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Discussion

Staff as Patients

Having some issues with this; we are the all private, brand new, flat screen tvs unit and as such we are the VIP floor, the staff floor. And its been a trip. For some reason, major issues with staff; demanding, "needy", getting away with all sorts of nonsense, ie having an epidural for an abdo surgery,making early ambulation impossible and paging the anesthetist buddy to up the dose without the nurses knowledge. Other nurse staff, messing with the pumps, looking up pt data on the in room computers, even calling the floor stating they the pt advocate dept and have concerns about patient care. The only pt advocate we have is based in ER only. Bulling friendly consult docs to put someone on TPN, despite the surgeons objection. Changing dressings. Today, while trying to take care of a pt with a sustained HR af 180, no ICU bed available, I was being called multiple times for a staff member who was dc'd the day before and only needed a narc script to go home with. One of the calls: demanding I help her with the FMLA paperwork she was filling out, and getting the doc (who'd been there 10mins before) to sign something. We had to send a nurse off the floor, to track him down to stop the damn calls. And charting tonight I was faced with how to document all of this; and the knowledge that its a pretty good bet either her friends or when she returns, the pt, will be accessing the pt notes and what the consequences of that will be, so I didn't. This has been reported, nothing done. Why on earth would you be a pt from hell at the place you work?????:banghead: What is wrong with this picture? Anyone else deal with this?

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I don't know.........anytime I've been a patient in the hospital where I worked, I did everything I could not /I] to be a PITA. Unfortunately, I ended up being a different sort of PITA, because I wouldn't let anybody do anything for me---I did my own I & Os, refused to call my crazy-busy nurse to walk me to the bathroom (it was all of ten feet from bed to toilet) and popped my telemetry leads off on a regular basis, causing the ICU nurses to run down to my room in a panic, thinking I was in asystole. (After the first couple of times, it became do-it-yourself tele---they'd call my room and say "Marla, check your leads, you're flatlining again".)

But that's just me.........I know how busy those nurses are and how hard they work, so I don't know why anyone in the same position would do that to their co-workers!

I don't care who's toes I step on, I would document EVERY SINGLE piece of information and go straight to management. Being a patient does NOT mean you get to violate HIPPA and it doesn't mean you get to turn the unit upside down. Pretending to be a role you are not is fraud even if you're a VIP patient. I think "VIP" is a load of crap anyway but hospital politics will always prevail. However, these incidents cross the line and if management is willing to put up with it then you may want to strongly consider your role in this hospital because clearly favortism is rampant and everyone is willing to put their licenses on the line for them. Doesn't mean you have to or you should. I'm so sorry you were put in this position, OP. At very least I would let the nurse know next time she's on the clock that she jeopardized a patient's health while she continuously rang her call bell for trivial reasons.

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Thanks for your replies; as I got this out of my system I realised how difficult a position we are being put in; I guess its just shocking to me that people who do this for a living can then become what we all hate about our jobs. Yes, I know some of them have been through hell and back in their personal lives and its affecting their health. Several of these people have; I also know, life on the other side of the sheets is a whole other ballgame. But as your nurse today, I am doing the best I can for you, stop sucking the life out of me! Maybe its a get even with the job thing? My turn to get instead of give? I don't know. I will talk to my manager though as the odd one is one thing but a pattern is developing. Thanks for the vent, I needed it.

Just recently I've had a nurse (not from our floor) and an attending from ANOTHER hospital as patients, and let me tell you I almost ripped my hair out. The attending was the worst. The doctor had just left her room and told me they were starting her on GoLytely to prep her for colonscopy and that they were going to increase some of her meds. Well, when I went in 2 minutes later to say goodnight (it was already after 7pm and report had started) she was demanding that I mix her the GoLytely NOW so she could get started and possibly get some sleep. I also explained to her how it would take about 15 mins to get the new med order as pharmacy had to approve it. Found out later that as soon as the new nurse for the night went in this woman was demanding her meds and said she had been since before 7pm (not true, order wasn't written yet). These are the people that drive me crazy, no matter what you do, it's never enough for them.

You would think with all the crap they deal with from patients, they would act a little bit better. I'm having surgery in a few months and I know the last thing I want to do is terrorize my nurse.

Sorry you had such a rough time, OP. That's just an awful lot of nonsense to deal with. The only thing I would be sure to do is document everything to the letter. And if you see someone breaking HIPAA or impersonating staff report it. It's not worth having it come back to haunt you and losing your job or license over. At least your conscience will be clear. They should be ashamed of themselves for their behavior and antics.

You would think with all the crap they deal with from patients, they would act a little bit better. I'm having surgery in a few months and I know the last thing I want to do is terrorize my nurse.

I too will be having surgery soon ( lap chole) and the last thing I will do is terrorize the staff. I think I will probably go home the same day if possible.

I don't want the staff to be not wanting me as a patient. I want to work with them not against them.

Yes I will be having surgery where I work. So there is no way I will be aggravating the staff.

Goodness, my daughter was a patient in may and I did everything i could...she's 18. I bathed her, did her bed, I entered her admission database...we put the call bell on once for a pain med. Otherwise, I did everything and tried to infringe on the nurses' time as little as possible. We were polite as all get out, even to the nurse who was clearly resentful of my being there initially....she got used to it when she realized i fixed the IV pump every time it beeped throughout the night, q15 mins.

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