VIP Patients...A rant

[Headhurt, ADN]

So I went to work the other night and the charge nurse approaches me with this look that says, "I'm going to lay some BS on you." She tells me that we are having a VIP patient come to the floor (he was a politician) because we have all private rooms. However, we are full, so we are transferring a patient down to another floor so the VIP can have the private room. The problem is, that private room doesn't have a very good view from the window, so I would have to move one of my patients into "poor view room" so the VIP can have a room with a better view. I tell her what a load of BS that was. She agrees with me and says that if it were her choice, she would let VIP have the initial room and say to hell with a good view, however, these are demands made from the house supervisor.

I still dig my heels in and say there is no way I am kicking my patient out of her room because some dork of self perceived importance can have a better window view. This goes on for a while, and finally a different patient is moved to "poor view room" because she is confused and probably won't know the difference between a view to a brick wall, and one of the city skyline.

Needless to say, I was livid and fumed for the remainder of the night. I distinctly remember some part of the oath I took that my care would not discriminate regardless of race, gender, creed, or socioeconimic status. It seems to me that equal care for everyone only applies when there isn't a VIP on the floor. I'm also miffed that when a VIP is on the floor, we are told to "take extra special care"...and essentially kiss their butt. On one occasion, a nurse replied, "I'm going to take care of them just like I take care of everyone else."

I think it is disgusting and it has almost turned me off of floor nursing altogether.:angryfire

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Amen!

[Bipley]

I've taken care of true VIPs, both are known throughout the world. They were the nicest and most kind people I have met in a very long time. It isn't always the VIPs that want the special view. They just want good medical care. It's the hospital that makes many of the silly decisions.

After taking care of one of the above VIPs I later took care of his wife. I wasn't a fan before, but I most certainly am now! What a sweet and kindly old man. He would sit by his wife's bedside leaning over her watching her breathe, he did this for hours at a time. At first I thought she might find that annoying but as I watched them I realized she found it comforting to have his nose 3" away from hers.

I guess my point is that when you take care of someone and you get to know them and they are so sweet and kind you forget they are a VIP, the VIP status is secondary. While I understand your point, please remember that it isn't always the patient that wants special treatment. The hospital assumes a great deal in these cases.

[SCRN1]

I work on an orthopedic floor and we also have a contract that all gastric bypass patients are admitted to our floor. Like any other ortho floor I've ever heard of, we also get med-surg overflow. We are in the newer section of the hospital and have larger rooms than the other med-surg floors. We have the biggest windows and best views too. Sooooooooo, people who have previously been on our floor either as a patient or visitor always request one of our rooms when admitted.

About a month ago, around 3 a.m., we got a call to move a patient down to another floor because we were admitting a VIP to that room. It was a pretty well known politician. The hospital supervisor even escorted this patient up to that room, making sure everything was perfect. I felt so bad for the lady who was awakened in the middle of the night to be told she was being transferred and thought it rediculous how this supervisor was sucking up to this VIP.:barf01:

[SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

I'm not an advocate of treating pts differently for any reason. I know I wouldn't give a hoot who wanted my room, it's mine!!:angryfire

[Sis123]

Really sick patients don't really give a rip about what the view looks like. They just want to be taken care of properly, and if they must have a roommate, they'd like to think they can talk with their doctor or nurse privately about their own health situation.....

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

To treat someone as VIP mean i take away from the other pts.

That's just crap. I give excellent care to all pts., and if some VIP can't handle equality, well, the Sheraton's down the street, let them kiss your rear instead.

[Kalico]

As stated previously, the VIP is not the one usually making the fuss, it is generally the hospital administration that is making the fuss. I will still treat a patient the same as I would a VIP, with the best care that I can personally give them.

[ZASHAGALKA, RN]

Money is power. There will always be some residual of that.

Think about it this way. Management is in a pt satisfaction survey craze these days. If someone of media note becomes a pt, you don't want them saying something negative about the place. In fact, you want them to say something positive.

It's like advertising. You want to make sure the people w/ the power to get the message out put out a good word.

