What's the meanest thing a patient has said to you?

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Just curious, what's the meanest, rudest, nastiest thing a patient has said to you? Tonight I had someone tell me they wished I would die and go straight to he!! Then they said they hoped it rained everywhere I went. They also told someone they were a son of a b. What's your best line?

Specializes in Registered Nurse.
I was 18 or 19, working as a CNA in LTC. A lady w/ dementia didn't believe something I'd told her, and I said, "I wouldn't lie to you." She said, "I don't trust you!" I asked why, and she said, "Because you have pimples on your face." Not a racial slur or anything THAT vile, but I was extremely self-conscious about my skin. At the time I was heartbroken to hear that. :sorry:

What a **** she was.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
"Your size 12 a** is bigger than your pea sized brain."

Sticks and stones.

The responses going through your head were probably great. :)

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Had a patient tell me he would eat my first born child. Had to explain to him that I don't have kids and as I went into further detail, I told him that kids poop and I don't clean that stuff, so I'll never have kids. And I reiterated "you'll have to wait for the CNA to clean you up" :brb:

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Specializes in PMHNP/Adjunct Faculty.
The responses going through your head were probably great. :)

Endless possibilities. Kept them in my pea sized brain though ;)

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Specializes in Corrections, Psych, Public Health.

Hmm let's see, "Terrorist, Osama Bin Ladens wife and I've been told "go back to your country *****".....In their defense I do work in a correctional facility. And I don't even have an accent and have been in the US since I was a teenager, I just laugh off their ignorance.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I think I was threatened to kill me once on the phone as a unit secretary; however I was over it quickly because it was an empty threat-they couldn't hunt me down and kill me because I told the person to come in and I could give advice over the phone. This was in the ED and it was like my first day on my own at 19.

Everything else I have encountered as a nurse I have yet to reflect on a nasty pt because I either have a good way of deflecting that information or they end up "firing" me because I won't entertain their mess, OR the ones that are nasty genuinely like me for some twisted reason. :laugh:

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I offered to push an older patient back out to reception after his procedure was finished--

Pt: That sounds good, you could use the exercise it looks like!

Me: Mr. Johnson, that really isn't your place to decide what kind of exercise I might need.

Pt: Well, I was just making a point!

Me: Here's a point. A GENTLEMAN with MANNERS would never say such a thing to someone!

Pt: um, oh, uh...

Me: Now, did you want me to push you out front, or would you prefer to propel yourself?

Yeah, I don't have time for rude jerks who know better!

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
We had a man with a known hx as a child molester on the tele unit I worked one time. The other aide I was working with that night came out of his room white and shaking. Apparently she had unwisely responded to what seemed like small talk we have with patients everyday. He asked if she had kids and she responded that she had a daughter and her age. The guy said, "Why don't you bring her down here so I can do her."

The one male nurse on duty that night volunteered to take total care for that patient for the rest of the night. Going forward, only male personnel were assigned to that room, because apparently he didn't try any of his crap on the guys.

All of us got a lesson about being mindful of who you're talking to and adjusting interactions based on known issues. She was young and probably never even thought about small talking with patients until that happened.

I'm afraid I would've lost it. You can threaten me all you want but you talk about my precious, innocent, toddler and buddy you better believe something will be done. Might have to contact someone's parole officer on that one.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

They called me a male nurse.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
They called me a male nurse.

Could be worse. At least they didn't say f***ing male nurse. 😋 lol

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They called me a male nurse.

They could have called you a female nurse, so put it in perspective.

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

I was 21.

Middle-aged guy sitting in a w/c 2 days post hand-surgery. He sneered at me, "If your brain was dynamite, you still couldn't blow a pea apart."

I smiled at him and thought, "I wasn't the drunken id-jit who passed out on the bed with a lit cigarette."

(Burned over 40% of his body and was having follow-up surgery to release scarring on his hands.)

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