1. Ambulances for clearly non-emergent conditions (my personal most notables are of dental pain and a "possible UTI" but I know they're used for far more silly complaints than that. Just the two I've seen myself).
2. Chief complaint of fever, yet they have not so much as taken a temp at home, and if so, even taken tylenol or ibuprofen
3. Mom who brings in all 3 kids because they all have colds at the same time.
4. I'm allergic to tylenol, ibuprofen, codeine, aspirin, hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, and zofran. All of them have caused anaphylaxis.
5. The patient that claims their police report PROVES their medications were stolen.
My pet peeve and vent for the day: ambulance brings in a child (accompanied by mom) that woke in noc w fever she gave the child Tylenol then called EMS. He had not had any previous illness and he had no signs of illness. I took his temp it was 99. Tests were done and child dx w viral infection. I spent a long time on education and discharge instructions. then when ready for d/c-mom says she has no way home.and no money for bus. Taxi service not available for 3 hours. So she waits in the waiting room. Until taxi ( we pay for) can get her. After playing games on her smart phone for 30" she puts a blanket over the child's head-did I mention he had no coat? And goes outside where it's -25 below to smoke. Security approached her about the no smoking policy and she goes off on him about her sick child and needing to stay close for the taxi. I wanted to pull my hair out. What is this woman thinking?!?
Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Critical Care Nursing.
My pet peeve and vent for the day: ambulance brings in a child (accompanied by mom) that woke in noc w fever she gave the child Tylenol then called EMS. He had not had any previous illness and he had no signs of illness. I took his temp it was 99. Tests were done and child dx w viral infection. I spent a long time on education and discharge instructions. then when ready for d/c-mom says she has no way home.and no money for bus. Taxi service not available for 3 hours. So she waits in the waiting room. Until taxi ( we pay for) can get her. After playing games on her smart phone for 30" she puts a blanket over the child's head-did I mention he had no coat? And goes outside where it's -25 below to smoke. Security approached her about the no smoking policy and she goes off on him about her sick child and needing to stay close for the taxi. I wanted to pull my hair out. What is this woman thinking?!?
I had two of those last night at the same time, unfortunately my speech about not being able to do taxi vouchers normally fell on deaf ears as I escorted the second Mom to the waiting room and explained that the first taxi would be for the OTHER patient... Ugh..
When mom feels like her sick child needs to be sick and then brings her other 3 kids "to get checked out just in case." We always cringe at the "2fers" and 4ers" as we call them.
My pet peeve and vent for the day: ambulance brings in a child (accompanied by mom) that woke in noc w fever she gave the child Tylenol then called EMS. He had not had any previous illness and he had no signs of illness. I took his temp it was 99. Tests were done and child dx w viral infection. I spent a long time on education and discharge instructions. then when ready for d/c-mom says she has no way home.and no money for bus. Taxi service not available for 3 hours. So she waits in the waiting room. Until taxi ( we pay for) can get her. After playing games on her smart phone for 30" she puts a blanket over the child's head-did I mention he had no coat? And goes outside where it's -25 below to smoke. Security approached her about the no smoking policy and she goes off on him about her sick child and needing to stay close for the taxi. I wanted to pull my hair out. What is this woman thinking?!?
Obvious and definite proof that common sense is an oxymoron of the highest magnitude
I had to go to the ED this year. The nurse asked my pain level to which I responded "6." While she was starting the IV and hooking me up to all the monitors, I jokingly said, "I hear ER nurses really love it when they ask the pain level and the patient replies with a number over 10. That is EXACTLY what she looked like, when she responded, "I just chart 10."
Okay... not a warm, talkative nurse. I didn't care. She got the IV in 1 stick, checked on me frequently, and best of all gave me morphine and toradol. :) With my pain down to a tolerable 3, she could have yelled at me and called me bad words, and I wouldn't have cared.
Registration told a mum tonight her Medicaid required a $3 copay. Mum proceeds to say 'I'm going to get that back, right'?
Registration tells mum that Medicaid covers the 1,000's of $ for the ER visit and requires a $3 copay. Which mum aggressively pulls the 3 bucks out of her wallet and continues to complain about how 'ridiculous' the copay was......
I always feel some type of way when people abuse the ER and then complain when they have to throw $ down
Picture someone with their arm thrown over their forehead, "wilting flower" type, that "suffers" from "blah, blah, whatever..." Not "has," is "being treated for," "diagnosed with."
Having an actively dying comfort care pt without family or visitors at bedside. Called both kids on emergency contact sheet - both local but sadly indifferent. Asked them if they would like me to call clergy for the pt ...yeah, still nothing.
I ended up spending much of the 8 hours I had the pt in the room talking, holding hands, crying, and repositioning. Im not much of a crier either but that really got to me.
I don't have many pet peeves, I try to be understanding and give the benefit of doubt to the pt.
granny who you help while she is in the bathroom. she uses 2 squares of TP folded over 5 times and "scrubs" her perineum with her microscopic piece of TP. then she grabs hold of you so you can help her off the commode.
Makes me crazy!!! Use more TP....and don't grab hold of me with dirty hands!!!!
-Hits call light in a very packed ED for tooth pain and yells "I am dying right now"
-"I'm having chest pain" See a box of chicken on person's lap. Take it away to start workup "What are you doing with my chicken I'm hungry" ...you have Chest pain..no chicken for you.
-Abdominal pain on a busy night..Hit the call light to complain that your TV doesn't have all the cable channels...
-In the middle of a chest pain workup..they are upset because we can't drop everything to plug in your phone.
-Call an ambulance for hunger pains.
-Call asking if their wife's boil can be seen now in the ER or wait 30min to call PCP.
-Wants the only pain med that works for their toe pain "Dalotto"
-Drawing up blood and they freak out "YOU ARE TAKING TOO MUCH OF MY BLOOD I'll NEED A TRANSFUSION"
-Positive STD "So I got that from using a dirty shaver?" "UH No probably from a dirty other..."
When the police or other drunk friends bring in their semiconscious drunk friend to the ER. I'm in my 40's. I bartended for 15 years and spent some time in the Army. I was drunk throughout my 20's. All of it. I spent more time drunk than most of you spent in college and nursing school combined. I never once ended up in the ER because I was drunk. Usually just slept it off and woke up in a puddle of vomit in bed or the bathtub.
JenniferG rN
16 Posts
My pet peeve and vent for the day: ambulance brings in a child (accompanied by mom) that woke in noc w fever she gave the child Tylenol then called EMS. He had not had any previous illness and he had no signs of illness. I took his temp it was 99. Tests were done and child dx w viral infection. I spent a long time on education and discharge instructions. then when ready for d/c-mom says she has no way home.and no money for bus. Taxi service not available for 3 hours. So she waits in the waiting room. Until taxi ( we pay for) can get her. After playing games on her smart phone for 30" she puts a blanket over the child's head-did I mention he had no coat? And goes outside where it's -25 below to smoke. Security approached her about the no smoking policy and she goes off on him about her sick child and needing to stay close for the taxi. I wanted to pull my hair out. What is this woman thinking?!?