What do patients say that irks you?

[NurseforPreggers]

"They are going to have to take the baby"

I don't know why but that statement makes my jaw clench up everytime I hear it.

I had a patient the other day ask me how I was going to insert a foley since "the head is down there, wont that hurt the baby?" For the love god, people .... come on .. 2 HOLES! SERIOUSLY!

and my favorite of all time ...

"Does that machine beep everytime I dilate?" .. this one left me speechless

Please share your "omg, no she didn't say/ask that" quotes

[33-weeker]

It's also pretty terrible when the family of a dying patient asks "How much longer will it be?"

I don't see that as such an odd question, unless they're truly wanting a specific time. Families get called to the bedside all the time because 'she's taken a turn for the worse and it probably won't be much longer'. I see it as asking 'hours? ...days?'. Not such an odd question.

[33-weeker]

I am not sure if I posted this already because it IRRITATES me to hear this from labor patients' families!!!: "What time is she going to have the baby?".......AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! The next time a family member asks me that, i am just gonna make up a time.... like, "She will SURELY deliver at 6:27AM!!!"

You know, I can see how that would irritate you hearing it so much, but look at it from the patient's perspective and consider OB care these days...

Everything is so technical and specific- a test for this, a monitor for that. Heck, the patients are actually given a due 'date' and not a range of due 'weeks' (more accurate), and the doctor treats the due date like it's the holy grail and not the often-wrong, educated guess it actually is. Then, when labor starts, they come in and are hooked up to every machine known to man. Their contractions are monitored and their labor progress scrutinized -and often modulated with (unnecessary, dangerous) drugs (and I've seen experienced nurses control the time of delivery fairly well using that, too). I mean, the labor team acts as if they know every little detail about everything else. Is it any wonder the patients expect us to be able to predict the time of birth?!

[clfrn]

I think the thing that irks me the most is when I ask a patient if there is something else I can do while I am there and the patient says no. I walk out and the call light goes on and I return and they say oh I wanted the nursing assistant and I ask what for and they say "Your an RN so you won't take me to the bathroom" or what ever else they wanted. Do they really think that RN's are so high and mighty that they can't do these things. I usually tell them "There are things that a nurse aide can't do that I can but I can do anything a nurse aide can"!

[sharpeimom]

something very similar bugged me when i worked in psych. the patient would have been given his meds at the meds window about five minutes ago. he'd walk away from me, locate an aide, and ask

him to go tell the nurse his ___ hurt and could he please please please have some tylenol? aarruuuggghhh!!!!!!!!:banghead::hdvwl::hdvwl::grn::grn::anbd::flmngmd:

[FoodieJ]

I think the thing that irks me the most is when I ask a patient if there is something else I can do while I am there and the patient says no. I walk out and the call light goes on and I return and they say oh I wanted the nursing assistant and I ask what for and they say "Your an RN so you won't take me to the bathroom" or what ever else they wanted. Do they really think that RN's are so high and mighty that they can't do these things. I usually tell them "There are things that a nurse aide can't do that I can but I can do anything a nurse aide can"!

There are MANY RN's who WONT take patients to the bathroom.

In fact I had an OR circulator come out of the room to find the floor nurse to tell her the patient had to use the bathroom, yes it was his patient too!!! (and even if it wasn't)?!? Walky talky, just needed help getting the IV of the poll. COME ON!

I think some patients are actually used to being told to ask for the CNA for toileting, just sayin...

[mamayogibear]

First of all I am not a nurse yet but I have enjoyed reading parts of this thread. With my most recent baby I wanted a waterbirth at a hospital that has birthing tubs. I woke up realized I was in far along in labor and called the hospital then rushed over there. By the time I got to the hospital and checked in the tub was not yet half way full but my baby was not waiting. After a few pushes he was there, and I turned to my midwife and asked

"Can I at least have a waterbirth for the placenta?"

She smiled from ear to ear and said she didn't think I needed it.

[NoFlorenceRN]

"nurse...!!!"

[ayorenee]

"They gave me the birth control to help build my immune system because they said it was low" *blank stare...grabs chart and walks out the room*