"My mom" yadda yadda yadda...

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brandtrn
Guardian Angel
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Posts: 159
Joined: 27 Feb 2015, 16:27

"My mom" yadda yadda yadda...

Post by brandtrn »

Okay, I've posted about this before, but I've just gotta say...people who "stalk" their loved ones' nurses are among my LEAST favorite kind of folks! And, given the fact that in my profession, we see folks at their absolute ugliest, that's SAYING someting!

For the uninitiated: when in the hospital, there's a little device known as a "call button." In our hospital, this device is located not only on the patient's remote (which controls not only the television, but the overhead lights, etc. and has the added convenience of being able to summon the nurse to one's room), but on either side of the bedrails, etc. In each room in our facility, there are AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT DEVICES which will summon staff to the room! Upon admission, we educate not only the patient, but any friends/family members who might be with him/her, as to where they are and HOW TO USE THESE DEVICES! And, unlike many hospitals, OUR hospital has a policy that the call button, once activated, MUST be answered within one minute or less. It has been my experience that we only RARELY fall short of the policy requirements (there ARE times, when we're understaffed and have got a psycho or two on the unit when we're so completely overwhelmed that it MIGHT take up to five minutes, but that's an extreme circumstance and happens only rarely). With that in mind and with nurses being SO accessible in our facility, why, oh WHY do these patient family members feel the need to "stalk" the freaking nurses??!!??

This is something which positively grates upon my last dying nerve...especially these idiots who won't even bother to introduce themselves but who'll come up to a nurse they've probably NEVER seen before, saying "My mom needs...etc."). Excuse me?? Since I've never seen YOU before in my entire life, how the eff am I supposed to know WHO the eff "your mom" is???? Get a grip, people! Either freaking learn how to USE that goddamn call button or, if you're intent upon terrorizing your loved one's nurses for whatever reason, at least have the decency to say to your intended victim: "Hello, my name is Suzy Snowflake and my mother, Elsa Iceprincess, is in room 204. She'd like to have another blanket, please." HOW difficult is THAT???

I could go on for HOURS about all the ways that patient visitors aggravate the Hell out of me, but it would end up being one of those "too long, didn't read" posts. Yes, patient visitors ARE the effing plague, as far as I'm concerned! Every once in awhile, you'll have a concerned spouse, child, etc. who actually PAYS ATTENTION to the family teaching that we provide, who wants to be actively involved in his/her loved one's care, etc., whom you'll be willing to jump through hoops for. But the majority of them appear to be of THIS particularly annoying variety, who expect you to bring them soda, coffee, etc., wait upon them hand and foot, and then, they'll effing FOLLOW YOU from room to room for crap that isn't even REMOTELY urgent!

It's a goddamn shame that MY particular facility has unrestricted visiting hours, because even on MY "vampire" shift, I have to deal with these a**holes...but only for a few months more, thank you, Jesus! I have accepted a clinical instructor position with the nursing school from which I graduated and my orientation will begin a few weeks before the upcoming winter semester. Now, I have only to hang on in my current position, do my job, and NOT manage to say something to these idiots which'll get me fired before I'm ready to quit! Ah, well, since I've managed to restrain myself THIS long, I imagine I'll be able to do it for another couple of months! And, although I no longer consider myself to be a "Christian," once again, I'll say "thank you, Jesus!" that I have a vacation scheduled to begin only two weeks from today...
"The miracle is this: the more we share, the more we have." -- Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)
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yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: "My mom" yadda yadda yadda...

Post by yogi »

There has not been a time when I was hospitalized, or somebody I loved dearly was hospitalized, that I was calm, cool, and collected. It was near panic every time and I had to do all I could to appear under control so that I would not alarm friends, family, nor hospital staff. I've had a few death defying moments under nursing care, and I watched the heart wrenching agony my family experienced from the fear of not knowing what is happening to me or to them. Each and ever time I felt helpless and at the mercy of strangers who were only doing their job. Oh yes, I know they cared about my well being. They were legally bound to.

You know where I'm going with this, right? Us patients and visitors see hospitals as nothing less than threatening. It's mostly unjustified and the treatment is generally stellar. But emotions rule, not logic. It turns out that the hospital staff is populated by humans none the less sensitive than I am, but every one of them is being paid to be there. It's their job to take care of us unfortunate sickly types who don't want to be there. I'm not going to try and justify "stalking" because you know how and why that happens. You've been victimized by it thousands of times, I'm sure. But I am also certain that those stalkers are not acting out of pure stupidity. They are scared, panic ridden, and feeling helpless with only the hospital staff to turn to for reassurance and comfort.

And, congratulations on being accepted for a new assignment. I know you are highly skilled and will be a valuable asset to the nursing school. It's going to be quite a change, and I'm not sure you can stand the relative peace and quiet very long. LOL Be that as it may, good luck to you, and DO enjoy that vacation. You really deserve it. :mrgreen:
Icey

Re: "My mom" yadda yadda yadda...

Post by Icey »

Congratulations on getting that new job! It'll seem strange to have to move, but I think you've done the right thing.

I've witnessed nurses being pulled from pillar to post by patients and their visitors, and I have to say that they managed to accommodate even the most annoying requests with a well-placed smile and a few words of reassurance. I'm sure they were feeling differently underneath though!

Apart from that, I agree with Yogi. I don't think the majority of patients mean to hassle the nursing staff. They're concerned, and probably don't take in what they're being told at the time of their loved ones being admitted or treated. Their minds are only on those who're their nearest and dearest, and they just want to make sure that their needs're catered for. This can unfortunately mean that they repeat requests from the first nurse they see, or ask questions which haven't sunk in or've been forgotten very swiftly. A nurse soon gets used to each patient under her/his care and can do their best to see to one after the other with ease and efficiency, but for a patient or visitor, it's different. Some aren't used to hospital systems at all, and in their panic and confusion, can come across as a PITA. I think this attitude's fairly normal. They're just worried about themselves or their loved ones, and often don't realise that they're coming across as being a "nuisance".

Luckily, I have only admiration for nurses over here. They aren't called angels for nothing. They all work very long hours and the majority go beyond their duties to make sure that their patients're happy and comfortable. It can't be easy when they're tired, rushed and being called every 5 minutes for things which they see as unnecessary, but they do it anyway, and manage to put on Oscar-winning performances with cheerful smiles and helpful manners.
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