antics - but doesn't mean you can't think one up and say it in your own head. Then smile (let him wonder about what that is about).

Why hasn't he just had a chat with the doctor about changing the Rx Synthroid dose time? Seems he could have fixed this the 2nd day of admission. My guess is he is bored and enjoys playing with you. You could try to joke back with him and see if he unbends a little?

Creamsoda, ASN, RN · Dec 5, 2018

Patients who insult me? Muahaha bring it on. They could call me literally anything in the book and it would not bother me one bit. I know im doing my job and what im supposed to. If they want to fling insults at me or make fun of my appearance let them. It makes me laugh if anything. Especially the creative ones. Why are you letting it get to you? Feel free to chart the insults that are said too. I work in an ICU, ive been called all sorts of things. Doesnt bother me a bit because im not the crazy one in the bed.

Kallie3006, ADN · Dec 5, 2018

"patient, patient all bright and cheery

Here's your meds now be a deary

A sip of water just real quick

Take your pill or not- you pick"

of course, "pick" can be interchanged with other words to your liking. Tell him you look forward to tomorrow's med pass so you can tell him another verse.