What are some of the most ridiculous requests you have heard?

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All day breakfast - Are you kidding me?!

Aren't you amazed by patients (and families) who think nurses are there to wait on them hand and foot. Yes, we provide service around the clock, but it is not in the form of food but medical care. What are some of the most ridiculous requests you have gotten?

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Callbell goes off for the umpteenth time...

"Yes, Can I help you?"

"Why don't you have bendy straws?"

"We do have bendy straws" Points at bent straw in cup.

"Well they don't bend enough. Do you have straws that bend beyond a 90 degree angle? It's hard to drink laying in a bed."

I just laughed and got a handful of straws. This was an observation chest pain patient, not even admitted, who was independent at home just hours ago. We were just going to put him on a treadmill stress test and send him home in the AM.

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Specializes in nurseline,med surg, PD.
Ugh. :yawn: How do you reply to them? (Student here, taking notes on how to respectfully say no!)

"Sorry, the insurance company pays me to deliver skilled nursing care only."

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nevermind, don't feel like being flamed

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Can you save those dressings and wash and dry them? I will put them to some use. No? You're so wasteful, that's why health care costs so much nowadays!

(LOL who, according to the family, collected lint from laundry to make pillows and never peeled her potatoes).

Why in heaven's name would anyone peel a potato? I haven't peeled one in years just scrub them good and roast in the skin!

Hppy

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Can I keep all of my medications in my purse?. I won't take mine..I will take the ones you give me..although I don't know why the doctor didn't prescribe some of the ones that are in my purse...those work better....

I am like...hand me the pills so I can give them to the pharmacist.....

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
Why in heaven's name would anyone peel a potato? I haven't peeled one in years just scrub them good and roast in the skin!

Hppy

For some things, you going to peel them. Puddings, gnocci, potato bread, latkes, noodles, roesti, pommes Anna, you'now

But I'm a passionate cook and a d*** foodie with European taste... both things, and the second one in particular, are hardly compatiblle with TOO thrifty style of life.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
For some things, you going to peel them. Puddings, gnocci, potato bread, latkes, noodles, roesti, pommes Anna, you'now

But I'm a passionate cook and a d*** foodie with European taste... both things, and the second one in particular, are hardly compatiblle with TOO thrifty style of life.

I want to learn to cook. I'm super passionate about food. I love food and wine. Or food by itself and you know wine on its own is great too... lol. Food, family, and wine is where it's at. My great grandpa was from Seville, Spain. Go figure, this stuff runs through my veins.

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Specializes in EMT since 92, Paramedic since 97, RN and PHRN 2021.
Scratch my back, please nurse.

I don't think that's too ridiculous. Only if they have an arm injury or are incapacitated to the point they couldn't scratch their own back.

Having an itch that cannot be scratched is horrible, almost tortuous.

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Tampons instead of pads for a semi-comatose young lady. Uh, no....

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An elderly patient asked me to adjust his member because it was facing the wrong way.

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Specializes in Dialysis.
Did you leave out the part where this took place in 1965?

Probably not so long ago. I worked with a nurse about 10 yrs ago who's patient requested his chest tube be disconnected so he could go smoke, she told him no, of course.

Said patient was brought back to unit with Security, carrying said chest tube! He disconnected it himself.

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
At a previous employer some years ago our nurse managers would make rounds on new admissions within their 1st 24 hours. Apparently my elderly pt was upset that I just so happened to be born Black and she wasn't so happy to have that "N****r nurse taking care of her. My nurse manager thought it was ok to ask me to go to the gift sop and by that witch a gift so that she'd be more comfortable with me caring for her. To say I was dumbfounded is an understatement.

OK, my mind is officially blown. I wouldn't know who to call first to report that manager - the list is endless.

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