When your the patient, do you tell the nursing staff your a nurse?

[DemonWings]

Ok, so I had to go to the ER (first time ever) because I sliced open my finger on Christmas. So I get into the room and I dont tell the nurse that I am in fact a nurse also. Well I wasnt my normal self bc my index finger was almost cut in half, but the nurse starts my IV, misses the first attempt, gets the second but keeps tourniquet on and my blood starts pouring out, well I look down to see him wiping my blood off with his ungloved finger:eek: then he wiped the blood off his finger onto his scrub pants:madface:. He tapes the IV on with on piece of tape (no dressing). I ask him to get something to cover the IV and he says it should be fine until the doc gets there. Well then he starts my EKG leads and places them in the wrong spots, so i asked him if the white lead should be at the top right, he said "oh yea, you a nurse?" I said yes, BAM! He goes "well I wish you would have told me that before, we cut lots of corners in the ER"..... Then off he goes to get me a dressing for my IV. I guess I should have told him upfront, but when the ER doc comes in he says "well your a nurse, you just need to do proper wound care and you should be fine" Im like NOO Please tell me exactly what I need to do bc I am the Worst nurse when it comes to taking care of myself.....

Vent over....I feel better:lol2:

[bill4745, RN]

When I or a family member is an ER or hospital patient, I never tell them I'm a nurse until I'm ready to leave, unless something bad happens. I like to see how things are done without them knowing.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I never play the "nurse card" unless something egregious happens. I can't stand pts. that say, "BTW, I'm a nurse." It makes me want to say, "Yeah? You and about 2-3 million other people in the US. Your point?" I mean, really, am I supposed to be intimidated? Give preferential care? What's the point in saying that?

Sometimes I trip myself up, though, and reveal it unintentionally.

[CompleteUnknown]

Just wondering, why did you have an ECG done?

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

It depends. If I see stupid or dangerous behavior, or they treat me like a moron, then I will mention it. Otherwise no. I keep it to myself.

I once had a 'nurse'( I think she was an MA), told me that alternating tylenol and advil for my back pain would 'ruin my liver'. She was nasty and such a know it all. When I told her I was an RN and knew something about pain control and where drugs were accurately metabolized she shut up.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I don't walk into a doctor's office and say "btw I'm a nurse" but they almost always ask just in the course of taking a history or because I say something without realizing it that alerts them to the fact that I have a medical background. With a nephrology fellow earlier this year [i was there because of hypokalemia and acidosis] it was because I said my CO2 had always been normal prior to beginning a certain medication. As soon as I said "CO2", she said, "are you working in the medical field?" With my oncologist's nurse earlier this year, it was because she asked about any new symptoms and I said I'd been waking up because my arm was numb and then said, "but I don't think it's vascular because my pulses were fine."

I don't like when doctors/nurses talk to me like I'm an idiot [the last time I had conscious sedation, I got told... "we're going to put in an IV, that's a little catheter that goes in your vein." Even if I wasn't a nurse, if they looked at my medical history they could assume I know what an IV is!] but I also don't like when they assume that they don't have to explain things because I'm a nurse. Last year, when I had to do a 24 hour urine collection, I got handed a jug and that was that and I thought, "well good thing I AM a nurse and know how to do this."

I feel like I have a better relationship with my doctors when they know I'm a nurse because they respect that I know what the hell I'm talking about. My endocrinologist basically asks me what I think should be done with my medications. My primary care has asked me for advice about other patients of hers before.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Took my Dad in because I suspected pneumo. He knew that I didn't want him to say anything either. Both my Dad and his MD pimped me out.

My Dad says, "My daughter here is a nurse" (Look of evil from the er nurse guy, as I had betrayed him somehow) But all I did was do a eyebrow lift back at him. Then, I could hear the er doc talking to my Dad's doc on the phone, as I had called the guy prior to taking him in with vitals and s/s. I had to call (after rifling thru his wallet for his number) because my dad is very secretive about his medical status and hates going to the doctor. I didn't know his trends because he pretty much won't let me touch him, but he did that day (which means he was really sick, right?!). Dad's doc was wierded-out by my "report" so I had to tell him I was a nurse but Dad is a PITA (he agreed) told me to do what I thought best with Dad. PMO. So Dad's doc tells er doc that I'm a nurse...

Good thing:

1. Er doc came in and said you are a nurse, what do ya think? I said he looks bad, I think pneumo. He says he doubts it, it's a virus but orders films and labs. It's pneumo, he gets pounded with ABX and d/c 4 days later. Otherwise, he'd have been sent home and he'd been in trouble overnight at some point. Dad is in his 80's.

Bad thing:

2. As soon as er dude found out I was a nurse, all tech-type care ended. I had to walk my getting very weak dad into the bathroom, and I turned around so I didn't "see anything" the nurse just walked out of the room when my dad announced he had to go. I also had to go out to the warmers and yes, get my dad a blanket, because nobody did this. I walked right into the central area, yup and reached around a doc and got them myself. I was ******. When the er nurse finally came back in with the first hit of abx. I told him outside the room that a Dad, should not have to have his daughter, even though she is a nurse, hold him up so he can pee if there is a tech or nurse around!!!!!! The OR was not busy at that time.

[JerseyBSN]

I never say that I'm a nurse. It's like another poster said. There's millions of us out there, so what? If I go with my parents they always rat me out. Just because they're proud.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

My mom always rats me out too. She had surgery a few years ago in the hospital next door to mine and when I went in to visit her after a night shift, the nurse came in and she was like, "this is my daughter, she's a nurse." Mind you, I am a pediatric nurse and my mother had GYN surgery. The worst is when she goes around telling my neighbors though. I don't want anyone knocking on my door in the middle of the night when grandma isn't feeling well.

[DemonWings]

My pulse was getting into the 120's so they decided to do an ECG, but it was just sinus tach, and my good nursing judgement thinks its because my finger was half cut off and it hurt:rolleyes:

[DemonWings]

I never play the "nurse card" unless something egregious happens. I can't stand pts. that say, "BTW, I'm a nurse." It makes me want to say, "Yeah? You and about 2-3 million other people in the US. Your point?" I mean, really, am I supposed to be intimidated? Give preferential care? What's the point in saying that?

Sometimes I trip myself up, though, and reveal it unintentionally.

This is exactly why I dont like to play the nurse card, I dont think it really should matter in the grand scheme of things, and when he finally found out I was a nurse he acted like I had somehow cheated him out of this information to spite him or something

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

I always tell them now...before I never did but it just got too weird when I would be correcting them all the time. My next question is always " How long have you been a nurse?" I am astounded at the years some are nurses but the knowledge and technique are not there.