Strange requests from patients

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Ok I get a lot of questions / requests from patients and parents. Yesterday on April 1 I had a parent ask me if I could measure her daughter for a proper fitting bra👀. Immediately I thought this is a April fools joke. Calmly I replied no but there are many department stores who can. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Mom was serious .

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.
I had a 18 yo female patient, who was close to being discharged, ask me to shave her lady parts! Seriously.

I've had requests to shave arm pits and legs and I thought that was outrageous.

I'm afraid my poker face wouldn't have held up over shaving the lady parts.

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I've had requests to shave arm pits and legs and I thought that was outrageous.

I'm afraid my poker face wouldn't have held up over shaving the lady parts.

Lol. I am sure I had a crazy expression on my face, it was just astounding to be asked that.

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lolololol!!! thank you all for a MUCH needed good laugh tonight...

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I don't know. I've got a patient with a lot of hair, everywhere. I ordered the nurses to shave his pubic area because I'm trying to get rid of lice. LOL

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Did you do patient teaching for the lack of knowledge of her own anatomy?

I had a 18 yo female patient, who was close to being discharged, ask me to shave her lady parts! Seriously.
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Haha thank you! This bothered me too. Nurses in particular should use proper terminology - so many people I know use the term "lady parts" when they mean "vulva"!

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Did you do patient teaching for the lack of knowledge of her own anatomy?

You took the words out of my mouth. "I'm sorry, Ms. Patient, but lady partss do not have hair". Wonder what the patient would have responded?

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How about when they ask you to write an Rx for their spouse/child/other relative who is at home "with a bad cold and needs an antibiotic" or for some other reason? Uh, no. I politely explain that I must examine said person before prescribing anything for them.

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Specializes in ICU.
You took the words out of my mouth. "I'm sorry, Ms. Patient, but lady partss do not have hair". Wonder what the patient would have responded?

She would have said, "Mine does. Look." [pulls pants down]

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Not weird requests but outright lies about reason being seen for pain seeking patients. Stuff they know would never be turned away like chest pain; or an acute complaint like UTI and you get them in the room and they actually just want their oxycodone Rx renewed for vague back pain complaints. Ask them directly about said reason for appt and they deny ever wanting to be seen for UTI or chest pain, etc. Even our staff will lie to get someone out of the waiting room into another provider's exam room--eg day before yesterday patient showed up to establish, 1 hour late for appt, told them I wouldn't see her and she started banging her head against the wall wailing she was going to kill herself if she didn't get her pain meds. They told a different provider she'd walked in off the street with acute suicidal thoughts, never mentioned she was actually scheduled and arrived late, so he saw her. It was a giant spectacle that ended with her spewing profanities and threats at the check-out lady after her pain pills were denied for obvious pain-seeking behavior (multiple prescriptions and ED visits in the last few months, not to mention the behavior she exhibited at the visit). Oy vey, I'm burnt out too.

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Specializes in Peds Med/Surg; Peds Skilled Nursing.

when I was working inpatient peds I had parents ask me to remove their 9 month old and take him to the nursery because he was crying too much. I reminded them that their son is 9 months old, this is not a maternity floor and the room is actually their sons and they can go home if the crying is bothering them.

I have had parents ask me to check their 13 yo daughter to see if she was still a virgin.

My favorite is when parents do not want to pay for basic OTC items like nasal saline drops, aveeno cream, Claritin, etc and request prior auths through the pharmacy.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Home Health, Primary Care.

Just the other day a patient asked for Keflex.....30 days worth.

Had a middle aged woman ask when women get hysterectomies. After a short conversation it turns out she thought every woman got one at a certain age.

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