"Your job is to make me happy"

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I was taking care of a patient today who told me... "your job is to make me happy".

I was taken aback, but responded "my job is to make you healthy... healthy and happy, but healthy first"

I feel a bit guilty, and I feel that I shouldn't. I'm amazed that a patient would tell me that my job is to make them happy. Has anyone had an experience like this or offer any words of advice?

It is not a job to make others happy but it depends on patients' own experience in hospital to let them feel the happiness. A smile and the warmth of caring attitude by nurse will indirectly make patients feel happy during hospitalization but again it depends on individual personality.

I had a patient who told me that I am a happy nurse & she felt happy during hospitalization..

For me, if I can see others happy, I will feel happy too 😄

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When I was in nursing school we were taught that your job wasn't to make the patient healthy but to give them the necessary tools and education to enable them to make themselves healthier. That's always kind of stuck with me.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
My job is to oversee your care and safety. Your happiness is YOUR job.

^^this

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I read thru the comments here. Have 23 yrs inpatient psych, 9 yrs with bipolar pt. Thus, this a very frequent type of statement or expectation.

My response to these remarks are: I am going to do my best to meet your Healthcare needs and make your stay as comfortable as possible, within reasonable expectations.

I find that many pt and families have very unreasonable expectations. I do try my best to communicate early and often to avoid undue expectatuons and set limits. Doesn't always work (go to plan b), but have been through it hundreds of times and this type response has had best return and me not getting aggravated.

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Specializes in Patient Safety Advocate; HAI Prevention.

There is a subtle threat in that patient's comment, but in a way he/she is correct. However, I believe that nurses can make patients happy by making sure they are very well taken care of and that they have a great outcome, meaning no preventable healthcare acquired conditions like bedsores, infections,and blood clots. Making sure they have what they need within reach if they are bedbound, or that they have what they need to stay clean and well groomed, and by washing hands before touching them or their surroundings, by keeping them comfortable, well fed and hydrated, by relaying important status changes appropriately and making sure replies are timely. Introducing yourself when you care for them helps. There are so many ways that the nurses professionalism and compassion will and does make patients happy. Of course it is part of our job to make patients happy, but the patient that says that maybe a trolling for something or putting you on notice.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Ortho, Med/Surg, ICU, Quality.

What about these hospitals that are springing up and refunding money if a patient's dinner is late or someone didn't make their stay roses and rainbows. That can't help these entitled attitudes and puts nurses in a position where we are basically glorified waitresses. :no:

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Does anyone else see a connection between this comment coming up more often and the whole "patients are now clients, spiritual distress is nearly as bad as respiratory distress" movement? They seem to be coming from the same place--that nurses are no longer a type of medic, now we do psychosocial work and health promotion, keeping the patient 'happy', and actual medicine is an absolute last resort.

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I will tell her I can only make one person happy and today is not her day while smiling.

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Specializes in Orthopedics, Med-Surg.

I have a coffee mug which addresses this very issue: "I'm here to save your ass; not kiss it."

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I think your response was perfect! Some people come to us so entitled! H isn't for hotel, and patients don't always understand that! You don't need to feel guilty! You did the right thing!

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Welcome to the "service industry". When Hospitals use customer satisfaction (i.e. how happy they are with their stay) as a metric it does indeed become the nurses job to make the customer/client happy. And if you don't believe that hospitals have become a service industry the trend either has not hit your hospital or you have been very lucky.

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Specializes in EMT since 92, Paramedic since 97, RN and PHRN 2021.
What about these hospitals that are springing up and refunding money if a patient's dinner is late or someone didn't make their stay roses and rainbows. That can't help these entitled attitudes and puts nurses in a position where we are basically glorified waitresses. :no:

Are you serious???????? My PCP would be writing me a check every visit I had since he is usually an hour late for every appointment.

Never though I would see the day that hospitals send money out!

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