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It's a HOSPITAL not a HOTEL, people!
- Dec 3, 2009 at 1:07 PM
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- Comments (11) Total Views (168) Everyone can see this journal post.
Here's my vent for the day.I'm a respiratory therapist. I work mostly ICU with patients on a ventilator (life support), but I also go to the regular floor and do breathing txs and regular therapy. It's not fun getting treated like shit by my patients. Here is some of the ways I get "thanked" for doing my job.
"Jesus H. christ, you people always want something, can't you let me sleep?" This little gem is said by many. I work day shift, so it's not like I come in the middle of the night (although on night shift I did). Again YOU ARE IN A HOSPITAL TO BE TREATED IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET BETTER, THEN GET OUT. Why are you here?
This man was having open heart surgery the next morning so it's my job to go and get arterial blood sample from these patients to see how their hear/lungs are working. So I go into the room to get the blood and it goes something like this...."Hi, i'm Stephanie from respiratory and I'm here to get a little blood from you". The man has a tray in front of him, his wife by his side. He basically throws his fork down and pushes his tray away and says to his wife, loudly, for my benefit. I'm so sick of eating cold food, blah, blah, blah, if this gets cold I'm ordering a new tray (there is room service in our heart center), why do they have to come in here to do something everytime I want to eat? Blah, blah, blah.
So I stick him and I am done, thinking the whole time "seriously, you are getting your chest cracked open in the morning and you are worried about your STEAK getting cold? Um tomorrow you won't care about eating another steak as long as you live". Anyway, he is probably scared shitless so I don't get too upset over this one, I just wanted to add it in. After I'm done he says "that's it? Oh I thought you were starting an IV" his wife admonishes him saying oh hon you got worked up over nothing. WHAT? So if I had been a nurse coming to start his IV (which you HAVE to have for any surgery) it would have been worth fussing over. Glad I'm not this guys nurse. Whew!
The most recent crap treatment. I go into this 5 year olds room at 7 am. The kid is lying there with his eyes open, mommy's asleep. I go in quietly since I like to let people sleep if I can. I start the boys breathing treatment, his lungs sound awful, he needs it. His mom wakes up and proceeds to bitch me out and tells me that I woke her kid up and I was extremely loud when I came in. This really does piss me off because, 1) it's easy to bully a health care worker because you know we aren't going to give it back, 2) I wasn't being loud and the only person that was asleep was this bitch, and 3) I'm known as the quiet one in my department. Anyway I did notify the nurse and my supervisor about the complaint, and was told not to worry about it, this isn't a hotel and too bad for her if she doesn't want her kid to get better.
OK, rant over.
Comments:
Wow. I'm sorry you go through that. Many people don't even think about it that way. They just think that they're the patient and should get things how they want them. I think most nurses and healthcare workers are wonderful. THanks.
I agree...I might "accidentally" miss the vein and stick ya once more if you give me lip. Sheesh. On behalf of all the ungrateful jerks...THANK YOU. :)
I have to say I'm a little guilty of getting mad over blood work in the hospital, but thankfully, and knock on wood, the only times I've been in was when i gave birth. with my first I was induced over night, and of course, they couldn't get the blood work right when I got there at 11, no, they had to wait until it was 3:30 in the morning, just as I'm dozing off to come in a get the damn blood. Couldn't sleep after that. and then after I had my oldest, they did the SAME THING. i had her at 9:45 pm the next night, I was in my recovery room by 11. they waited until 4 am to come in and get the other blood work. that's annoying, especially to a recovering mother.I never said anything though.
BUT as for your complaints, those are bad. especially the mother. i wouldn't have been able to hold my tongue on that one, I gotta applaud you.
After I had my son, I was in the hospital for four days because my blood pressure was high. They came in all day and night to take it and because of that, I got zero sleep. How is keeping people up for days and pissing them off going to lower their blood pressure? It's not like I WANTED to be there, I begged to go home, just so I could get some sleep.
Wow.
I had to take Andrew into the ER about a month ago because he woke up in the middle of the night not able to breath. Turns out he had croup, but while we were there they gave him breathing treatments and by the second one he was breathing way better and by hte time we left, be was wheezing a little, but otherwise normal. When we left, I hugged the recpitory theripst who helped him! I would never b**** out a nurse or other health care workier in the hospital. I mean, when you are the patient it DOES get annoying to get woken up every few hours for another poke and the have people coming in and out of your room all the time. I've only been in the hospital for labors and deliveries. But yeah, it sucks because as long as you are a patient, you stop being a human and are just another name on the list of the hospital staff who is helping you get better. Ya know?
So I can see both sides, and there ARE some rude nurses who don't care at all and just want to check your name off their list. But no way would I give them crap for that, it's their job!
Sorry you have to deal with that!
Ihartu, did you just come to my profile to check me out because I disagree with you about Adam Lambert? Those stupid nurses coming in at all times to monitor your blood pressure, sheesh, damn them for not wanting you to stroke out. It's ungrateful people like you that make health care workers rethink their jobs.
Unsuspected, I do know a lot of heatlh care workers who see the patient not as a person but as a lump of flesh they have to "deal" with. I don't like them very well, especially the docs that act that way.
My son was hospitalized muliple times as a toddler for severe asthma attacks. Our RTs were awesome and let me tell you I appreciated the HELL out of those people who helped my baby breathe. There are few things worse or will make you feel more helpless than watching your very young child struggle to breathe. So on behalf of those that don't say it - thank you for everything you do. :)
lovetwins89, I didn't even realize it was you, and I'm not a freak stalker so no, but if it makes you feel special then you go ahead thinking that's what I did.
Did I say I didn't appreciate them? No? Did I enjoy them bothering me every hour? No. I know they were just doing their job, but after having a baby and all the lack of sleep I was a bit grumpy. Sorry I'm not perfect like you and have angels flying out of my ass.
I had to watch my little sister die from breast cancer for two years and I'm very grateful for all the medical and hospice people who helped her. They were wonderful- especially the people in the ER on the day she passed away.
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You have more patience that I would..I think that if I had to take blood from some one I might just get a little satisfaction knowing that I am causing a little pain..is that bad??? LOL
- heatherl424
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