Is it me, or are patients getting ruder and more disrespectful each time you clock in for work?
I don't usually let rude patients/families get to me, but last night I had to deal with the most insane people ever. I had the misfortune of informing the patient and his family that he had gone into rapid a-fib and his cardiologist was not on call. The patient didn't believe that he was having a rapid ventricular response since "he didn't feel that his heart was going fast," and had me count an apical pulse and call the monitor tech to see if she concurred with my rate. (I was off by 2 beats).
I was also instructed by the family to print a set of strips indicating that he was in fact in a-fib. Mind you, this patient has a history of a-fib and was on amiodarone for a while, but the family decided to stop it b/c the patient is allergic to iodine. Despite the allergy, he never had a reaction to amiodarone, but the family still didn't want him to have it and... ta-da! He went back into a-fib.
I was also yelled at because I had to start a Cardizem gtt and as this patient has a habit of going hypotensive, decided that BP checks q30 minutes was a prudent thing to do. Oh, I was also a bad nurse b/c I put him on 2L NC. Oh, and my hospital is ridiculous because we don't have those donuts for people to sit on... oh and there CAN'T be a good reason for us to not have them in central supply.
Did I also mention that I was lazy because I left the BP cuff on him and set the machine to recycle every 30 mts? Yes... I did that so I wouldn't have to go in the room all night. (He told this to the PCA and she came and told me) So he refused to leave the BP cuff on, and preferred for me to go in every 30 mts to put the cuff on and off (this only went on for 3 cycles... at this time, he fell asleep and I slipped it on over his gown). This is the same man who complained that us night shift don't let him sleep.
I just had to run out of the room at this point and cry... I usually handle these kind of people really well. Before last night I don't remember the last time I let a patient/family make me cry. I actually felt bad giving report on this patient in the morning... I felt horrible to pass this person on to another nurse!
*oh and the KICKER. During one of my visits for a BP check, I accidentally bumped his foot which he REFUSES to leave on the bed. He prefers to let his foot hang off the bed on the side I do my care on. He totally went off on me! Apparently during my BSN program I was taught not to be careful, but to bump patients' feet and cause them pain. I also after 3 years of working cardiac, am unfamiliar with caring for dialysis patients and I don't know how to monitor an a-fib patient. He can't wait until I'm sick in a hospital bed so he can give me what's coming to me. this is the most hurtful thing ANYBODY has ever said to me. I couldn't even respond. I just turned around and left the room.
Sorry this is so long, guys. I just really needed to vent.
Working in med/surg for the past five years, I can think of quite a few memorable moments but there is one incident that really sticks with me: it was almost the end of my shift (I work nights 7p-7a) and one of my patients asked me to get her a cup of coffee. On my way to the pantry, an alarm sounded- one of my other patients was crashing! We coded her and she ended up being rushed to ICU (she made it!) When I got back to my floor, I remembered my other patient's coffee request and brought it in to her:
patient "what's this"
me "it's the coffee you asked for"
patient "I wanted it 45 minutes ago, I don't want it now."
me "I'm sorry, we had an emergency and I wasn't able to come back right away."
patient "you mean in this entire hospital NOBODY has the time to get an expletive cup of coffee for me when I want one!?"
me (starting to get a little annoyed) "Did you hear the alarm sound earlier? One of my other patients was dying. I'm sorry you had to wait, but that takes priority over a cup of coffee."
patient "if they had to look at your ugly lazy mug all night then they would be better off dead! I needed my coffee THEN you expletive. How dare you make me go without my caffeine, expletive. People like you shouldn't be nurses."
At this point I just turned and walked out of her room because I didn't trust myself not to say something I shouldn't
patient "Yeah, that's it. Go away. Just waddle your fat butt out of my room when I'm talking to you!"
As I was walking away, miss rude patient proceeded to throw the full cup coffee at me, getting it all over the back of my scrub top. Sheesh. Talk about a sense of entitlement. I was a bad nurse because I didn't get her coffee on time. The worst part was, she was an alert and oriented x3 40-ish year old with no psych history.
