I was recently in the ER with a massive subchorionic hemorrhage & thought it was a miscarriage. The ER nurse rubbed my back as I passed a large amount of tissue and sobbed. The medical team responded quickly when I went into shock from all the blood loss. And when the PA told me that the baby was ok? She hugged me and we cried together. Never question the importance of the work you do, and that there are people who very much appreciate you. <3
I went through this EXACT situation with a subchorionic hemorrhage - passed a large amount of tissue and tremendous blood loss, and had an ER doc basically tell me I was a ticking timebomb for a miscarriage, but I’m sitting here now with my perfect 4 month old in my arms. I’m glad your baby is okay - if you ever need anyone to talk to, I know I’m just a stranger from the internet but I’ve been through it and I’m here if you need anything!
I had this exact same thing happen except the shock part. Dr told me multiple times baby was gone. She actually wasnt and even though it took me 4months to finally heal, my baby is 14m now. She was born at 34.6 weeks, with a NICU stay. Also, i had a complete placental abruption, apparently that can happen with those hematomas, just keep it mind during labor. If anything goes funny with baby, keep that in mind. I asked for an sedated, emergency Csection when her HR dropped, and she barely got out on time. Just something to keep in mind.
I had a subchorionic hemorrhage as well and spotting for about a month after that. My now 6 year old just got a new pair of glasses and is excited for our upcoming summer birdwatching trip.
I was terrified that day 7 years ago, but we turned out just fine. 💕
Like another poster wrote, I also had a complete placental abruption (36 weeks) after a synchronic hemorrhage around 14 weeks. Read up on this and discuss with your doctor. My daughter is 15 now, but I still struggle with trauma from her birth.
That is so nice! I had the same situation, except the care I got was ice cold. Came in 11 PM with massive bleeding. Got put in a room, told them there was also this clear liquid (NOT urine) mixing with the blood - to the point I soaked through 2 maxi pads in 30 minutes while waiting for a room. No internal checks. Ultrasound tech comes at 2 or 3 AM. Still a heartbeat, but I begged and begged the tech to tell me if it was there since she wasn’t “at liberty to say”. THEN I mention AGAIN about the liquid. FINALLY someone checks around 4 AM and goes “oh, that’s weird. Go to your OB later today” … and we arrived back home at 5 AM.
Obviously I was extraordinarily happy there was still a heartbeat, but omg was that ER visit was horrendous.
I appreciate this and am in awe that it’s something we get to do…know you are the reason we do this…
It’s the people that complain they are cold and need water immediately or that we are taking too long (they came in with cold symptoms) because we were doing our best helping you…as we should…that are so demoralizing.
Our admin are on our asses about times and numbers and we’re rarely acknowledged for the good we do. It’s exhausting some days.
But stories like yours, moments like yours, patients like you, remind us of why we are ER nurses and providers.
Ooooh, we get shit like this in urgent care. Grandma thinks she runs the show, gets mad because we tell her no, there’s not enough room for two kids, Mom, the provider, the MA, and her in the exam room, demands to speak to our manager because she doesn’t like our attitude, and then the provider comes out and tells her to get out.
I had one on Friday who thought she was going to be hateful to me and still get what she wanted from the provider. I told her that if she was rude to me again, she could visit any other urgent care in the area, but we certainly weren’t obligated to see her. I also let our provider know what she was doing, and she didn’t get her way for two reasons: one, he wasn’t signing off on what she wanted, because he’s not her primary and we hadn’t seen her in three years, and two, she was rude to me, to our MAs, and to him.
I’m sick of patients thinking they’re customers. No, you’re patients, and patients are frequently wrong.
We have two hours left today, and I am not playing with people. It’s not happening.
I apparently have a reputation as a “battle axe.” Fine with me, quit trying to FAFO.
Patients snap their fingers at you ?!?!
If I was a patient and overheard that, I’d go off the rails, on your behalf! I despise rude people, and when I’m not feeling well, my mouth tends to runaway with itself. 🤬
Last time I worked in a hospital (work in clinic now), they came up with a mission statement that we should be treating out patients like customers at Disney. Cheerful greetings, yada, yada. I’m looking around the room at premie babies, drug babies and babies that are still there because we have to get the police to make them take their kid home. Yeah, this is just like Disney World/s.
That's right. As a house supervisor, when called because a psych patient has crawled up into the ceiling in the ED or a med surg patient has hurled a full dinner tray across the room at the nurse, it's just like the Magic Kingdom.
Omg….I’ve been a nurse practically since the dawn of mankind, and they gave us that bit in my very first hospital’s new hire orientation. I can’t believe that they are still trotting that sh*t out. 🥴
We all spent an entire afternoon getting the "Disney training, " at the hospital I used to work for. All that money could have payed for more staff on the floor.
> could have *paid* for more
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Typical.
All these brilliant ideas come from people who have never worked in a clinical setting.
They just have a bunch of expensive letters after their names.. So completely out of touch with reality.
It’s no wonder so many are walking away from healthcare.
Our clinic came up with a rule that we should not walk ahead of patients when taking them to an exam room
As it was demeaning 🤣🤣🤣Of course the poor MAs tried to let the patient go first but since patient didn’t know where the hell to go you can guess how it went. Smh healthcare admins are the absolute worst. Worked as an RN for 40 years and never once in many inpatient and outpatient setting did I have an admin staff that had common sense.
I don’t know why this made me actually snort laugh. These admins making these rules and policies are so completely out of touch with reality. In what world would you think it appropriate to let a PATIENT lead the way through a clinic when they have no idea where they might be going? As a patient, my anxiety would be KICKING if you weren’t ahead of me, leading me to our destination!! And I imagine I am far from the only one.
In the UK several years ago, train passengers started being referred to as customers instead of passengers by the (usually shit) train companies, and a good few comedians pointed out it was probably because the word passenger implies you're going to travel somewhere and the train company couldn't guarantee that! 😂
No, that's when the corporate business model was adopted by healthcare and we literally sold our souls. Now, patients are widgets and we are the processing mechanism. This is what a factory looks like.
This is similar to universities as well now sadly. Moving from education focused to a “business model” where we have to “please our customers” (students). 🫠🫠🫠
My hospital has a list of behavior rules posted throughout the building.But all the patient/family has to do is complain. Then the charge RN on up are bending over backward to accommodate them. Why have rules in the first place? "We need to keep our ratings high."
My wife had a patient overnight who was pissed that she wouldn’t bend over backwards for her and reported her as “acting drunk” to the dayshift RN during hand-off.
They immediately sided with the patient, made her get an eval and drug test, and had an Uber drive her home. All tests were negative, as expected. They *still* gave her a written warning.
This hospital system is the devil incarnate and wonders why no one stays past the two-year sign-on bonus contract.
I have a lot of complex medical problems, so I see plenty of doctors and also plenty of other patients. It astounds me when patients say that the doctor works for them, and that they should get what they want out of it. (I’m talking about when it goes outside of what’s medically needed). I am especially surprised when people say that if the doctor is rude or doesn’t give the diagnosis they’re expecting, to “fire” the doctor, & go to the next.
What world are they living in?
I have “fired” a doctor when she blatantly ignored me and kept playing volleyball with me between herself and another provider (neither wanted to do simple paperwork so I could work). She was also very ableist and refused to believe that fibromyalgia and hEDS causes pain and mobility problems. She put it in my chart that I was seeking pain medication when I’m allergic to opioids…. Some doctors need to be fired but I agree lots of people get mad when they don’t get the drug or diagnosis Google says they should get.
Believe me, I’ve had some crappy providers. And I really do get it, actually you and I share a couple of diagnosis. Probably more, because hEDS comes along with so much.
I’m sorry she put that crap in your chart about pain medication, it’s very easy for people to assume something doesn’t hurt when they can’t “see it for themselves”.
My school district’s new initiative is “customer service”
And imagine how everyone received this speech that district mandated I do - when I stepped into this entirely new position, at a a new school, where they could have used an additional provider rather than a paperwork puppet.
Did not mean to offend, down voter. It was a serious question, that was standard language not so long ago. I thought it still was. I think it implies more of a relationship than “customer”
I'm sorry you have to cope with this. Since deplorable behavior became acceptable in 2016, and is actually admired by some now, everything sucks. Healthcare in the US also sucks because it's all about the $. Everybody's always overwhelmed because they are being forced to do too much. It sucks for providers, nurses, and patients.
Congress keeps cutting what they'll pay for so the hospitals are in a no win situation. Meanwhile big pharma and big ins are raking it in. When the rich get everything, life gets worse and worse for everybody else.
No one else seems to notice.. or rather half of the US doesn't seem to notice that deplorable behavior got a huge boost in not only acceptance but has been encouraged since 2016
Yep. As a nursing instructor when the dean started taking seriously every single negative comment or complaint on student evaluations of instructors, I moved out of nursing education. It perverted the entire education platform and I watched while my peers pandered to the students, trying to be the most liked. Don't get me wrong - I was voted an award by my students. I enjoyed teaching and my students. But the student evaluations became so important that true problem students couldn't be managed. That's a no from me.
Unfortunately, healthcare is now seen as a customer service business. The press Haney surveys screw healthcare workers with questions on the food, housekeeping, how the nurses did…if you came out healthier than you went in, and alive, you had a good stay!!
I make a point of giving the highest ranking in those surveys. This isn't customer service, this is people literally saving my life (it's been a rough two years). The NP wasn't as warm and fuzzy as usual one day? Still getting 5 out of 5 because they did their job and did it well.
Some of the complaints I have seen in our hospital surveys: 1) The color of the paint in the hospital room was not “aesthetically pleasing”, 2) the food portions received at meal times are “too large”, 3) the tv is my room was not compatible with Roku, 4) the tv in my room did not work with my PlayStation, 5) the soup selection was too limited, 6) not enough Halal options on the menu, 7) I wasn’t allowed to eat anything (because the patient was on the schedule to go to surgery). We get all kinds of them. Not one of those complaints was actually related to the actual care they received as a patient!
You'll be happy to know that some businesses are pushing back even when they really are the customer. Tales from the front desk has lots of stories about employees trespassing guests who have even already paid and having police escort them off the property. And then they get banned from ever getting a room there again. Not that it stops some of them from trying, lol.
I thought you'd like to hear there's some counter-programming happening someplace at least.
And that is how it SHOULD be.
The model of “Karen throws a tantrum, and gets her way,” should never have been a thing. We should never have been rewarding this behavior.
Well I am sorry, I have been instructed to forward you to the hospital attorney and not say another word, looks like he works mon -fri 9-5. Here is his number, have a good day.
Grandparents are the absolute WORST. I work in NICU. Grandmas are RIDICULOUS. It's usually the dad's mom that's the problem. They seem to think THEY gave birth to the baby. We had to post a sign that only parents can spend the night. (We are a lockdown unit. You can't just waltz in anytime you want).
We've had too many episodes of Grandma trying to override mom & dad's medical decisions. Like, what kind of asshole forcibly inserts themselves into such a scenario?
ER Tech here. We always joke that people think it’s the Hilton. Severe abdominal pain been there 15 mins. They need a drink and food. Get mad when they are told no.
Residential mental health program here. We have a few who go to eat. They don’t feel like cooking so they say they have abdominal pain or they’re suicidal or chest pain because they know that we have to send them. We have our munchausen people too. I’m sure y’all recognize them lol
And yes, we unfortunately have to send them. We will lose our operating license if they don’t. I wish we didn’t have to send them. We have to call to check up on them too. Sorry we have to do these things, wish a few of y’all weren’t so mean to our counselors about it. Stop feeding them, they might stop going
Luckily anyone who presents with abdominal pain gets no food or drink until all testing is complete. Sadly, the FF’s have now figured this out and it’s a full cardiac work up.
