Watch your manners please..

[DedHedRN]

I have been in the hospital for a few days with my grandfather who is in ICU.

He was put on blood thinners for a DVT, when he started hemorrhaging after a fall, I called the ambulance and had him taken to the ER. His BP was 40/15 when we got to ER.

A ER tech came in and looked at him while I was giving information for intake, and he announced to the RN, "Would you like me to go get a casket?" she asked him "what?" and he said " where do you keep the caskets, so I can bring you one" and of course when I looked for a name tag, he wasn't wearing one. Good thing the nurse distracted me with more intake questions, so that when I looked around for him again he was long gone.

I was to say the LEAST, mortified. I love my grandfather and I am still to the hour distrustful of the care he is receiving at this hospital when this type of attitude is portrayed, and am saddened that he is still there as he is to unstable to transfer out of their ICU.

He is getting better and is not in need of a "casket" as the ER tech so rudely put it.

[Cat_RN, ASN, BSN, RN]

I don't know, I can totally see this type of humor happening in the ER (not that I think it's funny), and think that he probably did say that. TURD.

PLEASE report it. You know the nurse's name right? She will know who he is. He needs to learn a lesson on how to put away the crass B.S. and how to conduct himself in a professional manner at the job. Totally uncalled for.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

@ Poster.

I just want to say u must have heard wrongly cos it would have been very unlikely to ask if he could go get the "casket" cos its an hospital and not a funeral home!

On the other hand,hope ur grandfather is doing much better now.

If he said "casket," it was not because he was actually looking for a casket, it was because he was making a joke (in very poor taste) that the OP's grandfather was in such bad shape (BP 40/15, he probably did look at death's door at that point),that he was going to be dead soon.

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

I was taking care of a pt in the critical care unit. S/he (don't remember) coded. We got him/her back, but s/he was very unstable and definitely going to die, it was just a matter of time. His/her doc came in, stood at the bedside while I gave him the run down of everything that had gone on, what we were doing, etc. He took it all in w/o comment or question and totally deadpan turned to me and said "other than that, how was the play Mrs Lincoln?" Room full of family members. :shakes head: Fortunately, they apparently didn't remember their history and didn't get it. They really thought my name was Mrs Lincoln, and called me that for days. To this day, that doc calls me "Mary Todd" when/where ever he sees me. No, not appropriate, but funny.

[metal_m0nk, BSN, RN]

I really hope she heard it wrong. My GF is about to be 86 so I am a bit touchy about the subject.........................

I read GF as girlfriend at first and had to do a double take...