Hi, my name is AngelfireRN, I'll be your nurse tonight.
I am not a waitress, nor am I your slave.
Yelling and hurling obscenities at me will not get you your pain meds any sooner than they are ordered. Nor will having your family member or entourage do the same.
Threatening lawsuits and having umpteen family members camp out in the halls or hold up the nurse's station will not get you preferential treatment.
Physically grabbing me as I go down the hall is NOT a good idea.
I do not give the orders, but I do have to follow/enforce them. This is something that you should take up with your doctor.
No, I will not call him again to ask him for more pain medicine. He has been called twice and has said no both times.
No, I will not give you his number so you can "straighten him out".
No, you are not my only patient, and I highly doubt that you are single-handedly paying my salary. On the off chance that you are, let's talk about a raise.
NO, NO, NO, I most empahatically will NOT come get you when it is time for your next pain shot while you are having a smoke break. I also will not bring it to you in the smoking room. (Have actually said that, I am allergic to cigarettes. I did it once, had an asthma attack, desatted to 83, and turned blue, according to the patient and my charge nurse, after the patient had to help me back to the floor).
No, I don't really care if your family has not eaten all day, they drove here by themselves, they are not sick, and no, I will not call for 6 guest trays. (This of course, is if the patient in question does not need all 6 family members present, and is not at death's door).
No, you may not have 3 six-packs of soda from the kitchen, there are other people that would like a snack, too.
No, they will not open up the kitchen up just for you, at 1 in the morning, because you don't like the snacks we have on the floor.
I could think of hundreds, but those will do for a start. I know it sounds mean, but this is why I got out of bedside nursing. When a hospital becomes the Hilton, I'm gone!
lil' girl, you are right that some patients abuse the call bell, but some nurses are downright nasty when the call bell is rung.
After my 3rd child was born my legs were red, hot, and extremely painful. I could not move my legs at all. This includes moving from one side to the next in bed.
From when I was little I don't remember ever taking advantage of anyone and was always self sufficient. Being so, I did not bother calling the nurse for help because I understood she has other patients too. When she came into my room I told her with tears that I have severe pain and I cannot move my legs. I asked her for pain relief or a dressing to relieve it. Since it was very late she apologized that the doctor is not in and therefore, she cannot help me because she needs a doctor's order. While at it I asked for a bedpan because I could not move.
I was up most of the night in excruciating pain without anyone doing anything. (The doctor could not be reached) After a few hours I needed to urinate again, but did not want to disturb the nurses, so I decided to wait. After a while I had no choice and rang the bell. No response. I waited half an hour. still no response. After another half an hour I rang again. Again, no response. 2 hours later I rang the call bell again. The nurse started screaming at me on the top of her lungs what I want. I burst out crying. My bladder felt like it was going to burst. I was in more pain than ever and worst of all, after being ignored for such a long time I was being yelled at.
I ended up staying 2 extra days at the hospital. What if I would have had deep vein thrombosis? These nurses simply ignored something that could have had a bad outcome while being downright nasty.
Now, as a nurse, I still cannot explain that. I never raised my voice or said anything accusingly to the nurse.
99point infinite 9 % of patients is not "some" patients. Lets get realistic here. Supervisors and administration staff the place just well enough to keep people alive, thats it. Call bells are for "emergencies" and "immediate needs" only. Not for getting a tissue box moved to the other side of the table or having the temp. in the room changed. People dont get that.
Everyone loves the story "Little Boy who cried wolf" except when it applies to them. So many people abuse the bell so often for insignificant requests, when the request that actually justifies using the bell comes around they wonder why nurses arent quick to respond.
Not directed at you as a pt., the second part. Just how I see it concerning nurses and call bell rage. I'm glad you are alright and hope your future visits to the hospital are more enjoyable.
This is a thread for NURSES to vent about patients. She wasn't a nurse at the time. I'm sure a lot of people could vent about nurses when they were patients, but this thread is for NURSES to vent.
Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
"I did not give you the pneumonia, I only diagnosed you. I prescribed you the medicine to make you well, and I TOLD you that it might be more than a week before you were completely well, and that you might need to reschedule that knee surgery. It is NOT MY FAULT that you chose npt to listen to me and that your family called the clinic to have me talk sense into you. You can reschedule that surgery. You can NOT reschedule what you will miss if you insist on proceeding and code on the table."
Wait, I DID say that. What an idiot. Still coughing to beat the band, still on her abx, not even a week from diagnosis, and INSISTED she was OK for sx. Thankfully, her surgeon and I both had level heads.
Firstly, I would like to thank Angie for trying to keep the peace. Several times over, in fact.
Secondly, I would like to say, this is a vent thread, about what you would LIKE TO SAY TO PATIENTS. NOT about some imagined slight from something someone else posted. NOT about what bugs you about the world in general. That was not what I had in mind when I started this thread.
I would like to thank Ruby for her level headed comments, as always, she hits it right on the head.
And finally, if you don't like the thread, LEAVE! If you take offense to a post, don't take it upon yourself to assume that it was aimed at you. I love this thread, and I'll be danged if I stand by and let it get shut down because of this. If you can't play nice, get outta the pool.
Now, in a different vein:
Me:Well, Mrs. X, how are you sleeping with your new meds?
Mrs X.: A little better, not much
Me: Do you need more samples, I only gave you enough for 2 weeks?
Mrs X.: Oh, no, I still have plenty.
Me:Mrs. X, are you not taking the meds?
Mrs X: You mean I have to take them EVERY NIGHT?!?!?!
Me:No, ma'am, only on the nights you want to sleep.
Angelfire - Thank you!!! I thought I was the only one whom thought Ruby's comments were right on the money! And like a nurse friend of mine says, if you don't like the tv show, change the channel. That's what all the buttons are for! I think this vent thread is a great one, and I appreciate Angie stepping in the keep the peace.
Besides, being that nurses are people that care and strive to heal, don't we all want to hear (at least once in a while) the other side of the story?
Nope, not even a little bit because this is a NURSE'S vent thread not a patient's vent thread. If you want to complain about your nurses or the care you did or did not receive, why not start your own rant topic. This is, after all, Allnurses.com and not Allpatients.com. -- therefore, we are allowed an occasional rant and this is it.
or a brittle diabetic who keps having hypos yet eclines to eat slow acting carboyrates yet moans about having hypos and why can' they solv them.
doesn't help that she has leg ulcer so hypo then sugar = raised above desired level with ongoing infection and poor healing.
No i can't fi you 30 year poor daibetic control, i'm sure your been educatied about it. telling me tea and bisuits keeps you fro hypos and then moaning about you legs and god help me if i think u should have a proper meal and not sugar.
eriksoln, BSN, RN
2,636 Posts
99point infinite 9 % of patients is not "some" patients. Lets get realistic here. Supervisors and administration staff the place just well enough to keep people alive, thats it. Call bells are for "emergencies" and "immediate needs" only. Not for getting a tissue box moved to the other side of the table or having the temp. in the room changed. People dont get that.
Everyone loves the story "Little Boy who cried wolf" except when it applies to them. So many people abuse the bell so often for insignificant requests, when the request that actually justifies using the bell comes around they wonder why nurses arent quick to respond.
Not directed at you as a pt., the second part. Just how I see it concerning nurses and call bell rage. I'm glad you are alright and hope your future visits to the hospital are more enjoyable.