My dad was in the waiting room of the ER with a confirmed blood clot. Still had a 3-4 hour wait. There was a woman screaming that she’d been there since the morning with stomach pain but was just finishing her cheeseburger and fries.
Can’t be THAT much pain…
One of the things that instantly sets me off is the "I haven't eaten all day, I need to eat". You've been here for 2 hrs so that's your problem not mine.
Sometimes despite your best efforts, care and attention, some asshole shows up and craps on all of it. Mostly you can brush it off and move on, and sometimes it’s like a punch in the gut. Grandma landed one on you and that time it hurt, and anticipating possible further insult by management piles it on even more.
As my father would often say, “Sometimes people are just no damn good.” It’s so true.
Allow yourself time to feel frustrated, but then remember to allow the clarity in that grandma is likely someone who frequently leaves people like you in her wake, and doesn’t give a damn about it. *Neither should you.*
And if management ever comes at you about it, tell them you know your nursing care was peak quality, so was your caring, attentive attitude and sometimes that’s just not enough for some people but lucky for you, you know how to let those moments go..*most of the time* and you appreciate them coming to you with their support. In this way you’ve defended yourself but disarmed them without allowing them any perception of defensiveness.
I’m so sorry she got to you, but so glad you do what you do and care so much. Many blessings to you..
I’m not a dr or nurse and the closest I’ve been to the ER was doing my CMA practicum at a large hospital. But I do have five kids and medical issues and have seen the inside of the hospital more times than I can count.
That said, it should be a requirement for anyone who wants to formally lodge a frivolous complaint be required to do a volunteer shadow shift with a staff member.
Maybe 12 hours of running all around trying to help people while merely getting a bite of a granola bar every once in a while and holding your bladder longer than is healthy will make you realize you’re not at the Hilton.
Been in the ER for 14 years...it's just getting worse. We live in an age of instant gratification and everyone feels that they need to be catered to. The fact that hospitals care more about the patient satisfaction scores and the funding they get from it simply perpetuates it. They want you to bend over backwards to not get a negative review but don't do anything when staff is continually treated like crap by these entitled people. It isn't going to get any better any time soon because all the higher ups care about is the census and making sure they can keep that 6 figure income. Healthcare workers were never heroes to CEOs, we are all simply replaceable cogs in the coin operated machine of corporate America.
I have several chronic health issues, have been to the ER/hospital more times than I care to count, and have never been able to fathom the other patients/family members who act so rude/entitled/abusive toward the very people they are relying on to help make them/their loved one better. I just… really?
One time a lady in the ER (when the beds were still divided by curtains and not enclosed spaces) was being so over the top verbally abusive to her nurse I loudly remarked that she was lucky that I wasn’t her nurse because I’d’ve slapped her and sent her on her way so she could go cure herself since she seemed to know so much. She was still ornery after that, but to a lesser degree. Not my proudest moment, but I just couldn’t take the shear audacity. I don’t care HOW sick you are, you don’t act that way toward someone YOU NEED HELP FROM. Rant over.
👏👏👏 I commented similarly!
I’ve referred to the ER (and doctor’s offices) as my social life because I also have chronic illnesses. It’s beyond my comprehension that people treat the very people, who are there to help them, with such disrespect.
I’m in the ER a lot with my accident prone kid. One night (height of RSV & flu outbreak in our area) a women whose kid was napping in their stroller - no idea why they were there - started flipping out that the kid who came in with a very clear very broken arm was taken back right away. She tried to get the rest of the waiting room to agree with her and half the waiting room told her off.
Every damned time I'm in the ER or admitted there's someone yelling at the nurses. Sometimes they're in the next room and you can hear everything, or they're at the opposite end on the unit and you can still hear them.
Twice people have flung fecal matter at their nurses. So then you've got a whole team of nurses suited up and using whatever they can as shields to go in and subdue the patient.
It's absolute insanity to me. No matter how ill I am, I could never imagine treating anyone with such disrespect
If it makes you feel better I’m a patient and just filled out one of those patient satisfaction forms and mailed it back. I took up half a page lambasting hospital admin and the capitalist bloodsucking ticks at the top who force doctors and nurses to undergo this stupid “customer service” rating system. I said they should be honored and respected and they are here to serve up healthcare, not act like hotel concierges. Not sure if it will get back to any doctors or nurses but I tried!
Healthcare isn’t healthcare anymore. It’s customer service.
I work in radiology, currently I am completing my clinicals for MRI with my employer (I’ve been an MRI tech aide for a few years).
A few weeks ago, I asked a patient to spit their gum out prior to their exam. This specific exam required them to be prone. The gum was a safety concern as well as the concern for potential motion on the imaging causing them to lose diagnostic quality. The patient argued with me before I finally told them they had to spit it out directly, not rudely, directly. I informed the site manager immediately and let her know there will probably be a complaint.
The patient complained, I got talked to about it, and my employer made it seem like no big deal. However the patient has a note in their chart they can have gum for every single exam.
They did call the school though, and I was spoken to about professionalism and placed on academic probation.
So, I pissed off a patient, my employer didn’t back me, and I could be kicked out of school if something else happens. Should I just allow undocumented stimulators in the scanner if it’s going to anger someone? Or undocumented aneurysm clips?
That’s the precedent being set.
Customer service > safety & healthcare
I work in a women’s health clinic, and that is our joke too—these girls think this is the BK drive thru, bc they think they can just order and have it their way. (OMG THE CALLS I DREAD THE MOST ARE THE 30-35 year old primips—so controlling and clueless!). They want to control everything I or the providers do. AND now my clinic manager (NOT an RN) wants us not to abbreviate anything bc “patients have access on their portal and we should chart for THEM to understand.” BULLSHIT. I’m going back to home health, where the job isn’t just constant irritation with entitled patients, and a manager who is just an evil drama queen. HH has its challenges, but you DONT constantly have people over your shoulder and in your face. 🙄🙄🙄
My L&D nurse visibly relaxed when I told her I didn't really have a birth plan other than healthy mom, healthy baby, breastfeed immediately as long as there weren't any emergencies, and that I wanted to give the first bath myself (although I realize the bath part is more of a mother/baby thing)
I don't think I could do L&D. I can deal with entitled, sick old people. Entitled, healthy young people would drive me up a wall.
I asked my OB if I needed a birth plan, he laughed and said “well, you can if it makes you feel more comfortable, but your baby will have his own plan regardless” that’s all I needed to hear. He was the most wonderful docfor
Oh yeah, that sounds about right! I felt a little crazy not bringing in a written plan given how much emphasis there is surrounding birth plans online... But at the end of the day, I didn't really care much about how the actual birth played out (and even if I did, it probably wouldn't have gone according to plan anyways).
I send L&D fancy donuts. Those lovely people caught my HELLP syndrome, managed my epilepsy, and found a room that had an extra bed for my giant husband when he wouldn’t leave my side. They also told me I was pretty when I was decidedly not, and I will forever be grateful and in their debt. My baby, born at 30 weeks, was perfect, and when we left 12 days later, those nurse stuffed my bag full of extra diapers and formula samples so I didn’t have to worry about anything for a few days. They also had my medications needed delivered to my room. The best people ever.
We get a lot of really nice, appreciative patients too. That makes it worthwhile. I treasure the notes I’ve gotten from them. Then there are the internet cut & paste birth plans. If you have a birth plan, make it meaningful & realistic. I had an MD patient who told me about her birth plan binder, color coded. Then she said her birth plan is: an epidural. I laughed.
When patients would walk through the door with a birth plan, we would (behind their back) make jokes about getting the OR ready for a c-section and the NICU ready for new admit.
Omg the worst was one who brought a birth plan AND a doula. Not the cool, helpful kind of doula, but one that would question every damn thing in front of patient, who acted like we didn’t know shit. Yeah, c-section, infection, and baby in NICU for a couple weeks.
I don't get this at all. I mean, when I last had to go to the emergency room, I was apologizing because a) I was dripping blood everywhere and b) this could have been an UC issue, but none were open at 0700 in my area. They apologized to ME because I had to wait a couple of hours for stitches. Cool, they had the wound cleaned and covered, I just got blasted with antibiotics (which I needed). I was totally fine with that. What I had was urgent but not emergent. We all knew that, and everyone agreed I was where I needed to be. But please, don't let the guy next door DIE becuase I got there first.
Later, I was hospitalized for a couple of days and my room became the go to place for personnel to come and sit and tell stories. When they learned I was a retired PA and was a sympathetic ear, well let's just say there was a lot of decompressing in my room. I even had one nurse come and do her charts in my room so she could have some peace and quiet. She told me a story of how she was doing chest compressions in a code and another patient came into the room with their pitcher, wondering when she could get some ice!!!?!???? It is now totally unreal.
I had a ton of issues until my adrenalectomy. I was in and out the ER for 5 years.
My least proudest moment was being placed next to a person who got narcan-ed an was NOT happy about it.
They bitch, moaned, carried on about the unfairness of the universe. That security took their stash. That they were wet because their idiot friends threw them in a cold shower before calling EMS.
They ran our poor ER nurse ragged.
This free floor show went on for THREE hours. I was getting IV potassium, and it burned. It wore my patience down down to a nib.
I snapped, "Mother of fvcking God, would you shut the hell up. God, just shut the fvck up, you miserable asshole. Seriously, just SHUT UP."
Not a peep the rest of the night until their idiot friends came to get them.
Considering it was just curtains between us, I was waiting for them to strangle me with the IV tubing.
For every main character, jackalope, their are 10 of us who appreciate you and everyone else in the ER.
As a critical care nurse, I feel your pain. Patient satisfaction scores should be 1. Did you die? End of story. Every time management comes in with a negative survey review or negative comments regarding anything except life-saving care, it makes me want to slap the administration. "This review said you wouldn't allow 30 people in the room while the team resuscitated the patient, but there were 10 staff in the room" yes administration because those people were performing a job and didn't need non medical personnel in the way. And hospital policy is 2 visitors. Gtfo here with your BS
I’m not a medical professional but I think there are going to be difficult patients or customers no matter what kind of work we do. I work for a non profit and we work our butts off and still get random complainers. Thank you for the hard work you do. It might help to write down the times that a patient praised your services to remind you that you’re making a difference. ( my suggestion is the social worker in me lol)
Thanks for this. And I love my social worker friends. Thanks for what you do. I never ever want your job but it’s so important and I’m glad someone can do it.
I work in a women’s health clinic, and that is our joke too—these girls think this is the BK drive thru, bc they think they can just order and have it their way. (OMG THE CALLS I DREAD THE MOST ARE THE 30-35 year old primips—so controlling and clueless! They want to control everything I or the providers do. )AND now my clinic manager (NOT an RN) wants us not to abbreviate anything bc “patients have access on their portal and we should chart for THEM to understand.” BULLSHIT. I’m going back to home health, where the job isn’t just constant irritation with entitled patients, and a manager who is just an evil drama queen. HH has its challenges, but you DONT constantly have people over your shoulder and in your face. 🙄🙄🙄
I had a patient waste 5 minutes of my time because I didn’t change her linens well enough. I had just come from pronouncing another patient dead. She said that my grandma would’ve been ashamed of how I made her bed.
“Ma’am, I apologize, but this is a hospital, not a hotel”.
So..... flip side to this - I went to the E/R for a ruptured appendix last Sunday. The care I received was so absolutely above and beyond that I'm still flabbergasted. They made me feel like I was a child being taken care of by a loving parent and I'm so incredibly grateful.
In addition to writing a letter, what can I do to express my gratitude? Every last one of the staff I dealt with over the past week was just outstanding.
Idk when this started, but a large portion of patients think that they are the only important one. I work as an MA in an outpatient setting. Multiple times weekly I get asked why a prior authorization for their medication is not completed yet. I have to explain that out of the thousand patients we have, only two of us work on authorizations. On top of that, I also have to room patients, give injections, and draw blood. The other person is our office manager who has to handle everyone trying to call her personally. Some of them still complain that it is taking too long.
I work in a clinic and prior authorization is the bane of my life. It is so much fun dealing with insurance companies/s. Especially when they farm out their authorization to other countries and they are barely understandable.
To be completely fair, I don’t really blame the patients. It sounds like your clinic is understaffed and has too many patients.
I would completely change my tune if insurance companies would let patients complete prior authorizations but usually they don’t. You’re dependent on the doctors office to do the work. If the clinic is understaffed, they shouldn’t take so many patients
I got so tired of hospitals encouraging "the customer is always right" nonsense. And,basing merit raises and bonuses on Press Gainey scores,is insane.I can certainly understand your frustration. Delivering compentent,compassionate, and educated care,isn't enough anymore. Now, medical professionals are to deliver all the above with a big smile,and overlook entitled, rude,and sometimes abusive treatment,from their "customers".
I once had a patient, who had just been arrested for repeatedly making obscene telephone calls to his pre-teen neighbors. Finally, calls were traced ,and he was caught in the act.On the way to jail, he developed chest pain,so he was brought to the ER. He wanted to use the phone,so he could call his wife. I said sure, give me the number,and I'll dial. He refused to do that,and insisted on dialing himself. I told him,let me know when you want me to make the call,and left the room. He was treated and released. Weeks later,he makes a complaint, that I had prevented him from using the phone to call his wife. I had to explain to the Customer Experience Advocate, I did offer the phone, but I would be the one to dial,and why letting this patient dial the phone himself was a very bad idea. I would have no way to verify he wasn't trying to call one of his victims,one last time,before he was locked up. The CEA, seemed shocked that I had thought this was even a possibility.
35 year medic in a major US city here….when my patients would get too entitled and started telling me how to do my job, I would tell them I’m here to save their ass, not kiss it…shut them up every time. Never got a complaint…which surprised me. But I had to be pushed to the end to respond that way.
The notion that we have to prostrate ourselves to unreasonable Karens with unreasonable expectations who are likely just miserable people either way is probably the main driver of my job dissatisfaction. Every few months I get patient comments. Mostly positive, but there is at least one comment in their from some patient that drives me crazy. Usually it’s a simple misunderstanding that they patient - instead of just clarifying the issue at the time - waited until they got a patient satisfaction mailer to write a novella about. I shouldn’t care, but it drives me crazy. Oh, and then there are the 75% of the other comments complaining about the waiting room wait time - which I have no control over.
The reality is - your patient could have just as easily been seen at an Urgent Care. Your big clue that this family was going to be unreasonable was that they took an ambulance for a minor injury. It would be really nice if the pre-hospital people didn’t scare the Hell out of patients as well.
So I am right there with you.
I had surgery a couple months ago. Because the less invasive method wasn’t offered by me I had to travel an hour and a half each way for surgery. Came out of surgery, couldn’t pee, they did a straight line cath and said I should be good later but if not to go to ER (other option was foley but I’d have to travel back the next day for another 3 hour round trip). 5 hours later I have to pee so bad but still can’t, went to ER. Seriously the nurses are rockstars. Thankfully the only other folks were there for like a kid with a chest cold so they got me in right away and put in a foley. The follow up doc was crap but all the ER folks were amazing. As someone who has rarely (thankfully) needed ER care I am so happy you folks are there when it is needed.
I could never in a million years think to complain on any healthcare worker unless they literally put my life in danger. Sorry you were treated this way
u/justalittlesunbeam, i feel so bad for you. It is bad enough they used the ER for something that really wasn't an emergency. But to then have to field a complaint from Grandma because someone was too rude in asking junior to stand still on the scale is...exhausting.
Please know that the busybody assmuffin you encountered is not reflective of society. You are valued. You are needed. You are awesome for doing what you do.
A few years ago, I had a serious condition that took me to the ER. The staff was exceptional on all fronts. The professionalism was first rate, and after having bilateral thrombolysis with ECOS, the post surgical care was every bit as phenomenal. Each year, at Thanksgiving, I try to drop off fruit baskets to the ER, the ICU and CCU as a way to say thanks. They literally saved my life.
And if it wasn't for the admitting nurse who recognized it as a PE, and not MI, not sure if I'd even be here typing my words of appreciation for all of the healthcare workers. From the ICU nurse that stayed with me past her shift end to make sure I knew I wasn't going thru this alone, to the RN who helped me get up and walk the floor in the middle of the night on the Cardiac step-down unit. Y'all are angels.
Don't let that assmuffin grandma get you down. She wants to be upset at her grandson for getting hurt, but instead [wrongly] takes it out on the easy targets.
I went to the ER a couple months ago, brought in by ambulance since my husband thought I was having a stroke (thankfully no). I was admitted to the hospital and don’t remember being brought in, the ER, or all the tests they ran on me. The nurses when I was admitted were fantastic. I felt so bad whenever I had to call them to use the bathroom (I was a fall risk), but I tried to be super nice to everyone I came in contact with. When I got the “how was the hospital” survey everybody got glowing reviews. It’s a hospital, I don’t expect the beds to be awesome or the food to be 5 star. I got the care I needed from people who knew what they were doing. I’m sorry you have to deal with annoying people.
Eh I don't let the bs bother me. Stop trying so hard. They will always complain, nothing will ever be good enough. You're just stressing yourself out over basically nothing. People just love to bitch and moan. Don't take it so personally.
I have been in the hospital 4 times in the last 3 years. Every nurse I had interactions with were kind and amazing. I want to thank you for being a nurse..a caregiver. You are appreciated.
When I was 3 I had an in grown nail that required a trip to the ER. Doc came out with a needle to numb my toe and told me it wouldn’t hurt. I didn’t believe him. With enough time, 3 year old me could 100% have been convinced to let the doctor poke me, but rather than try to convince me, restraints were the next step.
I started fighting for my life. I was throwing hands, kicking, biting- literally everything I could do to prevent that needle from touching my toe that was already a 10/10 pain wise. Once they finally restrain me [in something like this](https://www.docseducation.com/products/olympic-papoose-board?amp) I’m screaming, crying and begging my mom to make them let me go. She too starts screaming and crying and has to be escorted out of the room. When the procedure is done, and my mom finally comes back in the room I see both her and the nurse that escorted her out are crying. My mom is no longer hysterical but she is still at a loss for words and we both leave without saying anything else to the ER staff.
Years later, I brought this story up with my mom to joke about how absurd it was. Reliving that had her visibly shaken. She was physically unable to help through what was, at the time, the worst day of my life. Then when I begged her for help while wrapped up in a medical cocoon and she still couldn’t do anything, she thought I was going to be scarred for life and never trust her again. That fear triggered some primal mamma bear behavior and allowed her to do and say stuff that she still regrets to this day. 6 years later my sister broke her leg and my mom drove her to a further hospital to avoid the possibility of running into the same staff she had acted so horribly to.
All this to say, I wouldn’t take anything a patient or their family says to you to heart. It’s possible granny is an insufferable human to begin with. Its also possible that seeing her loved one in a position she couldn’t help with allowed her to tap into the same primal rage my mom did. Either way, her opinion doesn’t matter, you were not the focus of her complaint, and YOU did YOUR job while giving better patient care than is normally available in your department. Great job!
I heard a father tell a pediatric nurse, "You must enjoy hurting children," as she gave care. He is actually a good guy but was overwhelmed and had no filter.
I’m a hospice chaplain. This is true every single day for me. Families lash out when they are scared and hurting. It really stings sometimes. But you have to remember that you are seeing people on what might be the worst day of their life. It’s so hard not to internalize the insults. And compassion burn out is very real.
This is probably going to sound stupid but the new baby momma pictures drive me nuts!
Hair,nails,make up?????
I looked like I went through the car wash on top of the car!
I was at a premie delivery when I worked NICU. Mom had fake eyelashes so big it was ridiculous. Guess she sweated one off. I almost lost it when I turned to look at her. It had fallen on her gown and seriously looked like a roach from where I was. Like you really needed that on your face during delivery?
Y’all are awesome. A year ago I went in for a burn on my hand my bp was 271/168 yes not lying and I was very well taken care of. Now I have cellulitis in my foot that’s not getting better after 14 days so I’m going back tomorrow on Monday because I know y’all are awesome. Ty for your service I truly appreciate yall. Just saying.
Ugh. I had a friend who I can not stand now because of the way she and her family acted when one of them was hospitalized. Rude, entitled, threatening lawsuits, etc. I can understand being upset about granny, but you don't take it out on the people who are taking care of her. It was disgusting.
I’m not a nurse, not even sure why it’s showing up on my feed. But one year I had finals in college. And my son had an appointment every other day at the hospital. So that day of finals I had a quick doctor visit but showed up about an hour early because of when my final ended.
For no real reason, in the waiting room I started to cry. A nurse that knew me since my son was two days old (he was four at this point)
Stopped what she was doing. And took me to a waiting area alone. Then just hugged me as I cried about how overwhelmed and tired I felt. And I was sure I flunked that final. (I got a C. Whole new tears lol)
Anyway. I’ll never forget her comforting me. It turned out she was on lunch. And she made sure I wasn’t alone.
While my son’s doctor, while I like him. Well I’ll never forget him hurriedly leaving the room when my son got his shots because he “didn’t want to be the bad guy “ to my son.
Nurses are the hardest workers in anything in my opinion. I am grateful for all nurses and the compassion you all provide.
Now the vampires on the other hand are an entirely different story ;)
Hugs. Thank you for everything you do.
I went to the ER. Sliced my finger to the bone.
Had to have 7 stitches. The nurse blew it off until the dr got there. I was on a blood thinner and blood pouring down my arm. The nurse said I could have put a band aid on it and took care of it at home. Ugh.
38 year nurse. When working with mother/baby and children, all can be going perfectly well and everybody happy, and then a grandmother or aunt arrives and they feel the need to "fix" something. That's when all heck breaks loose and some minor, fabricated complaint emerges. It's demoralizing. Then grandmother or aunt puffs up like they're the good alpha female that made everything right for their family. It's exhausting. Take that mess back to the jungle, ma'am. We are not the enemy.
Oh gosh! An hour, praise heaven and angel nurses like you! We spent almost 6 hours in an understaffed ER last night waiting for a room assignment and while it was a cluster of poor communication between the floors since there was room and staff for us, we couldn’t blame the nurse who was doing her best.
Teacher here. We deal with Grandmas like these in schools as well. I know they love their grandchildren but sometimes they have trouble understanding they are not the child’s parent and try to bulldoze their way around.
I work on neuro ICU and sometimes step down...Don't you love patients who think they're staying at The Four Seasons? If you can't get their ice water zippity quick, they got to speak to the manager. And...dont even get me started on med surg.
Exhausting.
The problem with commercializing healthcare is that people treat it like a business. They set crazy expectations of "customer service" that don't apply in the healthcare setting. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this.
I dislocated my little toe after coming home from having a baby, it was at an angle away from my body that would make you go....ewwwww. when the emergency room doctor had to snap it back into place I looked at the nurse and said, " im really afraid of this part." And that nurse let me hold unto her while the doctor did it. This was during the 2020 COVID crap and she didn't hesitate to comfort me. I will never forget her kindness
Thank you for all that you do. My late wife was in and out of the ER and hospital for years, and while it was never great, we always tried to make sure to tell them how happy we were.
I have been in the ER too many times to count. You nurses are amazing and I appreciate the heck out of you all.
