I had a patient tonight in her late teens, had a C-section back in May and spent some time in ICU recently due to an abscess and came to our floor (med/surg) a few days ago. This patient is morbidly obese and obviously very spoiled or just a brat. Her call light was on literally every 10 minutes....you would go in her room and she would want ice, or graham crackers, or want you to rub lotion on her. You would spend a half hour in there and AS SOON AS you walked out, she would have her call light on and say "can you send in my nurse." REALLY?? I was just in there. Then she would want to know why her food tray hasnt come yet or when was it time for pain medicine.
She is supposed to go home tomorrow but she asked me to wash her crotch and to scratch under her skin folds of her belly. I so wanted to say your arms arent broke! But I figured it would be less of a battle to just do it myself. Then 2 of her friends came....2 boys in their late teens, early 20's. The patient called me into the room to ask me if I could get them something to drink. I told her that there was a cafeteria and a vending machine room. She said they were broke as a joke. Hmmmm thats funny because they have a ton of tattoos and I can smell cigarette smoke on them but they cant afford a $1 bottle of pop or water?? I ignored it and walked out. Next time I came in to do something she said "did you ever find them something to drink??" I was about to blow a gasket....I calmly went and got them 2 glasses of ice water. Next time I came into the room theres the empty glasses sitting on the bedside table. The trash can was right beside them and they couldnt even clean up after themselves.
Next I am in the process of flushing the patient's PICC line with saline and heparin....I dripped a drop of saline on her and she says "umm thanks for making me wear it." I said "its saline, its not going to hurt you." Another friend drops by....theres a sign on the bathroom door saying it is for patient use ONLY. theres a visitors bathroom literally 2 doors down. The friend is in the patient's bathroom using it....I ask the patient where the friend is and she says shes using the bathroom. I tell her that theres a patient bathroom right outside and she gets huffy with me and says her friend "really had to pee." Come on you're not 5 years old!! Last but not least after I catered to this little brat all night she asks me to tuck her dressing into her skin fold because its uncomfortable....as I'm doing this as gently as I can she starts to scream...literally scream. And then bursts into tears and tells me I'm being too rough with her and she should have never let me do it. I honestly wanted to ask her what the hell was wrong with her. And the worst part about people like this is that they can treat you however they want and you cant say a dang thing back to them or you get in trouble! Its ridiculous that patients are allowed to get away with that stuff...I kind of neglected my sicker, more grateful patients because of this demanding immature girl. Thank you for listening to my rant, I feel a little better now
Exactly. If you do stand up to patients like this and be firm with them, they will call the patient advocate and the nurse is in trouble.Heaven forbid you tell the visitor "bringing you a drink is not part of my job". Lucky you if your manager will actually have your back because most likely they won't. You'll just be in trouble. This is part of why I have really been disheartened by nursing.
Yep. Same thing happens where I work. Some of my coworkers have been written up and suspended when they stood up for themselves, or tried to be firm with rude residents or visitors, because the resident complained to management.
I work on a Renal Floor and A LOT of our patients are like that! I'm a new grad and I didn't see myself dealing with so many incompliant, demanding patients. That is the worst thing about my job.
well the problem is that as soon as the patients don't get their way they call in the patient advocate whose name and number is given to all the patients when they are first admitted and told if they have any complaints to contact her. so as soon as you don't do what the patient wants they complain to the patient advocate that you are not compassionate or are rude. last week one of our nurses got a complaint from one of the patients that she wasn't "compassionate or caring." This nurse happens to be a great nurse who never gets complaints like that but probably because she made someone bathe themselves or didn't cater to their every want she got written up and scolded by the nursing director.
Oh, let them complain. Your reputation will cover you (assuming you are a good nurse with a history of strong communication skills, etc.) At my hospital people complain all the time, but the character of the complainer is taken into consideration, LOL. No one at my place would give the chick you describe anything other than a "there there, sorry it wasn't what you hoped for" with pat on the head and send her on her way.
We have a ED doc who never gives anyone any sched IIs unless they have confirmed bone mets or something. 9/10 ED patients leave PO'd and he gets more complaints than anyone in the history of medicine, LOL. He just got promoted to directed of emergency services. Why? Cause he knows his stuff and his performance is outstanding, and no one gives a crap if a bunch of nonpaying druggies are dissatisfied.
I am going to go out on a limb and guess that you are either a newish nurse (
Exactly. If you do stand up to patients like this and be firm with them, they will call the patient advocate and the nurse is in trouble.Heaven forbid you tell the visitor "bringing you a drink is not part of my job". Lucky you if your manager will actually have your back because most likely they won't. You'll just be in trouble. This is part of why I have really been disheartened by nursing.
