are you treated as a patient or nurse???

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Personal experience:

  • In the ER last night another nurse (knowing I'm a nurse) pretty much brushing me off ..lack of privacy(door oen) during my assessment close to an entrance..e:angryfire
  • Accompanied hubby to appt he was dx with DM2 MD (whom I call r/t his pt's ) didn't give him any at home care instructions(diet,FSBS, etc,) not even any resource references
  • Took my daughter to ER a few months ago and the triage nurse ONLY asked ?'s r/t WHAT I DID FOR HER (no hx which includes prematurity and RSV x2) she took her temp and began ?'s I had my scrubs and nametag on
  • On the other hand the attending nurse seemed afraid to do anything for my dau and cont' to r/t to the statement, well you know, you're a nurse
  • During nursing school (i was a pt on L&D where I did clinicals) in need of pain med, requested it an hour early ...the nurse told me she wasn't allowed to give it early (we know better:nono: )

I have only been a nurse for 1yr and it amazes me that other healthcare workers blow you off simply b/c you should know....I try very often if possible to not wear my scrubs to appts for this very reason...I do however, appreciate the other healthcare workers that give you the respect of being a pt as well as a nurse

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Thing of it is, if i'm there as a pt., then i'm not there as a nurse, and i better not get special treatment either.

Several months ago, i was in an ER with a nasty migraine, and was treated like a drug seeker (treated like **** honestly), i mean to the point i even regretted seeking help. A few people who know this had said "well you should have told them you're a nurse" to which i said "shouldn't have to tell someone i'm a nurse to be taken seriously as a pt." Had they found out i was a nurse and treated me differently after learning that, i would have raised even more heck in my letter of complaint that i already had.

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I haven't had bad experiences related to being a nurse. I have had the "Oh, I guess you already know about this since you're a nurse", but I just said "Nope, I don't please tell me about it". If you want education, privacy, etc. I don't think it's out of line to ask for it. You deserve the same treatment as anybody else.

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I have never had that happen to me but it does sound rude. It's kind of like if you were a waitress and you went out to a resturaunt and you were expected not to get good service or wait on yourself. What the heck do people think? We are human beings too. :no:

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I was just wondering if I was the only nurse/patient that has had this experience....and Marie_LPN is right we shouldn't have to point out the fact that we are nurse in order to be taken seriously as a patient!!!!

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I use to wear my scrubs to my own DR appointment it always got me a N/C thats gone by the way side now.

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When I come across nurses, or anyone in the medical field, I treat them the same as I would anyone else! When I go to appointments I don't tell people I'm a nurse, unless they think I don't know anything, then I'll mention it! My pet peeve is family members telling anyone who will listen that "my so and so is a nurse" as if it will get them better treatment! Another pet peeve is nurses who think they know it all and try to tell you how to do your job, like they are waiting for you to screw up or something! One nurse wouldn't let me draw her blood (it was my job that I did day in and out) because "my coworkers upstairs are really good, they can do it!" Give me a break! Most nurses don't walk around telling people that they are nurses unless they are being treated without respect. Usually, medical professionals figure it out because of the terminology we use anyway!

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