The most demeaning and condescending thing a patient ever said to me was, "I should hire you to come and clean my house" as I was clearing up her crap so that I could do a procedure on her. My response was that if she needed a maid I could certainly recommend MY housekeeper to her if she would like the number. It shut her mouth down instantly.
Not as terrible as some of the things other posters have reported, but this one just got under my skin. Her whole attitude was one of superiority and I just loved the fact that I had an opportunity to smack her 'tude down a little.
I don't know why he was so mad. I told him "Okay but after you take your medication." Took me off guard because I've never had anyone say anything like that to me before. I'm super nice to all of my patients and in turn they are nice to me too. *shrugs* He was probably mad morning shift forgot to turn on his tube feeding. He told me they turned it on late and he has been hungry.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
As I was walking away, miss rude patient proceeded to throw the full cup coffee at me, getting it all over the back of my scrub top. Sheesh. Talk about a sense of entitlement. I was a bad nurse because I didn't get her coffee on time. The worst part was, she was an alert and oriented x3 40-ish year old with no psych history.
*** In that case I would have immediately called the non emergency number of our local police and had her charged with assault and or battery. That is what we are instructed to do by our nurse managers in cases where A&O x3 patients hit, kick, throw things at us etc.
I am a large and strong man and don't mind doing battle with brain injury patients or patients who for other reasons are not in control of their faculties but I am not a punching bag for mean & rude patients.
Specializes in Telemetry, IMCU, s/p Open Heart surgery.
Some patients do not know appreciation. You did all to care for your patient. By the looks of it, this person and his family are all difficult.
You did your best to educate them, but they wwere unwilling to learn. I feel your pain. Some people are never satisfied. It is unfortunate that people like them exist.
A lazy nurse would not even waste time catering to them. So they sould be grateful for your service!!!
Thank you to everyone for your replies!!
The thing with this family is that I'd dealt with them on Wednesday while I was charge nurse. On Thursday I was his nurse and they were a bit crazy, but tolerable. I don't know what happened on Friday! I was tending to these people for over and hour while my poor guy in bed 2 of the same room was waiting for me to pull out the NGT he'd had for 5 days! I felt horrible for him.
I go back to work tonite and hope, hope, hope this horrible family has been d/c. If not, I hope I can run into the daughters and have them ask me why I'm not caring for their dad tonite. lol.
Specializes in Telemetry, IMCU, s/p Open Heart surgery.
As I was walking away, miss rude patient proceeded to throw the full cup coffee at me, getting it all over the back of my scrub top. Sheesh. Talk about a sense of entitlement. I was a bad nurse because I didn't get her coffee on time. The worst part was, she was an alert and oriented x3 40-ish year old with no psych history.
I don't even know what I would have done! :angryfire
Now that I think about it:
1. Have the secretary order me a set of scrubs from OR.
2. Tell the charge nurse/clinical manager.
3. Call security.
4. Have the nursing supervisor take this patient off my unit.
THIS IS SO INSANE!! why do patients think it's ok to treat us this way??? they would never in their wildest dreams talk to an MD/DO in this manner!
There's no way I would put up with half the crap reported in this thread. As to the people who suggest we jolly them out of their bad mood, I'm not a comedian or a babysitter. Running interference for obnoxious so-and-so's who are NOT my patients is NOT my job, and they'd find themselves thrown off the ward very fast. Mind you, if someone threw a cup of coffee at me I would be so dumbstruck I am not sure what I would do or say. You would have that "I can't believe that just happened" feeling!
Perhaps I'm lucky in that I've always worked in places and with managers who supported the staff's right NOT to be abused.
