Share The Weirdest Reasons Patients Push The Call Light

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You guys always crack me up, so I came up with this question to hear more funny weird stories.

What were some funny, stupid, or weird reasons patients push the call light for?

Are you supposed to go to the room right away or how does it work? I will be an RN next year and interested in knowing more about the actual daily life w/ pt.

Here are some of the best...

[video=youtube_share;sHeYst1jy8c]

OMG!! that is too funny

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I worked with a patient that didn't ring the call bell when she needed something, but would just yell. One day she starts screaming "nurse! nurse!". I take off running because by the sound of her voice, there had to be some emergency. I get in the room and ask what she needs and she just looks at me and says, "I was just wondering why you're so short." I told her she'd have to talk to my parents about that. Then I handed her the call light and walked all 5'1" of me out of the room.

I just laughed out loud! the dog is looking at me like I'm some sort of weirdo!

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Had one today. Patient pushed call bell and when I went to her (after a respectable 30 secs- 1 minute as the floor was crazy busy!) she started yelling at me for around 5 minutes about how we should answer the call bells faster, someone might be pushing them because they were dying :uhoh3: etc etc.

finally, she paused for breath, I said 'I am sorry for the delay, Mrs X, but I am here now and what can I do for you?". She wanted her blanket pulled up a little! (she was an A+O 32 y/o admitted for DVT- I'm SURE she could have pulled her own blanket around her shoulders if she was cold!)

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My facility is 'Eden alternative' so we have animals that live there. One night, shortly after Mickey (one of the cats) made a visit to the short term/rehab hall, a LOL put on her call light to ask, "Am I way sicker than I thought, or did a big orange cat walk past my door?"

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patient: help me, help me, will somebody help me!

me: what do you need?

patient i need you!

me: why's that

patient: because you're my sweetheart... and i love you **big smile on her face**

patient: nurse, get me out of this bed RIGHT NOW

me: why do you need to get out?

patient: because there is a giant bowling ball falling from my ceiling and it's headed straight for my face

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

A dementia resident who NEVER pushes their call light pushed it one day... I RAN because I thought she had fell or something happened, and when I saw her, she was sitting by the nurse's station with a smile on her face. When I asked her why she pressed her call light, she said "I just wanted to see if it worked."

:p

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

During one frantic shift, a patient rang his callbell for "his nurse" to come to his room right away. Upon arriving, I was informed that he didn't have any gravy to go with his mash potatoes on his lunch tray.

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My favorite residents where the ones who would ask to lay down only to have to get up again in 15 minutes for meal time. I had a resident who used to pee in the garbage can with the door wide open for everyone to see. I also hated it when activities or another none nursing staff would tell me so and so needs a box of Kleenex, or they would like a snack. I guess there arms are broken or something lol.

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Specializes in CVICU & ER.

Patient: (rambling non-sense)

Nurse: 'mama it's 11 in the midnight you need to be sleep'

other nurses listening: gezz if she wasn't confused before I bet she is now

hahaha

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I have had a resident use the call light to tell me that the resident in the next room over had his call light on. I was just in that room. Sometimes you just can't help but chuckle.

Ai yi yi. I thanked her for letting me know. :smackingf

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Specializes in ltc, community health.

One 3-11 shift ALL the call lights were broken...so the pts were given little dinner bells. We didn't know who was ringing , we were literally going from room to room to find out who was clanging. By the end of that shift I was a frazzled mess......:bugeyes:

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Specializes in Peds OR as RN, Peds ENT as NP.

Yesterday a man came to check the battery for the leads on the patient's chest (she was an elderly woman). A few minutes later the patient rings the call light and asks us to make sure the man did not steal her identity!:)

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