In the hospital where I used to work, family members would come up to the desk all the time to say "dad needs a _______ (blanket, cup, straw) and I developed a nasty habit of saying (in a perfectly innocent tone) "Does he know how to use the call light?" Gradually my tone started getting more and more sarcastic. Had to stop that one after a few nasty looks. oops.
Or "that's not real high on my priority list"
I know there's been plenty more....
At least I knew I had to leave the hospital setting for a bit before my mouth could get me in too much trouble. Feeling much better suited to home health, where you can throw whatever you like at me! I'll be out of your house in less than an hour!
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
At my last nursing home job, we had a resident who, although alert and oriented, had a horrendous habit of screaming for help while flashing the call light........for her gown to be put on, for a cup of soda, for her blankets to be adjusted. "Oh, HELPHELPHELPHELPHELP!!!" she would holler, and an aide or a nurse would rush in there thinking she'd fallen or otherwise the end of the world had come, only to hear, "I just wanted to see if anyone would come if I called."
This went on for weeks after she was admitted, so of course we got used to the drama and admittedly became lax in answering her screams. One night it got so bad that I finally went down to her room and told her she was being selfish and ridiculous and that I had 26 other people to take care of. I also said she was just like the little boy who cried "Wolf!" one too many times and got eaten up when the wolf finally did come, because the villagers had ceased to pay attention to his false alarms.
So, a couple of nights later when I was off duty, the staff heard her yelling and figured she was just up to her usual tricks. Unfortunately, however, THIS time she was on the floor........with a fractured hip, although no one knew it at the time. A few days later it was discovered on X-ray, which I'd requested for ongoing complaints of hip and knee pain, and it wound up requiring surgery.
Needless to say, I think we ALL felt terrible about that, even though the resident had certainly contributed to her own miseries by overreacting to every discomfort to the point where everyone largely ignored her ("Oh, that's just B--- screaming again, she probably just wants someone to bend her straw for her"). Bad policy all the way around.
Over the long weekend one of my residents was being unruly and doing anything to get attention. He fell twice and had to be sent out for evaluation. When I tried to contact his doctor on the Sunday after the second fall his voice mail was full and he didn't return my calls.
This past Sunday he must have decided to catch up on his work because he came into the facility.
I couldn't help myself. I looked at him and said "What are you doing here on a Sunday?" He just looked at me and said nothing. :)
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
oh but we do work for the patients. without them there is no income which in turn means no need for you so enjoy your day off.
actually, we don't work for the patients. we work for the hospital. some hospitals are more concerned about press-gainey results and customer service than patient care. i've always chosen to work at the ones where patient safety/patient care were foremost.
but i suspect you're a troll, so i shouldn't be feeding you!
Patients who have had C-sections do not seem to realize that they've had major abdominal surgery and yes, it hurts. It is not realistic to think we can get your pain level to zero on the 0-10 scale. I must have been in one patient's room every hour, trying to get her "pain" under control (mind you, she was sitting up in bed, watching TV, working her cell phone, and laughing her head off - but her pain level was a 10). I told her, "The only way I can get your pain level to a zero would be to put you into a coma." That got her attention. She was much more reasonable after that.
wow i didn't just have a C-section and my pain isn't at a 0 on 0-10 almost ever even without anything "wrong with me" was she crazy?
We have a resident who has COPD, asthma, and who knows what else. She's on 4 different types of inhalers. She will sit outside and chain smoke then come in gasping for breath and expecting sympathy. She came in the other day very dramatically gasping and saying "I can't breathe". I just said "yeah, well, I wouldn't be able to breath, either, if I just finished smoking a half a pack of cigarettes." Her jaw dropped and she gasped. I handed her the inhaler and went back to what I was doing.
ok i just want to say this whole topic and blog makes me feel better about everything i was so worried that i was never going to be able to be witty again and have it be acceptable i know that i should be at least politically correct when i talk to people but im happy to know that i don't have to be perfectly polite and diplomatic all the time without losing my job the first time i get fed up and say something i probably shouldn't to a pt. or there family... hopefully when i finish school i'll still want to work in a prison or in a hospital for the criminally insane i think that would be great
Umm is that the part where the person who answers the light (if they ever do) then proceeds to ignore or forget the request? I slept in a bed full of icewater once because I was so weak after surgery that I spilled my water pitcher. I called and told them (followed procedure- used the call bell) and no one EVER came. My roomate also called- "we'll take care of it". I slept in that wet cold icy bed. I have seen this happen to patients many times, at work and as a visitor. They call and it rings, rings, rings. Someone finally answers then nothing happens. They call again, again. Thirty minutes to get a bedpan, one hour to get a med, forget it if there is something wrong on your tray or you are cold or can't reach the phone. Is this the case at your facility? If so then try to understand why the family comes out to request things in person. They want to be sure that their loved one is not forgotten.
I can't recall saying anything to patients or family members that I shouldn't have, but I have given them the silent treatment before when I felt like I just could not possibly hold my tongue if I opened my mouth. There are people that make it impossible to try to have a civil conversation, so sometimes I just completely avoid speaking to them.
That is terrible. I am sorry you had to sleep in a bed full of ice water. I cannot believe no one even came in to assess you during the shift. We have to make rounds on our patients and our aides are fantastic. I do understand your point but I feel bad that no one checked on you all shift.
actually, we don't work for the patients. we work for the hospital. some hospitals are more concerned about press-gainey results and customer service than patient care. i've always chosen to work at the ones where patient safety/patient care were foremost.
but i suspect you're a troll, so i shouldn't be feeding you!
i don't want to hijack the thread, so i'll make this very short and sweet.
i ******* hate press-gainey and the whole customer service crap that has become my job and is apparently more valuable than the care i provide for my patients.
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VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN
22 Articles; 9,996 Posts
At my last nursing home job, we had a resident who, although alert and oriented, had a horrendous habit of screaming for help while flashing the call light........for her gown to be put on, for a cup of soda, for her blankets to be adjusted. "Oh, HELPHELPHELPHELPHELP!!!" she would holler, and an aide or a nurse would rush in there thinking she'd fallen or otherwise the end of the world had come, only to hear, "I just wanted to see if anyone would come if I called."
This went on for weeks after she was admitted, so of course we got used to the drama and admittedly became lax in answering her screams. One night it got so bad that I finally went down to her room and told her she was being selfish and ridiculous and that I had 26 other people to take care of. I also said she was just like the little boy who cried "Wolf!" one too many times and got eaten up when the wolf finally did come, because the villagers had ceased to pay attention to his false alarms.
So, a couple of nights later when I was off duty, the staff heard her yelling and figured she was just up to her usual tricks. Unfortunately, however, THIS time she was on the floor........with a fractured hip, although no one knew it at the time. A few days later it was discovered on X-ray, which I'd requested for ongoing complaints of hip and knee pain, and it wound up requiring surgery.
Needless to say, I think we ALL felt terrible about that, even though the resident had certainly contributed to her own miseries by overreacting to every discomfort to the point where everyone largely ignored her ("Oh, that's just B--- screaming again, she probably just wants someone to bend her straw for her"). Bad policy all the way around.