Just....walk out of the room

[u/NursingManChristDude]

Here's a PSA for my fellow nurses, in case anyone hasn't realized they can do this:

If a patient is being rude to you, just walk out of the room. If necessary, don't even say anything beforehand. When you return, at the time of your choosing, simply ask them "Are you ready to be more respectful?"

I haven't had to do this often, because I am aware of he misogynistic attitude patients have in treating me, a male, with more respect than my fellow female employees.

But, it's like having a secret weapon in your back pocket at all times, and you should never feel disrespected/mistreated/abused by your patients. They need you, not the other way around. This certainly falls under the category of "nursing hack".

[u/pnutbutterjellyfine]

I after a decade of being in busy urban ER I’ve been told by a lot of people I am very “chill”… staff, patients…orientees…it’s a result of being around the gamut again and again. You go through these phases that are compassionate, assertive, angry, defensive, go-getter, it’s like a clock of everything over and over. The realization is you truly have to pick and choose your battles. If my patients have been told not only the what but also the why, and they understand their plan of care and still choose to be disrespectful, it’s a very matter-of-fact disposition or go. I find that a lot of patients (or families) get angry because they get told more what than why. If everything is understood between both parties and you are getting abused, they can go or you can go. You do not have to take any abuse whatsoever. If you are not supported by either the doc or management, get the fuck out of that unit.

[u/RichHealthyHappy96 → u/pnutbutterjellyfine]

What do you do if patients starts complaining that they’re being neglected etc to you when you’re covering breaks for your partner. When I was precepting and didn’t know the people I was working with, most patients would complain to me and tell me “oh don’t worry I know it’ll be hours when you bring me that pain med” etc when I would tried helping. I just never know what to say🥲

[u/undeadamoeba → u/RichHealthyHappy96]

Tell them that, unfortunately, you are not in charge of staffing, and if they have a complaint about the length of time it takes to receive care, they can write to the hospital administration and/or their state representative to ask for lower nurse-patient ratios. You can even throw something in there about how you must prioritize your care, and people in more critical condition who are unstable must come before pain, unfortunately.

[u/HnyGvr → u/undeadamoeba]

I used to work at a federal government hospital where I had 17 patients in an eight hour shift. This was normal night staffing. I couldn’t do anything but a med pass for the entire shift. I stayed after work to chart, I had no time to do assessments, and when I complained, I was told if they spoke rudely to me, then they were fine because they were breathing. This hospital also delivered a patient from an MRI who had died and put him into bed and walked away without telling me. Needless to say, despite the great benefits and pay, I quit with no notice the next day.

[u/RichHealthyHappy96 → u/HnyGvr]

I would sue for the trauma… holy fuken shit how can you deliver a dead person like that! Where is the dignity????

[u/HnyGvr → u/RichHealthyHappy96]

Exactly.