What type of family member drives you craziest?

Nurses General Nursing

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This one is compliments of Virgo RN on another thread. I wish I would have had a beverage alert before reading it. I am going to post Virgo's first, then for a little fun add a couple of my own.

Back to the topic at hand; some other annoying family member types:

The Comedian: This is the guy/gal who is always cracking a joke, they think they are hilarious, and if you don't laugh at their stupid jokes (as if you haven't heard them all a million times), then they make some snide comment about how the nurse has no sense of humor.

The Attention Seeker: This person likes to talk about their own ailments/illnesses/medication regimens, so the focus is on them and not the loved one in the hospital bed.

The Family Member with Broken Arms: This person plops down in a chair and turns on the TV, and every time Granny needs a sip of water or a pillow fluffed, they come out into the hallway and hunt down the nurse to do it.

The Consumer Advocate: This person's priorities are out of order. As you are preparing the patient for open heart surgery scheduled for the next morning, the Consumer Advocate draws attention to 2cm in diameter mustard stain on the patient's gown and points it out as evidence of poor customer service.

The Ineedanurse: This is the one who puts a call light on saying I NEED A NURSE IN HERE! Then when you get there, they need a refill on their water picture or the lights out in the room.

The Supervisor: This is the family member who has absolutely no idea how to do your job, but they are going to tell you how to do it.

The Do you know who I AM: Enough said

Ok, those are a few of mine. What are yours?

The note-taker: From the second you walk in the room they have pen and paper in hand. They start with your name and then demand to know every little thing you are doing so they can write it in the "NOTEBOOK." Heaven forbid you do something that the nurse before you didn't do because then the notebook is consulted and items are cross referenced and thrown in your face. Another lengthy discussion must follow. Adding insult to injury and sucking out your last drop of patience they ask you to slow down because they can't write as fast as you are talking.

Specializes in ER.

The visitor that knows everything that goes on inside yur patient's body, and needs to tell you about it in a hushed voice in the hallway. Also those that just speak right up, "she's been nauseated for an hour and her pain is a ten."

The note-taker: From the second you walk in the room they have pen and paper in hand. They start with your name and then demand to know every little thing you are doing so they can write it in the "NOTEBOOK." Heaven forbid you do something that the nurse before you didn't do because then the notebook is consulted and items are cross referenced and thrown in your face. Another lengthy discussion must follow. Adding insult to injury and sucking out your last drop of patience they ask you to slow down because they can't write as fast as you are talking.

You know what's kinda fun with these families? Do something while they are out on a coffee break or in the restroom, so you know it's not in their notebook. Maybe it's just me, but I find that very satisfying.

I love love love family members that claim to also be nurses when they're not. I work on a surgical unit I recently had a fresh post-op patient whose daughter asked me as soon as i got in the room how many other patients I had that night. I answered that I had 7 total. Daughter excitedly said to mom "Oh Mom! She hardly has any patients tonight so she can spend a lot of time in here with you if you want her to!" Then the daughter looks at me and says "Don't worry, I know what I'm talking about - I work in healthcare too. I'm a doctors assistant. Which is pretty much like a physician's assistant." She made a few more comments about her extensive medical knowledge. When I asked her which practice of physicians she worked with, she admitted that she was a CNA in a doctors office.

I love love love family members that claim to also be nurses when they're not. I work on a surgical unit I recently had a fresh post-op patient whose daughter asked me as soon as i got in the room how many other patients I had that night. I answered that I had 7 total. Daughter excitedly said to mom "Oh Mom! She hardly has any patients tonight so she can spend a lot of time in here with you if you want her to!" Then the daughter looks at me and says "Don't worry, I know what I'm talking about - I work in healthcare too. I'm a doctors assistant. Which is pretty much like a physician's assistant." She made a few more comments about her extensive medical knowledge. When I asked her which practice of physicians she worked with, she admitted that she was a CNA in a doctors office.

You know how you can spot a true RN? When they ask you a question that makes you say, Are you a nurse? And they hesitate and then almost imperceptibly nod their head or very quietly say, uh huh. It's the ones who didn't really want to tell you.

Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

The Dictator.... Wants to demanding the care their family member recieves but wants nothing to do with the patient. Usually found calling and giving orders over the phone but never seen during visiting hours (and lives right up the street). These ones burn me a lot.

Specializes in Mixed Level-1 ICU.

The family members that never show up for a dying loved one.

All of them, except in rare circumstances.

Also, in addition to the Notetakers, are The Followers -- the ones who stand outside the room and watch you as you work, following you up and down the hall with their requests for whatever little thing they have dreamed up for the moment. I can't believe these people sometimes.

As a past patient in a hospital, I didn't care if a nurse EVER came into my room. I just wanted to SLEEP! I just don't understand these people who want CONSTANT contact with a nurse for every little thing. Can't they just freaking RELAX???

And then there are the ones who want you to page that doc so they can GO HOME RIGHT NOW. Are they doing anyting special at home? No -- they just want to leave. They are always on their lunch hour and "have to take mom home NOW." Then, discharge time comes and all of a sudden, mom or dad experiences SOB, or CP, or some other such complaint, and it's a huge brouhaha and then we're staying overnight again.

We've just instituted these flu visitor restrictions, and, again, it's up to us to enforce this mandate from higher management. Now part of my duties are kicking these people out against their will and of course, the inevitable flak is flying. It is sort of fun, though, to see the security officers escort them out. REALLY fun.

Oh, and I love the ones who park their chairs right in my pathway as I have to get to the patient at the window seat. People are just so obtuse and self centered, it's unbelievable.

Then again, some family members can be very sweet and helpful. They're not all bad, but definitely more bad than good.

Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
Well, as I read this, I thought "yes, yes, yes" and didn't think I could add any more to the list until...I experienced the dirtbag...

The husband who does all of the above in the original post but then...

Finds you alone at the nurses station and invites you to his hotel room and tells you that "all you have to do is lay there" blech!

These men are disgusting! GAH. I hate the thought of having to take care of them. So many of them say the most disgusting things under anesthesia and I often wonder how much Media they are into and hide from their wives.

I try to dissociate myself of these types, but honestly, as a human being. I try and avoid them. They gross me out so much to the point that my stomach churns to this day!

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

Don't forget about The WebMD: who will spend all day and night researching their relative's ailment on less than reputable sites and then thinks that they're an expert. "I read on a website that Mom's infection can be treated by using high doses of B vitamins. Do you really think we need antibiotics?" or "Tell the doctor I want him to put mom onto that study that will treat her cancer using cobra venom".

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

The ones who continue to ask me the same question over and over expecting a different answer every time. You go over information with them over and over and you give them internet references and it all goes in one ear and out the other.

Specializes in Neuroscience/Neuro-surgery/Med-Surgical/.

It was so nice last week when I worked, and the patient's wife asked me about how she should go about updating family friends. Clearly they were both overwhelmed with the new diagnosis of brain tumor and need for surgery; and almost equally overwhelmed at all the phone calls and text messages from loved ones.

Thru mass email, and the add the following please:

1)-ONE spokes person for the rest of the family; please direct all queries to this person.

2)- DO NOT call the nurse's station for a health update about patient: HIPPA violation. (See rule 1#)

3)-Call ahead to see IF patient is up to having visitors. And keep your visits short, unless patient specifically asks you to stay longer.

4)-DO NOT visit if you are sick. This includes NOT bringing in your sick little kids or babies.

5)-Only 1 person can stay in the room overnight (private rooms)

6)-Please follow the visitors hours (new rules) and leave by 8pm.

7)-Our particular nursing staff members like chocolate! hee hee!

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