The name calling hasn't really stuck out in my mind. I do know that a few weeks back I was assigned to a woman who was basically on suicidal precautions because she'd gone on a hunger strike. And she had a beautiful 9 month old child to boot. Nevertheless, she and her sister were basically booting me around like a football anytime I'd come in w/ total manipulation and accusations. If you tried to be encouraging and explain things to them, they'd accuse me of trying to "fool" them. If I told them I was going to hang potassium, yet had to switch the bag of normal saline underneath because it was empty, they'd totally go off on me -- telling me I was a liar and not being truthful with them "because YOU said you were going to hang potassium!!" It went on for 2 days and by the 2nd day, there was just no helping this young woman. PPD had gone totally awry, but she also had some sort of strange idea about medications and medical help. Just a total lack of insight as to how to take care of herself.
It was the MOST exasperating day I'd ever had. In the other room up the hall, I had the nicest woman ever, dying of cancer, who stated in her palliative care consult, that she'd give anything just to have more time w/ her grandchildren. I had to go back and forth between these two rooms, and it was all I could do to want to kick Ms. Starvation mentally deranged out the window.
I have a hard time with patients who present themselves to the hospital, and then proceedd to refuse any sort of treatment the docs prescribe, totally blaming in on the nurse. These folks, IMO, should be escorted to the door. I know she was mentally ill, but I guess I just didn't have the patience for it. You don't want help? Then get out.
I guess I would have a very tough time as a psych nurse, but this patient was also on a medical floor supposedly for medical treatment, and refusing it at every turn. The abuse she dished out over her stay was enough for anyone, but I caught the brunt of it. I shudder everytime I have to take care of a psych patient now.
Had a pt w/ unsteady gait, hematuria and fairly loose bowels. Pt was beligerant and despite restraints being used, was able to continuously get up out of bed and make his way over to the chair. He'd sit down with a trail of poo following him and eat like he was surrounded by roses. His RN finally got him back to bed and by the time I got to him poo was everywhere.
So I gather the things to wash him and he starts pulling away from me, I went to wash the poo off of his hands and he said, 'Don't touch my hands, wash my ***, that's what you're here for!' He then proceded to turn his rear to me and lift his leg! Needless to say there were no words going through my mind @ the time that would've been appropriate but I managed to tell him that he was a nasty old man, complete my work and leave the room.
About a month later, I go into a different room and find this same pt only this time, he's unconscious and near death. In fact the Dr's as well as the RN's said he wouldn't make it past the weekend. I knew he would though, as I was washing him (no trouble this time), he would stop breathing for about 10 secs and when I'd get ready to flee the room he'd start back up. I felt he was to ornary to die and when I came in on Mon, he was conscious and alert. He was discharged two days later.
I actually felt bad giving report on this patient in the morning... I felt horrible to pass this person on to another nurse!
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sra27
19 Posts
Working in med/surg for the past five years, I can think of quite a few memorable moments but there is one incident that really sticks with me: it was almost the end of my shift (I work nights 7p-7a) and one of my patients asked me to get her a cup of coffee. On my way to the pantry, an alarm sounded- one of my other patients was crashing! We coded her and she ended up being rushed to ICU (she made it!) When I got back to my floor, I remembered my other patient's coffee request and brought it in to her:
patient "what's this"
me "it's the coffee you asked for"
patient "I wanted it 45 minutes ago, I don't want it now."
me "I'm sorry, we had an emergency and I wasn't able to come back right away."
patient "you mean in this entire hospital NOBODY has the time to get an expletive cup of coffee for me when I want one!?"
me (starting to get a little annoyed) "Did you hear the alarm sound earlier? One of my other patients was dying. I'm sorry you had to wait, but that takes priority over a cup of coffee."
patient "if they had to look at your ugly lazy mug all night then they would be better off dead! I needed my coffee THEN you expletive. How dare you make me go without my caffeine, expletive. People like you shouldn't be nurses."
At this point I just turned and walked out of her room because I didn't trust myself not to say something I shouldn't
patient "Yeah, that's it. Go away. Just waddle your fat butt out of my room when I'm talking to you!"
As I was walking away, miss rude patient proceeded to throw the full cup coffee at me, getting it all over the back of my scrub top. Sheesh. Talk about a sense of entitlement. I was a bad nurse because I didn't get her coffee on time. The worst part was, she was an alert and oriented x3 40-ish year old with no psych history.