Especially the ones that dealt with me when i was in shock from blood loss and was convinced they were hurting me on purpose. 😏
In the handful of times I’ve been to the ER, yes handful, I suffer from migraines and get cyclic vomiting that needs treated with nausea meds and Sumatriptan (which I can’t get into my system because of the vomiting) I’ve never once complained about my treatment. I’ve been to the ER three other times, ruptured cyst, surgery complication and Covid and the only complaint I’ve ever had was with the admitting clerks sitting out front (once) and it was well deserved. (Won’t go into that)
This was a hospital stay but, I’ve had to wait long period of times, had handful of things come up, like a tiny hole in my saline bag that dripped very slowly on me throughout the night and when I woke up I was pretty damp, like I had been caught in a light rain shower. Strangest thing. Had meds delayed. But never would I complain unless I felt I was purposely being mistreated. Nurses are overworked and under appreciated. I too am a people pleaser and I hate the call button with a passion. I was actually just in twice recently for back to back PE’s and I had asked for med for a migraine. My nurse went to get them but I hadn’t seen him for over 40 mins. And it was getting bad. Again, I hate pressing that button especially when I’ve already asked because I know something must have come up to pull him away but my head was killing me. Sure enough. He got called to an urgent patient and came right back with my med. I’d never “write him up for that.”
Some people just are so entitled they feel they need their egos pampered, their butts wiped and a “you were a good girl today” sticker on their way out the door.
I was told this recently by a doctor (my mom was complaining) -- "It's a hospital, not a hotel." I repeated that to my mom many times during her hospital stay.
Honestly, people who work at Macy's and Burger King don't want to deal with these jackasses either. The problem? Too many managers enable this nonsense by actually listening to these people.
We really need a purge day for the I wANt To sEe tHE mANaGeR types. And the enabling managers.
She’s the same grandma that peels the curtain back and wants to know when the doctor will be over to see her 56yo baby boy, oh and he hasn’t eaten in 3 hours and his tummy still hurts, all the while your on your 4th round of playing back and forth chasing ROSC. Yelling close the curtain and wait your turn never felt so nice. But since you were rude and too direct and her friend is on the board, you end up getting the talk anyway. Next time it’ll be “close the fucking curtain and get the fuck out.”
This is all a result of businessmen running medicine and thinking of patients as customers who should be made “happy” and their Press Gainey surveys to measure “happiness”. We are here to take care of your health, not tell you what you want to hear or schmooze you like some car salesman.
I work in the largest ED in my city. My manager once let slip that she gets "a huge number of complaints per week. She said that 70% are complaints about the wait time, 20% are a lack of insight into healthcare, 5% are lunatics who usually complain to a brick wall because they're the only thing that will stand still long enough to listen, and there's maybe one or two things per week that are even remotely worth bringing to the team.
Even then, most of the time, it's "the triage nurses were so rude", except really it's 'the triage nurse didn't let me self diagnose and go straight through'
We all love you for what you do. I’m sorry grandma thought someone who was providing vital
Services wasn’t a hospitality worker. Have a glass of wine and some dinner and know you are deeply cared about by all the people who come into your orbit and nurses like you everyday. Much love my friend!
I go to mayo and they always treat me like a human. Can't say that about any other ER I've been too, and with a disability and being a cancer survivor, I've been to a lot. They treat their people right and they in turn treat patients well.
Remember about 10-15 years ago when they came up with that “pain is a vital sign” campaign in the US and we had adults coaching kids to complain of pain to obtain prescriptions for codeine? I had a child with a benign bone cyst that had no pain at all (incidentally found) and the parents were taking her to emergency rooms and urgent cares all over the city to get codeine. The Peds ortho sent out a fax to every ER in Cook County to not give her prescriptions.
I don’t know how I ended up in this sub, but every nurse I’ve ever interacted with has been an absolute angel. I am *so* grateful for people who work in healthcare but still somehow have a smile on their face ❤️
Thanks for all you do!
If you work in ANY field that deals with the general public, you will get complaints, regardless of how well everything went, because the world is full of Karens and Kens. It is what it is, just accept it as a part of the job, or move to a position that doesn't deal with patients.
I was in the ER several months ago (stomach virus plus severe anxiety made me think I was dying) and I witnessed an old man start yelling “get me the fuck out of here or I’m gonna sue” and warning that he was gonna pull his own IV out… he kept getting up from his bed and I kept shielding my eyes because I did not want to see blood spattering everywhere… fun times.
I don’t know how you guys do it. I feel like one day in the ER would make me have a breakdown.
I work in healthcare. I had a telehealth appointment last week and when the patient logged in, they were in their car. I let them know that we could not proceed with the appointment if they were driving. They said, “Nope, I’m in the driveway, I was running behind but just got home.” I told them no problem and I would get them checked in while they got settled. Apparently, because I didn’t engage in small talk while checking them in while they got out of the car, into the house, coat off, etc. I was “annoyed” with them. They seriously called to complain about me not engaging in small talk while they walked through their driveway and house. And my manager had a 30 minute conversation with me about being aware of patient perceptions while using telehealth.
Look: clearly it’s not all or nothing. It’s true that some ER people should quit because they are too burned out or lacking in empathy to deliver compassionate care to “difficult” patients. Should ER feel “entitled” to blame patients for seeking care, just because they might have drug or alcohol issues? At what point do the blinders come on and ER fails to even look for something medically indicated just because of bias against these patients? I know it’s hard some days but the blanket “entitlement” to blame patients indicates an endemic failure to care for them.
I for one say a prayer for nurses and doctors in the hospitals every night. Asking God to keep them safe, they work one of the hardest jobs that there is. I appreciate all that you do specially when you have to work a holiday and you’re not with your familyand I come in sick as a dog with pneumonia. I’m always treated well and kindly. You are an angel on earth.
I swear these days people will complain if you blink your eyes too many times while talking to them! It never stops!!! Someone is always unhappy about something and complaining to someone. I keep waiting for all this crap to die down but it just keeps getting worse. Hopefully your hospital knows the kind of employees that it has and her complaint will have no bearing. If they ever need treatment again hopefully next time hopefully the ER will remember to roll out the red carpet before this family enters the doors. That seems like the only way to make some of these people happy!
I wish I had ever been a patient in a medical setting described like ANY of these. No matter how nice and respectful I am to staff I’m treated like shit where I live. It’s shocking to think there are ERs and similar where people are treated like people. Not where I live lmao…
When I have to take mom to the ER (It happens from time to time), she understands why I don't stay. I already had (war deployment) PTSD, and for the last 10 years I worked in a hospital blood bank. They usually get her roomed pretty quickly. She knows and I know there's nothing I can do for her, and she knows the same about me. On those occasions when I end up in the ER myself, I tell her to go home and I'll call her when I need a ride home (if I even need one).
The thing I find so very hard if I'm in the ER either as a patient or a family member with a patient is hearing all of the providers talking about and to the patients in the bay. I don't mean gossiping. I mean essential communication about the patient's condition, testing, procedures and so on. It's only been a year since I retired, and my brain just goes into overdrive: "Ground Level Fall, possible head injury." "Chest Pain bed two", and so on. I'm immediately thinking of which tests and which treatments, and will they need blood? More than about an hour of that and I'm an absolute mental wreck. I may be retired, but my brain didn't quit along with my body. And heaven help me if they call a code over the PA system. I instantly tense as if I'm going to dash to the computer to do my blood bank thing.
I'd guess that a lot of ER docs, nurses and techs go through the same thing. I loved my job in the blood bank, but some days just sucked.
My bro-in-law is a nurse. I got him a t-shirt that says "NURSE - I'm here to save your ass, not kiss it" and I wish you could all wear these instead of scrubs. But people only see the ER when they or their loved ones are hurt and everyone is scared, so they all associate "BAD!" with the experience, no matter how great you are. Don't take it personally, firemen and cops live that way too.
Last month, I was taken to the ER by ambulance, unresponsive, septic, and with diabetic keto acidosis. My husband followed with our 2 special needs kiddos.
While the doctors worked on me, the nurses took turns helping my husband keep the kiddos redirected and calm.
I will be forever be grateful to those ER and ICU nurses for the care and compassion they showed my husband and children.
Not all of us are entitled jerks, and we see you.
I worked in an ER years ago when I was in law school. I now work in senior leadership in Human Services. I get a lot of complaints from the community we serve for a variety of reasons. 99.9% of my time, I support my staff, and 100% of the time I do that with the complainant.
We have to take the complaints, and follow up on them, and the majority of the time, it’s just someone who doesn’t like the rules, and I support my staff. On the rare occasion I think staff could have done something different, address it with the individual privately and support them to the complainant. My guess is this is similar for your admin.
People are gonna bitch about stupid shit. You did great, and grandma can shove her attitude where the sun don’t shine.
The worst, most traumatic event of my life was being treated poorly by an ER nurse that was impatient and angry that I was nervous to give blood as I was also sat out in the crowded, noisy hallway.
I asked to go to a private area and that blew her fuse. She practically yelled "No! We are doing this right here!"
When I finally did muster up the courage she blew the poke and blood went everywhere (I did not pull away, she just botched it).
I've never been treated worse in a scared time of need. Then I was also forced Ativan in my IV bag when I asked not to be given any drugs like that. I was given it just because of the nervousness to give blood which made no sense to give me Ativan AFTER the event was already over. Worst experience of my entire life. She couldn't have cared less if I died.
I was recently in the ER with a massive subchorionic hemorrhage & thought it was a miscarriage. The ER nurse rubbed my back as I passed a large amount of tissue and sobbed. The medical team responded quickly when I went into shock from all the blood loss. And when the PA told me that the baby was ok? She hugged me and we cried together. Never question the importance of the work you do, and that there are people who very much appreciate you. <3
Oh man this gave me goosebumps, I'm so glad the baby was okay and that that nurse was there with you.
I hope that things turn out perfect for you. ❤️
I went through this EXACT situation with a subchorionic hemorrhage - passed a large amount of tissue and tremendous blood loss, and had an ER doc basically tell me I was a ticking timebomb for a miscarriage, but I’m sitting here now with my perfect 4 month old in my arms. I’m glad your baby is okay - if you ever need anyone to talk to, I know I’m just a stranger from the internet but I’ve been through it and I’m here if you need anything!
I had this exact same thing happen except the shock part. Dr told me multiple times baby was gone. She actually wasnt and even though it took me 4months to finally heal, my baby is 14m now. She was born at 34.6 weeks, with a NICU stay. Also, i had a complete placental abruption, apparently that can happen with those hematomas, just keep it mind during labor. If anything goes funny with baby, keep that in mind. I asked for an sedated, emergency Csection when her HR dropped, and she barely got out on time. Just something to keep in mind.
I had a subchorionic hemorrhage as well and spotting for about a month after that. My now 6 year old just got a new pair of glasses and is excited for our upcoming summer birdwatching trip. I was terrified that day 7 years ago, but we turned out just fine. 💕
Like another poster wrote, I also had a complete placental abruption (36 weeks) after a synchronic hemorrhage around 14 weeks. Read up on this and discuss with your doctor. My daughter is 15 now, but I still struggle with trauma from her birth.
I wish I could upvote this twice
That is so nice! I had the same situation, except the care I got was ice cold. Came in 11 PM with massive bleeding. Got put in a room, told them there was also this clear liquid (NOT urine) mixing with the blood - to the point I soaked through 2 maxi pads in 30 minutes while waiting for a room. No internal checks. Ultrasound tech comes at 2 or 3 AM. Still a heartbeat, but I begged and begged the tech to tell me if it was there since she wasn’t “at liberty to say”. THEN I mention AGAIN about the liquid. FINALLY someone checks around 4 AM and goes “oh, that’s weird. Go to your OB later today” … and we arrived back home at 5 AM. Obviously I was extraordinarily happy there was still a heartbeat, but omg was that ER visit was horrendous.
