Would you want to be a patient in your hospital?

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2004

There have been a few post on this before. Personally, I wouldn't tell them if I was a nurse. My family did this with my first baby (c section) and I fee that I got a little less teaching/ monitoring. Some nurses even said " Well you know... you're a nurse" After I reminded them I work in LTC and never even saw a baby beside my clinicals I did get a little more help. Even getting out of bed for the first time (after my traumatic C-section) was difficult for me.... Well you know what to do.....

Just my .02 never tell them you are a nurse (unless needed). Everyone deserves the same care.

As far as being a pt where I work...thats a long time away for me:D If by some odd chance, only if I had a private room and was in my right mind and had family also looking after me.

unknown99, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2004

I would be a patient at the hospital where I work. They give awesome care, no matter who you are!!!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jan 26, 2004

When i'm a nurse, i won't tell them this. It should have no factor in what kind of care i receive, therefore i'm not mentioning it.

And in our facility, i would request a private room, which would be on my floor, because i know firsthand how the care is on this floor.

Cryssi · Jan 26, 2004

I don't know if I said it right, but I guess what I mean is do you think being a nurse would make a difference in the care you would receive? I don't want anyone to think that I am implying that they should get better care than other patients because they are a nurse; I was just curious as to if anyone has ever thought this to be the case; whether with themselves, or if anyone noticed this with anyone else (I guess this question could be directed to anyone else in the med. field...dr.'s, etc.).

I didn't know this post has been done before...sorry!

Cryssi

Tinuviel · Jan 26, 2004

Id be an ornery patient in my rehab center..the kind who puts on the call light "just because". Id have a timer in one hand and a rubber band in the other...so I could shoot it across the room at whatever aid came to help me.

Dave ARNP · Jan 26, 2004

Most definately I would.

I also HAVE been!

Dave

kastas, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2004

I have been twice now, my husband once and my daughter once. We rec'd nothing but awesome care.

With my fist child I told them I was a nurse and was obviously treated differently. I also had to tell them I did LTC, but still felt like I was left to fend for myself alot. With my 2nd child I did not tell anyone and would not let my family. I told them on after my d/c teaching and the nurse just laughed. She said she could tell but didn't want to ask if I didn't want to share. With my 3rd child I was doing L&D and got to request the best of the best nurses. I loved it!

mamabear · Jan 27, 2004

Big mistake:( I had some tricky back surgery last summer and I was "encouraged" by both the neurosurgeon and the orthopod to have the procedure done where I work, instead of the nearby county hospital where I'd always received adequate to excellent care. :confused: Instead of going to the ICU for 24 hours post-op, like I was promised, I found myself going directly from the PACU to a newly opened med-surg unit. Like the rest of our hospital, it was abyssmally understaffed to the point that I was able to smoke in the john for the 4 days (which was supposed to be "at least 6 days") I was there:devil:, the food, when it finally got there, was cold and ptomaine:p, and nobody seemed to give a damn about much of anything:eek:

I've found that, when I am hospitalized and I tell the staff I'm an RN, they're a bit more careful of how and when they do things. I don't do this for the sake of getting preferential treatment. God knows we've had plenty of patients on my unit who let us know that they're nurse so-and-so and they work on the such-and-such unit, and then proceed to be gigantic pains the entire time they're there:angryfire

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jan 27, 2004

I've been a patient in my hospital on several occasions, as have a couple of my family members, and I literally had people falling over each other taking care of me. My daughter and my sister also received excellent care. On the other hand, my spouse---who had a kidney stone---got DISCHARGED because he had "competent medical supervision" (translated: me) at home!

Keysnurse2008 · Jan 27, 2004

I do tell that i am an RN.....because you can see it in their eyes they are more careful of HOW they care for you.Call it intimidation if you want ....but when I am a patient I want adequate care for me and my family.

I would NOT be a patient in my hospital for personal reasons.I feel I work on an incredible unit and provide excellent care....BUT I know those people.....theirs no way I am going in to surgery knowing Id have to face people who saw god only knows what!~

flashpoint · Jan 27, 2004

I've always had great care in the hospital I work in...before I was an employee there and after I was hired. I'll admit the care is a little better now that I work there, but I think that we all give a little better care to people we know well.