What NOT to do when your patient works in healthcare too...

Ever felt a palpable change in bedside manner once your healthcare team learned you are a nurse? Have you ever noticed a difference in your own attitude towards a patient once you learned that they work in health care, & have you ever thought about it? I have. Nurses Announcements Archive

Published

You are reading page 2 of What NOT to do when your patient works in healthcare too...

FurBabyMom, MSN, RN

1 Article; 814 Posts

I try not to share I'm a nurse when I'm a patient. It inevitably comes out there. Usually when I give too accurate and succinct information, or use the correct terms, and/or when someone recognizes me.

Some time ago, I was a patient in our ED at work. My being a nurse kind of came in handy - I was able to discuss my care with the resident and attending treating me - and advocate against an expensive and unnessecary round of imaging. They asked where I work, I explained I worked in that facility, they asked what I did, I admitted I was a nurse. They asked where, I told them my department. They asked which "part" and I told them. Which is when they finally decided to believe me - my "issue" and present or absent symptoms were very similar to issues patients I care for have.

I hate, more than anything, when family members are hospitalized and it comes out that I'm a nurse. Several family members have had surgery where I work, I've been ID'd by coworkers, and by friends who work on the inpatient units my family member(s) were placed on. But overall, in general, it's so annoying - like the floor nurses expect me to translate or reinforce everything because I'm a nurse.

Specializes in Home health.

I agree that it should depend on the situation - many times I've taken care of nurses and doctors and learned that no matter who they are it is important to explain everything and not assume they know. I had a cardiac icu nurse for 25 years who said she had no idea what metoprolol was for... I don't know if she was kidding or not feeling well or what. But from that encounter on I explain every single thing in great detail. And if they tell me to stop because they know, then I know. Some get offended when I explain too much, but I always nicely explain that I do so because I care about their wellbeing and they are always more than welcome to interrupt and tell me they know.

As previous posters mentioned, I also have had terrible encounters with nurses and doctors as a patient. I had some serious hemorrhage after cervical surgery and went to ER, blood was pouring like a river, but being a nurse I was drinking water nonstop because I was feeling dizzy and knew my bp was going down. The triage nurse sent me to the waiting room to wait - even though I explained I am really bleeding a lot. He said - well I know you're a nurse and all so you see your bp is still in 100's so you're fine. It didn't matter that at that point I drank close to 3 liters of water and was dizzy and my mouth was still super dry. I waited for an hour running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. It wasn't until another poor patient walked into the bathroom while I was still there and screamed - I tried to contain the bleeding but was too weak and so the whole floor was covered in blood. They suddenly had a bed open up in a second and understood I wasn't kidding about my condition.

Another time, another complication from surgery - hematometra - pretty serious as explained later by my oncologist who apologized profusely for the Er doc who treated me like I was exaggerating and drug seeking for the severe pain I had that made me unable to move and made me vomit because it was sooo sooo bad. He said "ha! Saw your abd us, looks like not much going on, go home and take your ibuprofen. You're a nurse you know how to manage pain" I was seriously in tears.

I asked the hospital multiple times to remove RN after my name from my medical records because it seems that when they know I am a nurse they treated me like I was supposed to know better than to seek care for when something was seriously wrong.

BarbaraWilfred

35 Posts

I have come to believe over the years that the dont's you highlighted might apply to the health care worker as being the patient. For me I rather say I am a nurse when I am with a family member because generally speaking it keeps the nurses, CNA and doctors on their toes.

I notice they dont only walk on egg shell but also they tend to meet the needs of my family member efficiently and treat them as though their jobs depends on it.

Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.
I'll spoil any of you when it will be my opportunity to do so. :) As a CNA, I took care a few retired nurses. They were amazing to work for.

Awww! Thank you! I love to "spoil" patients when I have the time and means to do so. I think for many of us, it's feels good to be able to give TLC...that's one part of Nursing I love. When it got to the point where I could hardly do the absolute needed things without a ton of pressure and stress, I got out of acute care.

+ Add a Comment