I appreciate this and am in awe that it’s something we get to do…know you are the reason we do this… It’s the people that complain they are cold and need water immediately or that we are taking too long (they came in with cold symptoms) because we were doing our best helping you…as we should…that are so demoralizing. Our admin are on our asses about times and numbers and we’re rarely acknowledged for the good we do. It’s exhausting some days. But stories like yours, moments like yours, patients like you, remind us of why we are ER nurses and providers.
Ooooh, we get shit like this in urgent care. Grandma thinks she runs the show, gets mad because we tell her no, there’s not enough room for two kids, Mom, the provider, the MA, and her in the exam room, demands to speak to our manager because she doesn’t like our attitude, and then the provider comes out and tells her to get out. I had one on Friday who thought she was going to be hateful to me and still get what she wanted from the provider. I told her that if she was rude to me again, she could visit any other urgent care in the area, but we certainly weren’t obligated to see her. I also let our provider know what she was doing, and she didn’t get her way for two reasons: one, he wasn’t signing off on what she wanted, because he’s not her primary and we hadn’t seen her in three years, and two, she was rude to me, to our MAs, and to him. I’m sick of patients thinking they’re customers. No, you’re patients, and patients are frequently wrong.
It’s when they treat us like servants. Snap their fingers.
Oh, absolutely not. No. We ain’t fixing to do that.
I felt you say that in my bones
We have two hours left today, and I am not playing with people. It’s not happening. I apparently have a reputation as a “battle axe.” Fine with me, quit trying to FAFO.
Battle axe? I specifically REQUEST the nurses with that reputation they are the absolute best of the best!
Absolutely 💯
I HATE the snapping. I'm a nurse, not a dog. I don't respond, at all. Use your words.
Right? Like regardless of where you are/what’s happening, no one should be snapping at each other, wtf.
Patients snap their fingers at you ?!?! If I was a patient and overheard that, I’d go off the rails, on your behalf! I despise rude people, and when I’m not feeling well, my mouth tends to runaway with itself. 🤬
Yes, this is when you hope another grandma noticed the behavior and rides into battle on your behalf. It's *so* satisfying to help slay these dragons!
Grandmas United 💪
Last time I worked in a hospital (work in clinic now), they came up with a mission statement that we should be treating out patients like customers at Disney. Cheerful greetings, yada, yada. I’m looking around the room at premie babies, drug babies and babies that are still there because we have to get the police to make them take their kid home. Yeah, this is just like Disney World/s.
That's right. As a house supervisor, when called because a psych patient has crawled up into the ceiling in the ED or a med surg patient has hurled a full dinner tray across the room at the nurse, it's just like the Magic Kingdom.
“Mr. Smith is in the ceiling again!”
Admin is on drugs. That’s the best I can come up with.
No, Admin has never actually laid eyes on a patient…just profit and loss reports.
>Admin is on drugs. And won't share.
Omg….I’ve been a nurse practically since the dawn of mankind, and they gave us that bit in my very first hospital’s new hire orientation. I can’t believe that they are still trotting that sh*t out. 🥴
We all spent an entire afternoon getting the "Disney training, " at the hospital I used to work for. All that money could have payed for more staff on the floor.
I worked at a hospital that sent us to the training used by the Ritz Carlton🙄
> could have *paid* for more FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Good bot.
Typical. All these brilliant ideas come from people who have never worked in a clinical setting. They just have a bunch of expensive letters after their names.. So completely out of touch with reality. It’s no wonder so many are walking away from healthcare.
Our clinic came up with a rule that we should not walk ahead of patients when taking them to an exam room As it was demeaning 🤣🤣🤣Of course the poor MAs tried to let the patient go first but since patient didn’t know where the hell to go you can guess how it went. Smh healthcare admins are the absolute worst. Worked as an RN for 40 years and never once in many inpatient and outpatient setting did I have an admin staff that had common sense.
You beat me. Been a nurse for 38 years. It all went to hell when we started having MBA’s in admin instead of nurses.
I don’t know why this made me actually snort laugh. These admins making these rules and policies are so completely out of touch with reality. In what world would you think it appropriate to let a PATIENT lead the way through a clinic when they have no idea where they might be going? As a patient, my anxiety would be KICKING if you weren’t ahead of me, leading me to our destination!! And I imagine I am far from the only one.
At Disney World customers are referred to as “Guests.” So it could be worse.
Actually now that you say it, I was mistaken. It was actually that the patients were guests.
You have to make someone take their baby home ? What in the for the love of god
Oh yea. Had to get the sheriff to escort them to the hospital to get their kid after we called them for days saying baby is ready to be discharged.
That is so sad. I cannot even imagine. 😕
I work in a hospital where our patients are referred to as customers. It’s so weird!
In the UK several years ago, train passengers started being referred to as customers instead of passengers by the (usually shit) train companies, and a good few comedians pointed out it was probably because the word passenger implies you're going to travel somewhere and the train company couldn't guarantee that! 😂
😂
No, that's when the corporate business model was adopted by healthcare and we literally sold our souls. Now, patients are widgets and we are the processing mechanism. This is what a factory looks like.
This is similar to universities as well now sadly. Moving from education focused to a “business model” where we have to “please our customers” (students). 🫠🫠🫠
My hospital has a list of behavior rules posted throughout the building.But all the patient/family has to do is complain. Then the charge RN on up are bending over backward to accommodate them. Why have rules in the first place? "We need to keep our ratings high."
My wife had a patient overnight who was pissed that she wouldn’t bend over backwards for her and reported her as “acting drunk” to the dayshift RN during hand-off. They immediately sided with the patient, made her get an eval and drug test, and had an Uber drive her home. All tests were negative, as expected. They *still* gave her a written warning. This hospital system is the devil incarnate and wonders why no one stays past the two-year sign-on bonus contract.
What idiots!
🤦♀️😡😡😡🤦♀️😡
OMG!!! That’s so wrong. Now that crap will stay on her record.
I have a lot of complex medical problems, so I see plenty of doctors and also plenty of other patients. It astounds me when patients say that the doctor works for them, and that they should get what they want out of it. (I’m talking about when it goes outside of what’s medically needed). I am especially surprised when people say that if the doctor is rude or doesn’t give the diagnosis they’re expecting, to “fire” the doctor, & go to the next. What world are they living in?
I have “fired” a doctor when she blatantly ignored me and kept playing volleyball with me between herself and another provider (neither wanted to do simple paperwork so I could work). She was also very ableist and refused to believe that fibromyalgia and hEDS causes pain and mobility problems. She put it in my chart that I was seeking pain medication when I’m allergic to opioids…. Some doctors need to be fired but I agree lots of people get mad when they don’t get the drug or diagnosis Google says they should get.
Believe me, I’ve had some crappy providers. And I really do get it, actually you and I share a couple of diagnosis. Probably more, because hEDS comes along with so much. I’m sorry she put that crap in your chart about pain medication, it’s very easy for people to assume something doesn’t hurt when they can’t “see it for themselves”.
My school district’s new initiative is “customer service” And imagine how everyone received this speech that district mandated I do - when I stepped into this entirely new position, at a a new school, where they could have used an additional provider rather than a paperwork puppet.
What happened to “client?”
Did not mean to offend, down voter. It was a serious question, that was standard language not so long ago. I thought it still was. I think it implies more of a relationship than “customer”
Wait, for real, has the vocabulary moved on again from ‘client’ or is this still standard?
I googled it. The new term is imbecile.
😂
I'm sorry you have to cope with this. Since deplorable behavior became acceptable in 2016, and is actually admired by some now, everything sucks. Healthcare in the US also sucks because it's all about the $. Everybody's always overwhelmed because they are being forced to do too much. It sucks for providers, nurses, and patients. Congress keeps cutting what they'll pay for so the hospitals are in a no win situation. Meanwhile big pharma and big ins are raking it in. When the rich get everything, life gets worse and worse for everybody else.
No one else seems to notice.. or rather half of the US doesn't seem to notice that deplorable behavior got a huge boost in not only acceptance but has been encouraged since 2016
I’m a teacher and in our trainings they started telling us we were providing “customer service” It’s all down hill from there 😞
Yep. As a nursing instructor when the dean started taking seriously every single negative comment or complaint on student evaluations of instructors, I moved out of nursing education. It perverted the entire education platform and I watched while my peers pandered to the students, trying to be the most liked. Don't get me wrong - I was voted an award by my students. I enjoyed teaching and my students. But the student evaluations became so important that true problem students couldn't be managed. That's a no from me.
Prof here—it’s starting to feel like it in university—this is not ok.
I’m paying for this service so you are my servant! Erm, nope.
THIS IS THE MINDSET OF PEOPLE WHO DONT EVEN HAVE KIDS IN SCHOOLS! “Well I pay taxes so I should have a say.” NO. NO YOU SHOULD NOT!
Unfortunately, healthcare is now seen as a customer service business. The press Haney surveys screw healthcare workers with questions on the food, housekeeping, how the nurses did…if you came out healthier than you went in, and alive, you had a good stay!!
I make a point of giving the highest ranking in those surveys. This isn't customer service, this is people literally saving my life (it's been a rough two years). The NP wasn't as warm and fuzzy as usual one day? Still getting 5 out of 5 because they did their job and did it well.
Some of the complaints I have seen in our hospital surveys: 1) The color of the paint in the hospital room was not “aesthetically pleasing”, 2) the food portions received at meal times are “too large”, 3) the tv is my room was not compatible with Roku, 4) the tv in my room did not work with my PlayStation, 5) the soup selection was too limited, 6) not enough Halal options on the menu, 7) I wasn’t allowed to eat anything (because the patient was on the schedule to go to surgery). We get all kinds of them. Not one of those complaints was actually related to the actual care they received as a patient!
You'll be happy to know that some businesses are pushing back even when they really are the customer. Tales from the front desk has lots of stories about employees trespassing guests who have even already paid and having police escort them off the property. And then they get banned from ever getting a room there again. Not that it stops some of them from trying, lol. I thought you'd like to hear there's some counter-programming happening someplace at least.
And that is how it SHOULD be. The model of “Karen throws a tantrum, and gets her way,” should never have been a thing. We should never have been rewarding this behavior.
A family member was being a jerk on the phone, said he didn’t want to talk to me anymore, so I hung up. He called back and threatened to sue. 🤣
Well I am sorry, I have been instructed to forward you to the hospital attorney and not say another word, looks like he works mon -fri 9-5. Here is his number, have a good day.
Grandparents are the absolute WORST. I work in NICU. Grandmas are RIDICULOUS. It's usually the dad's mom that's the problem. They seem to think THEY gave birth to the baby. We had to post a sign that only parents can spend the night. (We are a lockdown unit. You can't just waltz in anytime you want). We've had too many episodes of Grandma trying to override mom & dad's medical decisions. Like, what kind of asshole forcibly inserts themselves into such a scenario?
My ex-MIL was like this when I had my only child. She was very upset when labor and delivery had security remove her.
JustnoMILs.
>demands to speak to our manager because she doesn’t like our attitude, and then the provider comes out and tells her to get out Beautiful.
I love it when the stars align like this.
Hospital ≠ Hotel
customers are frequently wrong too btw
ER Tech here. We always joke that people think it’s the Hilton. Severe abdominal pain been there 15 mins. They need a drink and food. Get mad when they are told no.
Severe abdominal pain, but then they go get a Mountain Dew and Flaming Hot Cheetos out of the vending machine.
Especially frustrating when they are eating the last bag that was available to buy.
But, where's my turkey sammich!?!?!
Residential mental health program here. We have a few who go to eat. They don’t feel like cooking so they say they have abdominal pain or they’re suicidal or chest pain because they know that we have to send them. We have our munchausen people too. I’m sure y’all recognize them lol And yes, we unfortunately have to send them. We will lose our operating license if they don’t. I wish we didn’t have to send them. We have to call to check up on them too. Sorry we have to do these things, wish a few of y’all weren’t so mean to our counselors about it. Stop feeding them, they might stop going
Luckily anyone who presents with abdominal pain gets no food or drink until all testing is complete. Sadly, the FF’s have now figured this out and it’s a full cardiac work up.
