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

Published

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?

Visit Nursing Toons / Memes for more cartoons!

You WAIT in the room for 20 minutes while someone taps a kidney? Ain't nobody got time for THAT!

One of the hospitals I was at you were not allowed to exit the bathroom if the patient was using it and was classified as a fall risk. I understand they disliked falls but this applied to an alert oriented young person with a splinted arm.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I'm so sorry if I made it sound like I think the people I'm describing are stupid. I actually heartily agree - most of the time, I think they are just so involved in their own (often heavy) stresses that it is almost impossible for them to process another viewpoint.

I also totally agree with your ADLs suggestion! Having a family member who wants to do basic ROM exercises, mouth care, or even (as you said) being a cheer squad -- oh my gosh, so wonderful for the nurse, the patient, and the family. Unfortunately, I think that in some cases (e.g. the wife who disconnected my chest tube intentionally), family members feel like they can do more than they actually safely should.

Edit: just to clarify (I think this may have been what led to your comment), it was another poster who made the comment regarding stupidity. And I don't think that poster was calling someone stupid either. I think she was saying that she doubted the family-member was actually stupid, but instead perhaps intentionally harming the patient.

I once smuggled six pickle slices on for my grandmothers burger. I knew they were against her hospital diet, but I also knew she was declining anyway. She refused to eat three quarters of the time she was hospitalized and was in rapidly declining health. My prenursing logic was how much sodium could really be in a few pickle slices. I'm sure the nurse knew and turned a blind eye. I've never been able to pull off sneaky. She ate most of that burger. She died a year later.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I was wondering the same thing, ESTRANGED wife had no business there, unless she was POA.

I don't think their estrangement matters unless they were legally separated. Or if he had appointed a different person as POA. Legally she would be his wife.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
"Yo, Violet.....VI.O.LET!!!!!" "It's Jade, not Violet" "Whatevs. Hey chick with the hippy commie name..Geezuz, Jade, like an oriental hooker....remember, I pay your salary. This room and all the services, you included, belong to me cause I am paying good money for it. Now that we have cleared THAT up, whatever shade of purple you are...go get me a coke. Cold." I am not even kidding.

Oh and my very favorite "my wife is not here...and neither is my girlfriend hee hee hee so you need to put my junk in this jar and hold it while I pee"

And thank you for reminding me why it is ok that I am out of acute care...

Oh, and I had 2 sisters each with kidney stones, admitted at different times here and there. They wanted to keep them as a competitive thing....I passed this one last year, well mine was bigger and hurt more....etc. etc

And don't get me started on those who wanted to keep the placenta to plant it in the garden at home.....

Some members of a minority culture in my area actually injest the placenta.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
To crawl into bed with him. Lol.

Second day of my first clinical I was helping an elderly man in LTC walk to breakfast. As we were passing his bed.

Him "I don't suppose I could convince you to crawl in there with me."

Me "No, I don't suppose you could."

Him "Well I had to try."

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Once had a patient's daughter demand that I do CPR on her mother because she was choking. Patient was just sitting calmly in the chair eating her lunch: a hamburger her daughter had brought her although she was on a pureed diet post stroke. I asked her if she was okay and she said "sure." I explained to the daughter that mom did not need CPR and she very loudly demanded that I find a nurse who knows how to do it. Mom wasn't even my patient and I was just walking past in the hall.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care and ED.
Sometimes we get patients who lived with no other soul around. Older gentleman, found unconscious by mail carrier, found to have a large stroke, ICU, vent, LTACH. He is barely awake, unable to tell any contacts, relatives, friends. In a week or so, we get an angry call from a landlord, or other neightbor. Cats/dogs shuttered inside and yell day and night for food, grass is not mowed, pool not cleaned, letter box overflowing, old fridge died and the food is rotting and smelling. He must come home and clean up all the mess. If he can't, then... well, you are supposed to care for him, so why can't you come and do that for his property?

That makes me so sad thinking of those poor animals without someone to care for them. One time I looked after a sweet little old lady who was so worried about her pet bird. I was a young student nurse back then and I know I probably shouldn't have but I asked her if she wanted me to go check on her bird and it made her so happy. I'd go over to her house after work and she gave me her keys so I could go in and check on the bird, change its water and feed it. It gave me such joy to see her face every day knowing her birdie was ok. I don't care if it was against the rules. It's things like that that stay with you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Long term care, Rehab/Addiction/Recovery.

This one from my "new" DON at LTC/Rehab facility. I'm (was) the nite Supervisor. Admit coming from several hrs away didn't arrive till middle of my shift. Was expected in the afternoon. New DON calls me to "make sure I order 2 trays for admit. His wife may be hungry." OK if I press 0 do I now reach room service? Umm no tray service at 2am. Im sure I can come up with PB &J. "New DON's say the darndest things".

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Having a patient request a foot massage from my nursing student. Apparently he was the creepy type that attempted to request the young new nurses as he knew they didn't have the experience to decline such a skeevy request.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuroscience.

I like when they order off an invisible narcotics menu.

Patient: I need 10 mg of oxycodone and 2 mg of IV morphine, and they need to be given at the same time.

Me: Okay, so I have your two fiorcet

Patient: That's not what I ordered.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I was enjoying this thread and didn't think I had much of anything to share at least nothing was coming to mind, and then I get one!

Patient's mother wants to go to the cafeteria but doesn't know where it is, I give her directions. She says she doesn't think she can remember that, and can I take her there. No, I can't take you there, I have patients to take care of now, but maybe one of your two sons (who are visiting with the patient) can take you? No, no, she doesn't want to bother them, they are having a nice visit, and it'll only take "a minute" so can't you just take me there now? NO, I can't take you there now, either remember the directions (NOT hard btw) or ask one of your adult sons to go with you!! She was annoyed I wasn't going to drop my patients and anything else I might have been doing to personally escort her to the cafeteria.

I'm glad to have something to contribute to the conversation lol but honestly would've preferred not to have!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Once had a patient's daughter demand that I do CPR on her mother because she was choking. Patient was just sitting calmly in the chair eating her lunch: a hamburger her daughter had brought her although she was on a pureed diet post stroke. I asked her if she was okay and she said "sure." I explained to the daughter that mom did not need CPR and she very loudly demanded that I find a nurse who knows how to do it. Mom wasn't even my patient and I was just walking past in the hall.

I think I would have offered to perform CPR on the daughter since she was so adamant that someone do that today lol, she needed it about as much as her mom!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion