What do you do when you're a pt?

[Sarah G]

Hi all, Just wondering what other folks do when a patient instead of nurse. Do you introduce yourself to other nurses as a nurse yourself? Why? How do you go about doing it without making another nurse potentially uncomfortable?

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

I appreciate when my patients tell me ahead of time that they are nurses, so that we can do patient education on a higher level and have an honest, open relationship. I can usually tell when a patient or family member is a nurse by the words they use or questions they ask.

exactly my thoughts , and how i've dealt with it caring for other Nurses, as a patient and when relatives have been in hospital ... Anyway if it was my Gran you were caring for you'd know pretty soon that I was a Nurse, my Brother is a Cop and one of our Cousins is an RAF officer ...

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

Tattletale

It was necessary for future patients since the PA obviously didn't realize that most of the wounds need saline to soften the sponge up. My point was that it wasn't a nurse I have had concerns.

[3dayRN]

My boyfriend had outpatient surgery at the hospital I worked at. Noone in outpatient surgery knew I was a nurse there. I worked midnights and never saw the surgical nurses. I never told them I was a nurse until he had to wait way too long for his pain medication and ice bags. My boyfriend was complaining of pain and at first I told him they were probably busy and would bring it in as soon as they could. Finally I called out to ask again for the pain meds and the nurse walked by and apologized and said she would get it. She made a comment about why she hadn't brought it to him yet and I said, "I know how it is I'm a nurse on 2south" and from that point on he never had to wait on anything.....sometimes it helps to know but usually I never mention I'm a nurse.