No one is advocating to be rude about it, but giving them directions, getting them an EMPTY cup should be clue enough. You can be pleasant and still get your points across.
You were totally walked all over and worse is, you contributed to it. Talk about a ....
Oh man, don't even get me started on patients like this....lol. I had a bad one last week, and it just gets under my skin so bad, especially because it seems to take away from the care my other patients who really need it. It's people like this that make me question my job, and get frustrated that I'm somewhat limited in what I can really do about it, without getting into trouble, just irks me. I had one lady tell me her "pinkie toe" wasn't in quite the right spot in her sock, no kidding. I spend the WHOLE night in this lady's room, even had the convo about she's not my only patient, I have other patients who are really sick and need me just as much as she does. Didn't even get it, or care, second I walk out...BEEP! ugh. lol. She pushed the button just to see if I would come, when I walked in, she commenced to tell me that I didn't come when she pushed the button....I said, i'm here, what do you need?! Well, she told me, you didn't come fast enough, i just wanted to see if you would come, and you didn't. I told her, I WAS HERE WITHIN 30 SECONDS!!! I was clear at the other end of the hallway getting ready for an admit. So, I had the convo with her again, that i have other patients who are sick. Man, I was done with nursing after that shift got over, haha. Good thing I didn't have her the next night. Before I even left, within 30 mins of day shift taking her, they came and found me and asked how the heck I did it all night, just shrugged my shoulders...lol. I am an extremely patient person, but wow, i was done.
Well, guess I had to rant too. Thanks for letting me!! ha. But, I have to say, I feel your pain. It frustrates me that we're expected to go out of our way for people like this, and when we try to set boundaries, we get written up. dumb.
"you didn't come fast enough, i just wanted to see if you would come, and you didn't"
Id have told that patient the story of the boy who cried wolf, and pretty much refused to answer call lights more than once/hour after that Jeni. Id also have documented that behavior in her chart, just an objective recount of the facts of the case. Seriously, that sh!t don't fly.
Katie, I think the OP is young and intimidated by the possibility of a pt complaint, dont be too hard on her. Me, I'd have said, "no I don't have refreshments for visitors" and told them where to find their own water. If patient said they didn't have $ for a coke, I'd have said "that's a shame" and walked out. The end. At no time would I utter the word "sorry" either.
Makes you wonder what this patient is like at home. I really feel sorry the baby. Millions of Kudos to you for putting up with such a pig!!! After reading this, I thought, "the things you see when you don't have a gun". there is absolutely no reason for people to be that rude to professionals who are breaking their backs to help you and take care of you. Some patients have a reason to be demanding but that was totally uncalled for.
I had a similar patient who even called me because she dropped a personal belonging on the floor. "Nurse (pointing), I dropped that on the floor." She was young, had no pain issues, and had no mobility problems although she was extremely obese. I let her know how healthy it was for her to do things on her own, then told her to pick it up herself! She actual wrote that I was "really nice" despite the fact that I declined 99% of her requests/demands. I was expecting an unjust complaint.
I don't think it has anything to do with whether the OP is a newish nurse or easily intimidated. I think it has everything to do with where she practices. I hope those of you who work where patient complaints are actually impartially investigated and where nurses are backed if they have a sterling reputation realize how lucky you are. Not all of us practice under those conditions. Where I work, there is no investigation. If a patient makes a complaint you are written up for "poor customer service." One recent example is a nurse who was reported for rudeness by a patient. A co-worker who overheard the exchange that caused the report stated that nurse had been perfectly appropriate. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knew that this particular patient was lying. Nevertheless, management wrote up the nurse and reassigned her to a different unit for a while, gave the lying patient an apology and gift card. We are constantly reminded that the patient is a customer and we cannot afford to have any customer unhappy, whether or not their unhappiness is justified. Also, waiting on family and visitors is an expectation of good customer service where I work. We are never to direct a visitor to the soda machine, we are to fetch a soda for them.
I would love to work in an environment where I could set limits without fear of reprisals, and up until a few years ago I did.
I post this because I want those of you who cannot imagine getting in trouble for settling reasonable limits in a polite way to know that not every facility treats complaints in a reasonable way. The OP is not just being paranoid--these places really do exist. From another post I see that the OP is leaving her facility, so I hope she will find a place that operates in a reasonable way.
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She actual wrote that I was "really nice" despite the fact that I declined 99% of her requests/demands. I was expecting an unjust complaint.
Plagueis
514 Posts
Yep. Same thing happens where I work. Some of my coworkers have been written up and suspended when they stood up for themselves, or tried to be firm with rude residents or visitors, because the resident complained to management.