Why are nurses so suspect?

Brownms46 · Aug 22, 2003

It comes from working in hospitals, where you yourself can feel as though you aren't able to give the best care d/t not enough this or that. I think nurses know what to watch out for, and what could happen, so they're more watchful. And they know that there are those who shouldn't be in nursing, or medicine for that matter, but unfortunately are.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2003

I've seen my coworkers in action. Some of them scare me. I would be on the lookout for that type. Knowing there are lazy, borderline dangerous people out there makes me suspicious.

What I can't stand though is the nurse who is a family member that is a total unrealistic witch the whole time the family member is in there. Screaming things like "he didn't get oral care q4h"! "His urinal hasn't been dumped in the last two minutes!".

Brownms46 · Aug 22, 2003

Even before I came into nursing, I never asked a nurse to do anything for my family member. I took care of their needs, that didn't require a nurse to do it. I assisted my mother to the bathroom. I was there everyday to feed, bath and hold my child. I slept in between two chairs during my sons stay in the hospital, until I got to know the staff enough, that they let me sleep in their lounge. It bugs me that suddenly people who know better, want you to be Johnny on the spot! Especailly the ones who feel they don't need to ring the call bell, but come looking for you, every two mins!

Dayray, RN · Aug 22, 2003

I have cared for other nurses and their family members and usually they are fine with some exceptions of course. What the hate are the family members that think they are nurses and even refer to them selves as such.

had a lady walk in to my patients room (while I was there) and say "don't worry hunny your family nurse is here" she then proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions about the patient. After getting permission from the patient I told the "nurse" what I knew and she then asked me what a ovary was. Gah!//

I explained and then asked what kind of nurse she was. As you may have guessed this was no nurse she had worked in a LTC as an uncertified aid and was now running around calling herself "nurse" and wasting my time. I calmly and politely left and went on with my job. Next thing I know the aid is letting me know that the "nurse" has sent for me because the patients IV is infiltrated. I go down to the room and assess the site which showed no signs of any problem. I left the Iv and was still polite but less talkative with the "family nurse".

then I get another call that the patient needed a bed pan so I go back to the room and ask the patient why she wants to use a bed pan instead of getting to the bathroom as she had the whole day before "nurse" showed up. "she says I have to" pointing to the "nurse" who timidly looked at the floor. I was nice again and explained that a TAH patient on her 1st day post op was not only capable of walking to the BR but that she would actually benefit from walking. The nurse was quite and my patient got up and went to the BR.

A Little while later I went back to the room because the pump was beeping and the IV bag was empty. I found the pump set to 999cc/hr and asked what had happened/ "nurse" answered that the patient was dehydrated and that she had given her a Little extra fluid. I went and got a new bag, hung it and then asked "nurse" into the hall where I told her that she was not helping and that if she really wanted to help the patient she would have to stop trying to act as though she knew it all and just offer support to the patient. I guess she was embarrassed because she left soon after that. the sad thing was that the patient was lonely and could have used the company. I held my tongue as long as possible but the pump thing was just too much what if it had been a med and not just LR?

KathleenC · Aug 22, 2003

I've had a few amusing experiences like Dayray's. Nobody has ever changed IV settings or anything like that--that wouldn't be funny.

I had a patient who had a family member and a friend with her. The friend seemed to running the show. Anything I said to the patient, they looked to her for her opinion and she certainly had opinions on the situation. Finally I said I had to start an IV. The friend immediately grabs the patient's hand and starts slapping it.

Me: "What are you doing?" Friend: "Getting a vein for you."

Me: "Uh, I don't even have a tourniquet on yet. I'll take care of getting a vein. Thanks anyway."

I finally sweetly asked the lady if she were a nurse (knowing full well the answer to that one!) Friend: "No, but I probably could be " Me: "Why do you say that?" Friend: "I spent a lot of time with my mother in the hospital" Me: (I swear I couldn't help it) "Silly me! And I went to school for 4 years! I didn't know all I had to do was watch!"

Another lady, bringing in her elderly father, told me she was a nurse and said her father had "prostrate" problems. When I asked her step out while I helped her father undress, I asked him what she did. She was a receptionist in a doctor's office.

Most of the time, when a family member or the patient is a nurse, they try to step back and not make an issue of it. The patient will proudly tell you their family member is a nurse. If the nurse is the patient, they will usually give it away by speaking "nurse-ese"

agent · Aug 22, 2003

Originally posted by Brownms46
Even before I came into nursing, I never asked a nurse to do anything for my family member. I took care of their needs, that didn't require a nurse to do it. I assisted my mother to the bathroom. I was there everyday to feed, bath and hold my child. I slept in between two chairs during my sons stay in the hospital, until I got to know the staff enough, that they let me sleep in their lounge. It bugs me that suddenly people who know better, want you to be Johnny on the spot! Especailly the ones who feel they don't need to ring the call bell, but come looking for you, every two mins!

Exactly! When I was in the hospital I had my wife take care of me when she could..

Janet E Groll · Aug 22, 2003

My mother recently had a stroke, and went into rehab for 2 months, after seeing no significant improvement in her, I decided to bring her home. She had fallen out of her wheelchair, and they didn't xray her right foot, which had swollen up 3xs it usual size. I spoke to the Dr about this and, asked them about her past medical records, if they had even read them,because last year she had fractured this same ankle, and after keeping her on bedrest for 8 weeks and splinted , we finally got it healed. Her reply was" I didn't know this" I know I placed this information in her chart myself, because I personally took my mother to rehab after her stroke so she wouldn't feel more frightened than she was poststroke. I guess the last straw was when the Dr called and told me she wanted my mother to go into the hospital for a bone marrow biopsy, because her labs were off. After assessing the labs and her med sheets (her WBCs were 1.6 and her RBCs were .6 , platelets

purplemania, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2003

Golly! What a horrible situation for your Mom. Thank goodness you were around.

Dayray, RN · Aug 22, 2003

"Silly me! And I went to school for 4 years! I didn't know all I had to do was watch!"

Lol that is great Ill have to use that one next time ! :roll

flashpoint · Aug 25, 2003

I agree with 3rdShiftGuy...I wouldn't want some of my coworkers caring for me! LOL. My daughter was in the hospital recently with asthma / appendix and I was just floored by some of the things I saw. One nurse tried giving her a nebulizer with 0.25 mL of albuterol (no saline to dilute) and wondered why it wouldn't nebulize...she also tried giving her 15 LPM of O2 per nasal cannula. I kicked her out and got another nurse. Another nurse had no idea how to work the IV pump...I left for 15 minutes and came back to an IV bag that was dry and no longer hooked up to the pump...nurse infused 250 mL by gravity. Kicked her out too. I tried really hard to keep my mouth shut, but no one who doesn't know what they are doing is going to care for my baby...LOL.

I don't mind when nurses are around when their family members are in the hospital as long as their expectations are realistic and they are there to be with their loved ones, not to scrutinize my work.

tonchitoRN · Aug 25, 2003

when you know what happens behind closed doors then you don't want to be in the hospital.