Things I wish my patients understood

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I DO NOT CONTROL YOUR DIET OR THE KITCHEN! Do not complain to me about it if you want something done about your food. All I can do is microwave and decide how quickly to bring you graham crackers and juice. I have no other power over what you eat while you're here, so for the love of heaven DO NOT YELL AT ME ABOUT IT.

Yeah, this weekend at work is going beautifully, LOL.

What do you wish *your* patients understood?

On 6/30/2021 at 11:25 AM, Mywords1 said:

 There is a difference between comments and complaints. Every questionable comment is not a complaint. It depends on the patient's tone of voice and how it is phrased and repeated.. I am pretty sure patients know you don't control their diet or cook their food or order meds or sweep the floor. If they think this, they need to be told, very nicely. People sometimes need to "complain" or remark on something they don't like. This doesn't mean  they think it is the nurses's fault. The nurse or aide are the only staff they see. Ever tell a store clerk a complaint? A secretary? I have. Obviously, they are not in charge and don't control anything. As a patient, I recall asking for changes in my bed, phone or beverage, but I knew this is not a nurses's job! Besides, when people are sick or traumatized, they can be very irritable, annoyed,  or angry as you know. Complaining about food is ubiquitous. No one should expect restaurant quality food. Patients who look happy have a facade, a cover, I think.

    For your sake, try not to take "complaints" personally. Remarks are about the hospital, not you.

 

May I ask if you are a nurse?

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
1 hour ago, Wuzzie said:

May I ask if you are a nurse?

He or she is not a nurse, according to recent posts.

On 6/21/2021 at 8:49 AM, Mywords1 said:

I am not a nurse.

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@Rose_Queen yeah, I was making a point. ?

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Specializes in Retired.
On 6/30/2021 at 11:25 AM, Mywords1 said:

 There is a difference between comments and complaints. Every questionable comment is not a complaint. It depends on the patient's tone of voice and how it is phrased and repeated.. I am pretty sure patients know you don't control their diet or cook their food or order meds or sweep the floor. If they think this, they need to be told, very nicely. People sometimes need to "complain" or remark on something they don't like. This doesn't mean  they think it is the nurses's fault. The nurse or aide are the only staff they see. Ever tell a store clerk a complaint? A secretary? I have. Obviously, they are not in charge and don't control anything. As a patient, I recall asking for changes in my bed, phone or beverage, but I knew this is not a nurses's job! Besides, when people are sick or traumatized, they can be very irritable, annoyed,  or angry as you know. Complaining about food is ubiquitous. No one should expect restaurant quality food. Patients who look happy have a facade, a cover, I think.

    For your sake, try not to take "complaints" personally. Remarks are about the hospital, not you.

 

I have twice been threatened by patients' relatives with a beating and once with gunfire in a separate incident if things didn't "go right."  You don't sound like you have experience working with patients.  It isn't Mayberry anymore.  These are rare things but nurses really HAVE been killed by patients.  

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Specializes in Emergency.

I wish pt’s understood  that “Emergency Department” does mean “Super fast medical care place”.  If you come in with a non-emergent problem be ready to wait a looooong a** time. And “threatening” to walk out will not make your care go faster or get the doc to run to your room.  It may, in fact, cause me to ignore you until you “elope”(unless of course you’re actually sick but these people are usually either in no condition to leave or the easiest going patients I have, go figure). 
 

Love the southwestern omelette post.  I’m still chuckling about that.

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Specializes in Emergency.

@Undercat

had a pt tell me he would “see me outside” the other day. Unfortunately he was gone by the time I got off. 

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If I am physically at your bedside taking care of you while you berate me means that I care far more then the other nurse or aide who sweetly smiles in your face, walks out the room, and ignores your call light for the rest of the shift.

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Specializes in Wiping tears.
On 6/26/2021 at 5:36 AM, NightNerd said:

I DO NOT CONTROL YOUR DIET OR THE KITCHEN! Do not complain to me about it if you want something done about your food. All I can do is microwave and decide how quickly to bring you graham crackers and juice. I have no other power over what you eat while you're here, so for the love of heaven DO NOT YELL AT ME ABOUT IT.

Yeah, this weekend at work is going beautifully, LOL.

What do you wish *your* patients understood?

I've been yelled at because of this COVID-19. For some reason, I'm that powerful I control everything on Earth. To their eyes, I am a devil.? 

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Specializes in Wiping tears.
On 6/28/2021 at 7:02 PM, 2BS Nurse said:

"They were upset that the Southwestern Omelet was not very Southwestern-y". Bwahahaha! This made me laugh!!

A patient was restricted to have salts. Got mad at me and threw the tray on my coworker. It was unexpected. Still fought with the nurse and charge nurse asking for the salt. The patient got some balls to call the administrator and bragged about getting us all fired. ? 

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I do not work for your insurance company. The doctor is NOT going to order a CT sinus STAT because your insurance requires a 14-day precert time frame and you’ve had chronic sinusitis for years. Your RX copay is $40 and you’re yelling at ME to change the RX to something else?  That is the generic and you, like most of us, have a prescription deductible, so you’ll have to pay whatever until that deductible is met then you return to the days of $10 scripts.  And yes, your follow up visit will most likely be subject to an office visit copay because it’s a separate visit; again, your insurance decides that, not us. Now, get off my phone!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

Dialysis edition: Just because you are going to dialyze on Monday doesn't mean you can spend the whole weekend eating fast food, Chinese and then drinking a ton because it makes you thirsty.

I have a few patients that typically come in on Monday with a 9-12 kg gain and they seem to think that is just fine because "I have the whole week to take it off."  These of course are also patients that can never tolerate more than 2-3 kg of fluid removal per treatment.  No amount of education makes a difference.  You'd think after a few hospital admissions for fluid overload they'd get a clue, but nope, not these folks. I've only been in dialysis for 1 1/2 years and this already drives me bonkers!

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Specializes in nursing ethics.

I didn't know that some patients and family are so rude disrespectful to nurses! An outsider would not know  Are these incidents typical of patients or common everywhere? Does it depend on patients sickness or demographics? or gender? Or the neighborhood? I am sorry to read these cases. Do they also yell at doctors or they can't or won't?

 

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