just asking…
if you were a patient…
1. would it affect you if your nurse is over 300 pounds?
2. do you find it rude if your nurse chews gum while talking to you? (”hi, chew chew my name chew chew is May, chew chew. i’m chew chew your nurse chew chew today.”)
3. does it bother you if you see nurses playing in the computer even though he/she is not taking care of you?
if you were an RN…
1. do you get pissed off if another RN answers your call light and tells you what your patient needs? (like you think: “what does she think, i can’t take care of my own patients?”)
2. do you feel slighted if your patient keeps asking about another nurse because “she was so nice”?
3. if you or a family member is in the hospital, do you think it is NECESSARY to let the doctors/nurses know that you are a nurse?
i’m very curious……
If I were a pt. no it would not bother me if my nurse was over 300 pounds. But if I code-big girl better get there in a timely manner. I would find it to be rude yes if my nurse chewed gum. Does it bother me to see a nurse playing a game? No not really, as long as I’m ok. If a nurse comes along and answers my call light I’m grateful to whomever gets me what I need. Wouldn’t be upset if they asked about another nurse. I hate it when pts come to our office and tell me they’re a nurse etc…why tell me? It’s not like you’re gonna get special treatment-everyones treated the same.
Just my opinion.
Comment by kimmyk — May 23, 2005 @ 5:18 pm
To answer your questions… as a patient…
1. yes, it would bother me. I would be worried that a healthcare provider took such poor care of themselves.
2. gum chewing would not bother me as long as it was done appropriately (not chomping on it while talking to me!)
3. is the nurse playing in the computer? yes, that would bother me. or are they charting in the computer? that would not bother me.
As an RN…
1. no, I would appreciate another RN answering my call light for me if I were busy and letting me know what my patient needed, as opposed to letting the call light go unanswered because I was busy elsewhere and then my patient feeling their needs were not being attended to.
2. I would not be offended because either I would feel that this other nurse and my patient simply had better chemistry (and that other patients had better chemistry with me) …if I heard it too often, I would think it reflected on my bedside manner and that I’d better improve in this area.
3. no, I don’t think it necessary as a civilian to let it be known I’m a nurse and I find it annoying when people do (aka, the mom in our office who first visit every other sentence was “As a doctor…” GET OVER YOURSELF!
Comment by mamalife — May 23, 2005 @ 5:20 pm
#1 - only if she/he were sitting on my hand with the IV in it
#2 - Yes, but strangely entertaining as well
#3 - yes, unless playing online texas hold ‘em poker
#1 - that rn needs to take care of her own patients, especially the one that is walking down the hall at 2 am with no pants on and screaming the national anthem
#2 - that patient is manipulative, borderline perhaps
#3 - not necessary, but perhaps sadly important
Comment by Dr. Charles — May 23, 2005 @ 7:48 pm
1. No, no bother. As long as they are helpful and skilled.
2. I do think thats a bit rude.
3. No, sometimes there isn’t much to do, and I can appreciate the need to take a break whenever you can get it as long as the patient’s needs are met.
1. Nice to have another RN answer a call light, even nicer to have him/her help that patient if I am busy and they are not. I would do the same for them.
2. It really depends on the context. If they were manipulative and acting borderline, as Charles says, then yeah, that would be a pain, but if they just had a grand ole time with the other nurse and had a lot in common and hoped to see them, no not at all. Some patients don’t get that many visitors, if any at all, and a friendly nurse can make a difference.
3. I wouldn’t mention being a nurse myself, unless I thought someone was doing things improperly (not something nit-picky, but really improper). I don’t really mind if someone tells me they’re a nurse. Being in a hospital is scary and they are probably trying to reassure themselves they’re getting the best care. It won’t make a difference in my care of them, but maybe they’ll feel like they have some control in a situation where they are really feeling helpless.
Comment by HypnoKitten — May 23, 2005 @ 11:54 pm
PT..
1. No, it wouldn´t.
2. Yes, if the chewing was very loud.
3. Depents. They can do whatever they want to do on their break as long as the patients are taken care of.
RN..
1. Being a student, I get that all the time. But if I was RN, yes it would bother me…in a way.
2. It wouldn´t bother me… at first, I guess. But if the patient goes on and on and on..then it would be another story.
4. My mother is also a nurse. After grandma got sick, it´s been necessary to let the staff know. If mom hadn´t been so active, grandma wouldn´t be alive…
It depents, sometimes it is necessary.. but it can be a bit annoying, too. When they come giving advice like you didn´t know what you´re doing.
Comment by Dragonfly — May 24, 2005 @ 4:39 am
first, thanks for feeding my curiosity.
so far, let me see here…
80% do not care if your RN is huffin and puffin while taking your vitals, as long as she/he does the job well. ( that’s how our patients react to S, because she is nice and all; but most of the RNs look at her with concern like she can’t do the job. honestly, i don’t know what i thhink personally.)
chewing gum is definitely a no-no. (it’s an implied 100%)
okay, i better loosen up with internet playing maniacs then.(is that 60%?)
my point exactly! so why is it that some RNs say “that’s fine, next time, just let me answer his call light, i can do it”. hey, i was only trying to help!
i guess have had the borderline manipulative patients huh. it does get on my nerves sometimes when i try to do everything possible to keep them comfortable and they ask over and over why so and so is not their nurse instead.
well, i still don’t know about telling people you’re a nurse. it is such a gray area for me.
thanks again for your opinion…appreciated.
Comment by may — May 24, 2005 @ 12:21 pm
300lb nurses don’t bother me, 300lb patients do.
no one should chew gum during conversations.
if’m not in pain or danger, i don’t need a nurse on me constantly.
if another nurse answers my call light and i’m truly busy with another patient, i thank her for the much needed help, i don’t care what her intentions are.
whenever i hear a patient compliment another nurse, i always say something like “yeah, she’s a great girl, isn’t she?” why be hostile?
i never let others know i’m a nurse when i’m in a hospital as a visitor, but my parents do.
Comment by Anonymous — May 24, 2005 @ 6:35 pm
Regarding the last question -
When my friend was in labor with her kid, I was in the room along with the husband and another friend.
No one had told the staff that I was a nurse. (What good would it have done? I know NOTHING about L&D!)
This was all well and good until my friend’s nurse came in to start Pitocin. This hospital had the same pumps that we did where I worked. For 5 minutes, I watched this nurse incorrectly put the tubing in the pump. Over and over and over again. She could not figure out why it wouldn’t go in, although it was very obvious to me.
I didn’t want to embarass her by telling her what she was doing wrong in a room full of people, but it was getting ridiculous.
I finally reached over, said “excuse me” and put the tubing through the air bubble detector (which is what she was failing to do).
All eyes were on us, but I hope I did it respectfully enough so that she didn’t feel too bad. When she looked at me, I just shrugged and said that I had those pumps where I worked.
Then again - I’m not sure how I feel about having a nurse that can’t work the equipment!!!
Comment by geena — May 29, 2005 @ 10:55 am