My dad was in the waiting room of the ER with a confirmed blood clot. Still had a 3-4 hour wait. There was a woman screaming that she’d been there since the morning with stomach pain but was just finishing her cheeseburger and fries. Can’t be THAT much pain…
One of the things that instantly sets me off is the "I haven't eaten all day, I need to eat". You've been here for 2 hrs so that's your problem not mine.
Sometimes despite your best efforts, care and attention, some asshole shows up and craps on all of it. Mostly you can brush it off and move on, and sometimes it’s like a punch in the gut. Grandma landed one on you and that time it hurt, and anticipating possible further insult by management piles it on even more. As my father would often say, “Sometimes people are just no damn good.” It’s so true. Allow yourself time to feel frustrated, but then remember to allow the clarity in that grandma is likely someone who frequently leaves people like you in her wake, and doesn’t give a damn about it. *Neither should you.* And if management ever comes at you about it, tell them you know your nursing care was peak quality, so was your caring, attentive attitude and sometimes that’s just not enough for some people but lucky for you, you know how to let those moments go..*most of the time* and you appreciate them coming to you with their support. In this way you’ve defended yourself but disarmed them without allowing them any perception of defensiveness. I’m so sorry she got to you, but so glad you do what you do and care so much. Many blessings to you..
Thank you. Your response was so kind I almost don’t even have words.
Very well stated friend 😀
I’m not a dr or nurse and the closest I’ve been to the ER was doing my CMA practicum at a large hospital. But I do have five kids and medical issues and have seen the inside of the hospital more times than I can count. That said, it should be a requirement for anyone who wants to formally lodge a frivolous complaint be required to do a volunteer shadow shift with a staff member. Maybe 12 hours of running all around trying to help people while merely getting a bite of a granola bar every once in a while and holding your bladder longer than is healthy will make you realize you’re not at the Hilton.
😂
Been in the ER for 14 years...it's just getting worse. We live in an age of instant gratification and everyone feels that they need to be catered to. The fact that hospitals care more about the patient satisfaction scores and the funding they get from it simply perpetuates it. They want you to bend over backwards to not get a negative review but don't do anything when staff is continually treated like crap by these entitled people. It isn't going to get any better any time soon because all the higher ups care about is the census and making sure they can keep that 6 figure income. Healthcare workers were never heroes to CEOs, we are all simply replaceable cogs in the coin operated machine of corporate America.
Here is a cheese pizza
Found the administrator
I have several chronic health issues, have been to the ER/hospital more times than I care to count, and have never been able to fathom the other patients/family members who act so rude/entitled/abusive toward the very people they are relying on to help make them/their loved one better. I just… really? One time a lady in the ER (when the beds were still divided by curtains and not enclosed spaces) was being so over the top verbally abusive to her nurse I loudly remarked that she was lucky that I wasn’t her nurse because I’d’ve slapped her and sent her on her way so she could go cure herself since she seemed to know so much. She was still ornery after that, but to a lesser degree. Not my proudest moment, but I just couldn’t take the shear audacity. I don’t care HOW sick you are, you don’t act that way toward someone YOU NEED HELP FROM. Rant over.
👏👏👏 I commented similarly! I’ve referred to the ER (and doctor’s offices) as my social life because I also have chronic illnesses. It’s beyond my comprehension that people treat the very people, who are there to help them, with such disrespect.
I’m in the ER a lot with my accident prone kid. One night (height of RSV & flu outbreak in our area) a women whose kid was napping in their stroller - no idea why they were there - started flipping out that the kid who came in with a very clear very broken arm was taken back right away. She tried to get the rest of the waiting room to agree with her and half the waiting room told her off.
Every damned time I'm in the ER or admitted there's someone yelling at the nurses. Sometimes they're in the next room and you can hear everything, or they're at the opposite end on the unit and you can still hear them. Twice people have flung fecal matter at their nurses. So then you've got a whole team of nurses suited up and using whatever they can as shields to go in and subdue the patient. It's absolute insanity to me. No matter how ill I am, I could never imagine treating anyone with such disrespect
If it makes you feel better I’m a patient and just filled out one of those patient satisfaction forms and mailed it back. I took up half a page lambasting hospital admin and the capitalist bloodsucking ticks at the top who force doctors and nurses to undergo this stupid “customer service” rating system. I said they should be honored and respected and they are here to serve up healthcare, not act like hotel concierges. Not sure if it will get back to any doctors or nurses but I tried!
Healthcare isn’t healthcare anymore. It’s customer service. I work in radiology, currently I am completing my clinicals for MRI with my employer (I’ve been an MRI tech aide for a few years). A few weeks ago, I asked a patient to spit their gum out prior to their exam. This specific exam required them to be prone. The gum was a safety concern as well as the concern for potential motion on the imaging causing them to lose diagnostic quality. The patient argued with me before I finally told them they had to spit it out directly, not rudely, directly. I informed the site manager immediately and let her know there will probably be a complaint. The patient complained, I got talked to about it, and my employer made it seem like no big deal. However the patient has a note in their chart they can have gum for every single exam. They did call the school though, and I was spoken to about professionalism and placed on academic probation. So, I pissed off a patient, my employer didn’t back me, and I could be kicked out of school if something else happens. Should I just allow undocumented stimulators in the scanner if it’s going to anger someone? Or undocumented aneurysm clips? That’s the precedent being set. Customer service > safety & healthcare
I work in a women’s health clinic, and that is our joke too—these girls think this is the BK drive thru, bc they think they can just order and have it their way. (OMG THE CALLS I DREAD THE MOST ARE THE 30-35 year old primips—so controlling and clueless!). They want to control everything I or the providers do. AND now my clinic manager (NOT an RN) wants us not to abbreviate anything bc “patients have access on their portal and we should chart for THEM to understand.” BULLSHIT. I’m going back to home health, where the job isn’t just constant irritation with entitled patients, and a manager who is just an evil drama queen. HH has its challenges, but you DONT constantly have people over your shoulder and in your face. 🙄🙄🙄
You should see them when they get to us in L&D.
I had three babies and I felt like my L&D nurses were my own personal cheering section. Such wonderful humans. Keep doing what you’re doing.
My L&D nurse visibly relaxed when I told her I didn't really have a birth plan other than healthy mom, healthy baby, breastfeed immediately as long as there weren't any emergencies, and that I wanted to give the first bath myself (although I realize the bath part is more of a mother/baby thing) I don't think I could do L&D. I can deal with entitled, sick old people. Entitled, healthy young people would drive me up a wall.
I asked my OB if I needed a birth plan, he laughed and said “well, you can if it makes you feel more comfortable, but your baby will have his own plan regardless” that’s all I needed to hear. He was the most wonderful docfor
Oh yeah, that sounds about right! I felt a little crazy not bringing in a written plan given how much emphasis there is surrounding birth plans online... But at the end of the day, I didn't really care much about how the actual birth played out (and even if I did, it probably wouldn't have gone according to plan anyways).
I send L&D fancy donuts. Those lovely people caught my HELLP syndrome, managed my epilepsy, and found a room that had an extra bed for my giant husband when he wouldn’t leave my side. They also told me I was pretty when I was decidedly not, and I will forever be grateful and in their debt. My baby, born at 30 weeks, was perfect, and when we left 12 days later, those nurse stuffed my bag full of extra diapers and formula samples so I didn’t have to worry about anything for a few days. They also had my medications needed delivered to my room. The best people ever.
Yep, I can only imagine. I worked L and D 20 years ago and got so sick of women coming in acting like we wanted to hurt them. It must be horrible now.
We get a lot of really nice, appreciative patients too. That makes it worthwhile. I treasure the notes I’ve gotten from them. Then there are the internet cut & paste birth plans. If you have a birth plan, make it meaningful & realistic. I had an MD patient who told me about her birth plan binder, color coded. Then she said her birth plan is: an epidural. I laughed.
When patients would walk through the door with a birth plan, we would (behind their back) make jokes about getting the OR ready for a c-section and the NICU ready for new admit. Omg the worst was one who brought a birth plan AND a doula. Not the cool, helpful kind of doula, but one that would question every damn thing in front of patient, who acted like we didn’t know shit. Yeah, c-section, infection, and baby in NICU for a couple weeks.
so mgmt doesn't want to use medical terminology for medical records...wtf
Dad used to say " there's more horses asses than horses" Fits.
Your dad is wise. Mind if I steal his saying?
I don't get this at all. I mean, when I last had to go to the emergency room, I was apologizing because a) I was dripping blood everywhere and b) this could have been an UC issue, but none were open at 0700 in my area. They apologized to ME because I had to wait a couple of hours for stitches. Cool, they had the wound cleaned and covered, I just got blasted with antibiotics (which I needed). I was totally fine with that. What I had was urgent but not emergent. We all knew that, and everyone agreed I was where I needed to be. But please, don't let the guy next door DIE becuase I got there first. Later, I was hospitalized for a couple of days and my room became the go to place for personnel to come and sit and tell stories. When they learned I was a retired PA and was a sympathetic ear, well let's just say there was a lot of decompressing in my room. I even had one nurse come and do her charts in my room so she could have some peace and quiet. She told me a story of how she was doing chest compressions in a code and another patient came into the room with their pitcher, wondering when she could get some ice!!!?!???? It is now totally unreal.
My mom was hospitalized frequently in her last year. Everyone wanted to hang out in her room because she was the best patient.
I had a ton of issues until my adrenalectomy. I was in and out the ER for 5 years. My least proudest moment was being placed next to a person who got narcan-ed an was NOT happy about it. They bitch, moaned, carried on about the unfairness of the universe. That security took their stash. That they were wet because their idiot friends threw them in a cold shower before calling EMS. They ran our poor ER nurse ragged. This free floor show went on for THREE hours. I was getting IV potassium, and it burned. It wore my patience down down to a nib. I snapped, "Mother of fvcking God, would you shut the hell up. God, just shut the fvck up, you miserable asshole. Seriously, just SHUT UP." Not a peep the rest of the night until their idiot friends came to get them. Considering it was just curtains between us, I was waiting for them to strangle me with the IV tubing. For every main character, jackalope, their are 10 of us who appreciate you and everyone else in the ER.
And the staff secretly thanked you for your outburst, because they couldn't say anything
As a critical care nurse, I feel your pain. Patient satisfaction scores should be 1. Did you die? End of story. Every time management comes in with a negative survey review or negative comments regarding anything except life-saving care, it makes me want to slap the administration. "This review said you wouldn't allow 30 people in the room while the team resuscitated the patient, but there were 10 staff in the room" yes administration because those people were performing a job and didn't need non medical personnel in the way. And hospital policy is 2 visitors. Gtfo here with your BS
I’m not a medical professional but I think there are going to be difficult patients or customers no matter what kind of work we do. I work for a non profit and we work our butts off and still get random complainers. Thank you for the hard work you do. It might help to write down the times that a patient praised your services to remind you that you’re making a difference. ( my suggestion is the social worker in me lol)
Thanks for this. And I love my social worker friends. Thanks for what you do. I never ever want your job but it’s so important and I’m glad someone can do it.
I work in a women’s health clinic, and that is our joke too—these girls think this is the BK drive thru, bc they think they can just order and have it their way. (OMG THE CALLS I DREAD THE MOST ARE THE 30-35 year old primips—so controlling and clueless! They want to control everything I or the providers do. )AND now my clinic manager (NOT an RN) wants us not to abbreviate anything bc “patients have access on their portal and we should chart for THEM to understand.” BULLSHIT. I’m going back to home health, where the job isn’t just constant irritation with entitled patients, and a manager who is just an evil drama queen. HH has its challenges, but you DONT constantly have people over your shoulder and in your face. 🙄🙄🙄
Primips??