I can understand management's point of view. Sometimes I even agree with it. We kept a figure of media note in the ICU for days and days after he was well enough to be out. But. There were all kinds of clowns trying to get access to him. We had a reporter dress up as a priest and demand to see his 'flock'.

And have you ever read the gossip mags or the gossip section of a local paper? It's not usually about the person - it's about managment's desire to impress, or the idiots that normally tag along to 'get the story'.

~faith,

Timothy.

[DusktilDawn]

I can understand a VIP situation where the persons identity needs to be protected. I do believe they have as much right to privacy as any other patient.

When it is implied or actually told to staff to give preferential treatment to a VIP, that can compromise the care of the other patients. Frankly most VIPs I have met DO NOT expect preferential treatment.

I've taken care of true VIPs, both are known throughout the world. They were the nicest and most kind people I have met in a very long time. It isn't always the VIPs that want the special view. They just want good medical care. It's the hospital that makes many of the silly decisions.

I also find this to be true. In fact the biggest PITAs I've encountered have NOT BEEN VIPs. I think if a VIP were to go to the media and complain about "the view" it would not go over well with the general public.

However, we are full, so we are transferring a patient down to another floor so the VIP can have the private room. The problem is, that private room doesn't have a very good view from the window, so I would have to move one of my patients into "poor view room" so the VIP can have a room with a better view.

I'm also miffed that when a VIP is on the floor, we are told to "take extra special care"...and essentially kiss their butt. On one occasion, a nurse replied, "I'm going to take care of them just like I take care of everyone else."

About a month ago, around 3 a.m., we got a call to move a patient down to another floor because we were admitting a VIP to that room.

It's when decisions like this are made at the expense of other patients by management preferential treatment becomes an issue. This is what I don't agree with. Wasn't there a case a while back involving a woman discharged from a hospital so a celebrity could have the room?

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

I worked in two different hospitals that had a fairly large number of celebrity patients including a President of the United States. Did this politician asked for special consideration? Is the person you need to be disgusted with the house supervisor or the politician? There are very good reasons for putting VIPs into private rooms. For one thing these people need to be protected from the traffic of curiosity seekers and the media who will want to enquire about these persons or will boldly go into their rooms. So, this takes on a note of guaranteeing the person's confidentiality, security and safety. It is easier to handle security when these patients are placed in isolation.

One hospital I worked in was very specific during our orientation about telling us how celebrities and VIPs were to be treated by us. They were to be treated with extra special care and service or we could quit or would be fired. The hospital received a great deal of donated money from many of these people way beyond any cost their hospitalization was to the hospital. The fact is that most of the celebrities, politicians and other VIPs are partly responsible for the funding of many charities helping the ill and laws that protect us from harm. They are highly productive individuals in our society whose work touches us all in many very practical ways. I don't have a problem going out of my way to give them my very best care as an expression of appreciation. I will do that with all my patients. We don't like it when others don't appreciate what we do so it's unfair of us to deny expressing that appreciation for the outstanding individuals in our society.

Hello! We live is a capitalistic society. Those who do more, get more rewards. That's our system. Those who want everyone to be treated strictly equal need to move to a communist or socialist country and experience equality of service there. They'll be back home here in a month complaining about how bad conditions are there.

[Headhurt, ADN]

Hello! We live is a capitalistic society. Those who do more, get more rewards. That's our system. Those who want everyone to be treated strictly equal need to move to a communist or socialist country and experience equality of service there. They'll be back home here in a month complaining about how bad conditions are there.

If that truly is that case, then they need to be honest about it...instead of cramming the "everyone gets treated the same regardless of race, gender, creed, etc". Why bother taking the nursing oath if we are not even going to practice by it??

I agree, there are some instances where a private room is warranted. My dispute comes from the fact that another patient was expected to give up their room so this VIP could have a better view of the city. I'm sure it was not the request of the VIP, they probably would have been happy in any room on my floor.

The "get along, go along" sentiment works great, until that moment when the needs of your family member is compromised when someone with more money and more importance is wheeled onto the floor. We'll see how great you think it is then.