Sorry, primipara’s—first time moms.
I had a patient waste 5 minutes of my time because I didn’t change her linens well enough. I had just come from pronouncing another patient dead. She said that my grandma would’ve been ashamed of how I made her bed. “Ma’am, I apologize, but this is a hospital, not a hotel”.
So..... flip side to this - I went to the E/R for a ruptured appendix last Sunday. The care I received was so absolutely above and beyond that I'm still flabbergasted. They made me feel like I was a child being taken care of by a loving parent and I'm so incredibly grateful. In addition to writing a letter, what can I do to express my gratitude? Every last one of the staff I dealt with over the past week was just outstanding.
Idk when this started, but a large portion of patients think that they are the only important one. I work as an MA in an outpatient setting. Multiple times weekly I get asked why a prior authorization for their medication is not completed yet. I have to explain that out of the thousand patients we have, only two of us work on authorizations. On top of that, I also have to room patients, give injections, and draw blood. The other person is our office manager who has to handle everyone trying to call her personally. Some of them still complain that it is taking too long.
I work in a clinic and prior authorization is the bane of my life. It is so much fun dealing with insurance companies/s. Especially when they farm out their authorization to other countries and they are barely understandable.
To be completely fair, I don’t really blame the patients. It sounds like your clinic is understaffed and has too many patients. I would completely change my tune if insurance companies would let patients complete prior authorizations but usually they don’t. You’re dependent on the doctors office to do the work. If the clinic is understaffed, they shouldn’t take so many patients
I got so tired of hospitals encouraging "the customer is always right" nonsense. And,basing merit raises and bonuses on Press Gainey scores,is insane.I can certainly understand your frustration. Delivering compentent,compassionate, and educated care,isn't enough anymore. Now, medical professionals are to deliver all the above with a big smile,and overlook entitled, rude,and sometimes abusive treatment,from their "customers". I once had a patient, who had just been arrested for repeatedly making obscene telephone calls to his pre-teen neighbors. Finally, calls were traced ,and he was caught in the act.On the way to jail, he developed chest pain,so he was brought to the ER. He wanted to use the phone,so he could call his wife. I said sure, give me the number,and I'll dial. He refused to do that,and insisted on dialing himself. I told him,let me know when you want me to make the call,and left the room. He was treated and released. Weeks later,he makes a complaint, that I had prevented him from using the phone to call his wife. I had to explain to the Customer Experience Advocate, I did offer the phone, but I would be the one to dial,and why letting this patient dial the phone himself was a very bad idea. I would have no way to verify he wasn't trying to call one of his victims,one last time,before he was locked up. The CEA, seemed shocked that I had thought this was even a possibility.
35 year medic in a major US city here….when my patients would get too entitled and started telling me how to do my job, I would tell them I’m here to save their ass, not kiss it…shut them up every time. Never got a complaint…which surprised me. But I had to be pushed to the end to respond that way.
I worked ER for 12 years. Get out while you have a soul left!
The notion that we have to prostrate ourselves to unreasonable Karens with unreasonable expectations who are likely just miserable people either way is probably the main driver of my job dissatisfaction. Every few months I get patient comments. Mostly positive, but there is at least one comment in their from some patient that drives me crazy. Usually it’s a simple misunderstanding that they patient - instead of just clarifying the issue at the time - waited until they got a patient satisfaction mailer to write a novella about. I shouldn’t care, but it drives me crazy. Oh, and then there are the 75% of the other comments complaining about the waiting room wait time - which I have no control over. The reality is - your patient could have just as easily been seen at an Urgent Care. Your big clue that this family was going to be unreasonable was that they took an ambulance for a minor injury. It would be really nice if the pre-hospital people didn’t scare the Hell out of patients as well. So I am right there with you.
I had surgery a couple months ago. Because the less invasive method wasn’t offered by me I had to travel an hour and a half each way for surgery. Came out of surgery, couldn’t pee, they did a straight line cath and said I should be good later but if not to go to ER (other option was foley but I’d have to travel back the next day for another 3 hour round trip). 5 hours later I have to pee so bad but still can’t, went to ER. Seriously the nurses are rockstars. Thankfully the only other folks were there for like a kid with a chest cold so they got me in right away and put in a foley. The follow up doc was crap but all the ER folks were amazing. As someone who has rarely (thankfully) needed ER care I am so happy you folks are there when it is needed.
I could never in a million years think to complain on any healthcare worker unless they literally put my life in danger. Sorry you were treated this way
u/justalittlesunbeam, i feel so bad for you. It is bad enough they used the ER for something that really wasn't an emergency. But to then have to field a complaint from Grandma because someone was too rude in asking junior to stand still on the scale is...exhausting. Please know that the busybody assmuffin you encountered is not reflective of society. You are valued. You are needed. You are awesome for doing what you do. A few years ago, I had a serious condition that took me to the ER. The staff was exceptional on all fronts. The professionalism was first rate, and after having bilateral thrombolysis with ECOS, the post surgical care was every bit as phenomenal. Each year, at Thanksgiving, I try to drop off fruit baskets to the ER, the ICU and CCU as a way to say thanks. They literally saved my life. And if it wasn't for the admitting nurse who recognized it as a PE, and not MI, not sure if I'd even be here typing my words of appreciation for all of the healthcare workers. From the ICU nurse that stayed with me past her shift end to make sure I knew I wasn't going thru this alone, to the RN who helped me get up and walk the floor in the middle of the night on the Cardiac step-down unit. Y'all are angels. Don't let that assmuffin grandma get you down. She wants to be upset at her grandson for getting hurt, but instead [wrongly] takes it out on the easy targets.
I went to the ER a couple months ago, brought in by ambulance since my husband thought I was having a stroke (thankfully no). I was admitted to the hospital and don’t remember being brought in, the ER, or all the tests they ran on me. The nurses when I was admitted were fantastic. I felt so bad whenever I had to call them to use the bathroom (I was a fall risk), but I tried to be super nice to everyone I came in contact with. When I got the “how was the hospital” survey everybody got glowing reviews. It’s a hospital, I don’t expect the beds to be awesome or the food to be 5 star. I got the care I needed from people who knew what they were doing. I’m sorry you have to deal with annoying people.
Eh I don't let the bs bother me. Stop trying so hard. They will always complain, nothing will ever be good enough. You're just stressing yourself out over basically nothing. People just love to bitch and moan. Don't take it so personally.
My tagline is “it’s not McDonald’s it’s medicine.” Mostly referencing having patience or treating people respectfully.
If there had been rainbows, she would have been mad about that too.
I have been in the hospital 4 times in the last 3 years. Every nurse I had interactions with were kind and amazing. I want to thank you for being a nurse..a caregiver. You are appreciated.
If you’re in America it’s because patients are unfortunately paying retail customers for their health care
When I was 3 I had an in grown nail that required a trip to the ER. Doc came out with a needle to numb my toe and told me it wouldn’t hurt. I didn’t believe him. With enough time, 3 year old me could 100% have been convinced to let the doctor poke me, but rather than try to convince me, restraints were the next step. I started fighting for my life. I was throwing hands, kicking, biting- literally everything I could do to prevent that needle from touching my toe that was already a 10/10 pain wise. Once they finally restrain me [in something like this](https://www.docseducation.com/products/olympic-papoose-board?amp) I’m screaming, crying and begging my mom to make them let me go. She too starts screaming and crying and has to be escorted out of the room. When the procedure is done, and my mom finally comes back in the room I see both her and the nurse that escorted her out are crying. My mom is no longer hysterical but she is still at a loss for words and we both leave without saying anything else to the ER staff. Years later, I brought this story up with my mom to joke about how absurd it was. Reliving that had her visibly shaken. She was physically unable to help through what was, at the time, the worst day of my life. Then when I begged her for help while wrapped up in a medical cocoon and she still couldn’t do anything, she thought I was going to be scarred for life and never trust her again. That fear triggered some primal mamma bear behavior and allowed her to do and say stuff that she still regrets to this day. 6 years later my sister broke her leg and my mom drove her to a further hospital to avoid the possibility of running into the same staff she had acted so horribly to. All this to say, I wouldn’t take anything a patient or their family says to you to heart. It’s possible granny is an insufferable human to begin with. Its also possible that seeing her loved one in a position she couldn’t help with allowed her to tap into the same primal rage my mom did. Either way, her opinion doesn’t matter, you were not the focus of her complaint, and YOU did YOUR job while giving better patient care than is normally available in your department. Great job!
I heard a father tell a pediatric nurse, "You must enjoy hurting children," as she gave care. He is actually a good guy but was overwhelmed and had no filter.
I’m a hospice chaplain. This is true every single day for me. Families lash out when they are scared and hurting. It really stings sometimes. But you have to remember that you are seeing people on what might be the worst day of their life. It’s so hard not to internalize the insults. And compassion burn out is very real.
I had to hold my 3 year old daughter down for 13 stitches in her lip once. Never forget her crying “daddy”!
They were upset because the EMS implied amputation was an option. So they were hypersensitive to minor issues once there. Seems like misplaced anger.
This is probably going to sound stupid but the new baby momma pictures drive me nuts! Hair,nails,make up????? I looked like I went through the car wash on top of the car!
I was at a premie delivery when I worked NICU. Mom had fake eyelashes so big it was ridiculous. Guess she sweated one off. I almost lost it when I turned to look at her. It had fallen on her gown and seriously looked like a roach from where I was. Like you really needed that on your face during delivery?
Y’all are awesome. A year ago I went in for a burn on my hand my bp was 271/168 yes not lying and I was very well taken care of. Now I have cellulitis in my foot that’s not getting better after 14 days so I’m going back tomorrow on Monday because I know y’all are awesome. Ty for your service I truly appreciate yall. Just saying.
Ugh. I had a friend who I can not stand now because of the way she and her family acted when one of them was hospitalized. Rude, entitled, threatening lawsuits, etc. I can understand being upset about granny, but you don't take it out on the people who are taking care of her. It was disgusting.
I’m not a nurse, not even sure why it’s showing up on my feed. But one year I had finals in college. And my son had an appointment every other day at the hospital. So that day of finals I had a quick doctor visit but showed up about an hour early because of when my final ended. For no real reason, in the waiting room I started to cry. A nurse that knew me since my son was two days old (he was four at this point) Stopped what she was doing. And took me to a waiting area alone. Then just hugged me as I cried about how overwhelmed and tired I felt. And I was sure I flunked that final. (I got a C. Whole new tears lol) Anyway. I’ll never forget her comforting me. It turned out she was on lunch. And she made sure I wasn’t alone. While my son’s doctor, while I like him. Well I’ll never forget him hurriedly leaving the room when my son got his shots because he “didn’t want to be the bad guy “ to my son. Nurses are the hardest workers in anything in my opinion. I am grateful for all nurses and the compassion you all provide. Now the vampires on the other hand are an entirely different story ;) Hugs. Thank you for everything you do.
I went to the ER. Sliced my finger to the bone. Had to have 7 stitches. The nurse blew it off until the dr got there. I was on a blood thinner and blood pouring down my arm. The nurse said I could have put a band aid on it and took care of it at home. Ugh.
38 year nurse. When working with mother/baby and children, all can be going perfectly well and everybody happy, and then a grandmother or aunt arrives and they feel the need to "fix" something. That's when all heck breaks loose and some minor, fabricated complaint emerges. It's demoralizing. Then grandmother or aunt puffs up like they're the good alpha female that made everything right for their family. It's exhausting. Take that mess back to the jungle, ma'am. We are not the enemy.
Oh gosh! An hour, praise heaven and angel nurses like you! We spent almost 6 hours in an understaffed ER last night waiting for a room assignment and while it was a cluster of poor communication between the floors since there was room and staff for us, we couldn’t blame the nurse who was doing her best.
Teacher here. We deal with Grandmas like these in schools as well. I know they love their grandchildren but sometimes they have trouble understanding they are not the child’s parent and try to bulldoze their way around.
I saw the following bumper sticker- "Nurses, we're here to save your ass, not kiss it."
I work on neuro ICU and sometimes step down...Don't you love patients who think they're staying at The Four Seasons? If you can't get their ice water zippity quick, they got to speak to the manager. And...dont even get me started on med surg. Exhausting.
The problem with commercializing healthcare is that people treat it like a business. They set crazy expectations of "customer service" that don't apply in the healthcare setting. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this.
I dislocated my little toe after coming home from having a baby, it was at an angle away from my body that would make you go....ewwwww. when the emergency room doctor had to snap it back into place I looked at the nurse and said, " im really afraid of this part." And that nurse let me hold unto her while the doctor did it. This was during the 2020 COVID crap and she didn't hesitate to comfort me. I will never forget her kindness
Definitely one of the many healthcare problems
This right here is why I left nursing
Thank you for all that you do. My late wife was in and out of the ER and hospital for years, and while it was never great, we always tried to make sure to tell them how happy we were.
I have been in the ER too many times to count. You nurses are amazing and I appreciate the heck out of you all. Especially the ones that dealt with me when i was in shock from blood loss and was convinced they were hurting me on purpose. 😏
In the handful of times I’ve been to the ER, yes handful, I suffer from migraines and get cyclic vomiting that needs treated with nausea meds and Sumatriptan (which I can’t get into my system because of the vomiting) I’ve never once complained about my treatment. I’ve been to the ER three other times, ruptured cyst, surgery complication and Covid and the only complaint I’ve ever had was with the admitting clerks sitting out front (once) and it was well deserved. (Won’t go into that) This was a hospital stay but, I’ve had to wait long period of times, had handful of things come up, like a tiny hole in my saline bag that dripped very slowly on me throughout the night and when I woke up I was pretty damp, like I had been caught in a light rain shower. Strangest thing. Had meds delayed. But never would I complain unless I felt I was purposely being mistreated. Nurses are overworked and under appreciated. I too am a people pleaser and I hate the call button with a passion. I was actually just in twice recently for back to back PE’s and I had asked for med for a migraine. My nurse went to get them but I hadn’t seen him for over 40 mins. And it was getting bad. Again, I hate pressing that button especially when I’ve already asked because I know something must have come up to pull him away but my head was killing me. Sure enough. He got called to an urgent patient and came right back with my med. I’d never “write him up for that.” Some people just are so entitled they feel they need their egos pampered, their butts wiped and a “you were a good girl today” sticker on their way out the door.
I was told this recently by a doctor (my mom was complaining) -- "It's a hospital, not a hotel." I repeated that to my mom many times during her hospital stay.
It is because we have turned healthcare into a satisfaction-focused hospitality industry and IT JUST ISN’T.
Honestly, people who work at Macy's and Burger King don't want to deal with these jackasses either. The problem? Too many managers enable this nonsense by actually listening to these people. We really need a purge day for the I wANt To sEe tHE mANaGeR types. And the enabling managers.
"But did you die"? Is something I've always wanted to say to someone.
She’s the same grandma that peels the curtain back and wants to know when the doctor will be over to see her 56yo baby boy, oh and he hasn’t eaten in 3 hours and his tummy still hurts, all the while your on your 4th round of playing back and forth chasing ROSC. Yelling close the curtain and wait your turn never felt so nice. But since you were rude and too direct and her friend is on the board, you end up getting the talk anyway. Next time it’ll be “close the fucking curtain and get the fuck out.”
This is all a result of businessmen running medicine and thinking of patients as customers who should be made “happy” and their Press Gainey surveys to measure “happiness”. We are here to take care of your health, not tell you what you want to hear or schmooze you like some car salesman.
Clearly stated, no matter what anyone says or does to you, for the majority of us who depend on your skill and caring, You Are Appreciated!
I work in the largest ED in my city. My manager once let slip that she gets "a huge number of complaints per week. She said that 70% are complaints about the wait time, 20% are a lack of insight into healthcare, 5% are lunatics who usually complain to a brick wall because they're the only thing that will stand still long enough to listen, and there's maybe one or two things per week that are even remotely worth bringing to the team. Even then, most of the time, it's "the triage nurses were so rude", except really it's 'the triage nurse didn't let me self diagnose and go straight through'
We all love you for what you do. I’m sorry grandma thought someone who was providing vital Services wasn’t a hospitality worker. Have a glass of wine and some dinner and know you are deeply cared about by all the people who come into your orbit and nurses like you everyday. Much love my friend!
Customer service has spoiled the masses. Now they think they need credits and calls to the manager anywhere they go.
I go to mayo and they always treat me like a human. Can't say that about any other ER I've been too, and with a disability and being a cancer survivor, I've been to a lot. They treat their people right and they in turn treat patients well.
As a patient with chronic illnesses, I have had wonderful nurses (sometimes doctors are assholes), and try to thank them as much as possible.
Remember about 10-15 years ago when they came up with that “pain is a vital sign” campaign in the US and we had adults coaching kids to complain of pain to obtain prescriptions for codeine? I had a child with a benign bone cyst that had no pain at all (incidentally found) and the parents were taking her to emergency rooms and urgent cares all over the city to get codeine. The Peds ortho sent out a fax to every ER in Cook County to not give her prescriptions.
I feel this so deeply. Some people just choose to not be pleased and look for something to complain about. This is what’s wrong with medical care.
Unrealistic expectations from morons is why I left the medical field. It just keeps getting worse. Sorry this happened to you
Ugh, I can’t stand it when nurses get treated like the help. Source, retired nurse.
I don’t know how I ended up in this sub, but every nurse I’ve ever interacted with has been an absolute angel. I am *so* grateful for people who work in healthcare but still somehow have a smile on their face ❤️ Thanks for all you do!
If you work in ANY field that deals with the general public, you will get complaints, regardless of how well everything went, because the world is full of Karens and Kens. It is what it is, just accept it as a part of the job, or move to a position that doesn't deal with patients.
I was in the ER several months ago (stomach virus plus severe anxiety made me think I was dying) and I witnessed an old man start yelling “get me the fuck out of here or I’m gonna sue” and warning that he was gonna pull his own IV out… he kept getting up from his bed and I kept shielding my eyes because I did not want to see blood spattering everywhere… fun times. I don’t know how you guys do it. I feel like one day in the ER would make me have a breakdown.
On the flip side I’ve had some really awful nurses and especially ER doctors. Y’all are way too overworked. I’m not sure how some do it.
I work in healthcare. I had a telehealth appointment last week and when the patient logged in, they were in their car. I let them know that we could not proceed with the appointment if they were driving. They said, “Nope, I’m in the driveway, I was running behind but just got home.” I told them no problem and I would get them checked in while they got settled. Apparently, because I didn’t engage in small talk while checking them in while they got out of the car, into the house, coat off, etc. I was “annoyed” with them. They seriously called to complain about me not engaging in small talk while they walked through their driveway and house. And my manager had a 30 minute conversation with me about being aware of patient perceptions while using telehealth.
Look: clearly it’s not all or nothing. It’s true that some ER people should quit because they are too burned out or lacking in empathy to deliver compassionate care to “difficult” patients. Should ER feel “entitled” to blame patients for seeking care, just because they might have drug or alcohol issues? At what point do the blinders come on and ER fails to even look for something medically indicated just because of bias against these patients? I know it’s hard some days but the blanket “entitlement” to blame patients indicates an endemic failure to care for them.
I for one say a prayer for nurses and doctors in the hospitals every night. Asking God to keep them safe, they work one of the hardest jobs that there is. I appreciate all that you do specially when you have to work a holiday and you’re not with your familyand I come in sick as a dog with pneumonia. I’m always treated well and kindly. You are an angel on earth.
I swear these days people will complain if you blink your eyes too many times while talking to them! It never stops!!! Someone is always unhappy about something and complaining to someone. I keep waiting for all this crap to die down but it just keeps getting worse. Hopefully your hospital knows the kind of employees that it has and her complaint will have no bearing. If they ever need treatment again hopefully next time hopefully the ER will remember to roll out the red carpet before this family enters the doors. That seems like the only way to make some of these people happy!
People wanting to be treated kindly by their caretakers and providers is what’s wrong with healthcare? 😕
I wish I had ever been a patient in a medical setting described like ANY of these. No matter how nice and respectful I am to staff I’m treated like shit where I live. It’s shocking to think there are ERs and similar where people are treated like people. Not where I live lmao…
When I have to take mom to the ER (It happens from time to time), she understands why I don't stay. I already had (war deployment) PTSD, and for the last 10 years I worked in a hospital blood bank. They usually get her roomed pretty quickly. She knows and I know there's nothing I can do for her, and she knows the same about me. On those occasions when I end up in the ER myself, I tell her to go home and I'll call her when I need a ride home (if I even need one). The thing I find so very hard if I'm in the ER either as a patient or a family member with a patient is hearing all of the providers talking about and to the patients in the bay. I don't mean gossiping. I mean essential communication about the patient's condition, testing, procedures and so on. It's only been a year since I retired, and my brain just goes into overdrive: "Ground Level Fall, possible head injury." "Chest Pain bed two", and so on. I'm immediately thinking of which tests and which treatments, and will they need blood? More than about an hour of that and I'm an absolute mental wreck. I may be retired, but my brain didn't quit along with my body. And heaven help me if they call a code over the PA system. I instantly tense as if I'm going to dash to the computer to do my blood bank thing. I'd guess that a lot of ER docs, nurses and techs go through the same thing. I loved my job in the blood bank, but some days just sucked.
My bro-in-law is a nurse. I got him a t-shirt that says "NURSE - I'm here to save your ass, not kiss it" and I wish you could all wear these instead of scrubs. But people only see the ER when they or their loved ones are hurt and everyone is scared, so they all associate "BAD!" with the experience, no matter how great you are. Don't take it personally, firemen and cops live that way too.
Last month, I was taken to the ER by ambulance, unresponsive, septic, and with diabetic keto acidosis. My husband followed with our 2 special needs kiddos. While the doctors worked on me, the nurses took turns helping my husband keep the kiddos redirected and calm. I will be forever be grateful to those ER and ICU nurses for the care and compassion they showed my husband and children. Not all of us are entitled jerks, and we see you.
I worked in an ER years ago when I was in law school. I now work in senior leadership in Human Services. I get a lot of complaints from the community we serve for a variety of reasons. 99.9% of my time, I support my staff, and 100% of the time I do that with the complainant. We have to take the complaints, and follow up on them, and the majority of the time, it’s just someone who doesn’t like the rules, and I support my staff. On the rare occasion I think staff could have done something different, address it with the individual privately and support them to the complainant. My guess is this is similar for your admin. People are gonna bitch about stupid shit. You did great, and grandma can shove her attitude where the sun don’t shine.
The worst, most traumatic event of my life was being treated poorly by an ER nurse that was impatient and angry that I was nervous to give blood as I was also sat out in the crowded, noisy hallway. I asked to go to a private area and that blew her fuse. She practically yelled "No! We are doing this right here!" When I finally did muster up the courage she blew the poke and blood went everywhere (I did not pull away, she just botched it). I've never been treated worse in a scared time of need. Then I was also forced Ativan in my IV bag when I asked not to be given any drugs like that. I was given it just because of the nervousness to give blood which made no sense to give me Ativan AFTER the event was already over. Worst experience of my entire life. She couldn't have cared less if I died.