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Recently, my father took a tumble. Since he's on Coumadin (it's a really strong blood thinner) we had to pack him up to the hospital for a bit to run some tests.
While there, I happened to hang around the ER admissions. It wasn't really choice mind you, I had to sign for his papers and what not; so I was kinda stuck there. That's when I got to see two rather amusing incidents. One, a totally sucky customer/patient, the other a sucky assed nurse.
The patient happened first:
As I'm sitting waiting, this lady comes in. She has this slightly stoned look going, and looks nervous to beat anything. Naturally, she's told to take a seat and they'll triage her, but the lady won't have anything of it. Walking over to the Triage door, she tries to open it, and then bangs on the window. "I need my MEDS!" she whines. This draws out the nurse, to which she repeats. "I need my meds!" The Triage nurse gives her a rather strange look, and then in a very polite, if tired tone asks her if she's been admitted. The lady says no, so the Triage nurse turns to leave. Sucky Patient doesn't let her get far. "I need my meds. My doctor wouldn't fill it and I want YOU to fill it." The nurse blinks at this and looks at me. It's a look I've seen before. The "help me" look, given even when you know the person recieving it can't help. "What medication is that?" the nurse asks. "Xanax." (A rather STRONG sedative and narcotic) "You have to talk to your doctor about that." the nurse says. With the SP whining/demanding. "NO. He wouldn't fill it. I want you to fill it." What happens next is a long bout of whining, and the nurse trying to get the woman to understand that if her doctor wouldn't fill the medication, the ER doctor isn't likely to either. Finally, with her nerves shot, the nurse looks right at the lady. "Listen. I'm not going to fill it. The doctor won't fill it. So you're out of luck. Now leave me alone." With that Triage left. The SP hovered around for a little while longer, with eventually security had to escort her out after she tried to buy another patient's medications off them.
You can't fix Stupid:
The nurse that I had the problem with, on the other hand, is a perfect example of someone who needs to think before they speak. As the doctor (who got a laugh out of this said) "You can't fix stupid..." Well, this was a wonderful case of stupidity. I almost wondered how she became a nurse in the first place.
The ER was FULL. Slap full. Every room was taken and we, my father and I, ended up sitting in the "Consultation" room on the couch. That's the room they go to if your family members have died, cancer, or are pregnant. That couch isn't the best in the world, but it's better than nothing I suppose.
My father needed some water, so I headed out to get it and as I returned, I was "accosted" by one of these nurses. The lady comes right up to me, presses her hand in my chest. "You can't go in there." she says, pointing in the direction of the consultation room from whence I had just come. "Only family members are allowed in. If you don't leave I'm calling the police." HUH? WTF Is going on here? Looking at the woman a moment, I tried not to stare and blubber. "Uh, that's my dad." I said, to which she replied tersely. "And if that's true, then I'm Miss December." About this time, my dad pipes up. "Got my water DY?" I nod, hand it over and then smile at the girl. "I loved the pictoral." I said and went inside.
Later, talking with the doctor, I find out that the girl was new. VERY new. She'd been told that there weren't supposed to be patients in the consultation room, but someone had failed to tell her to make sure it's a patient's family before telling them off.
While there, I happened to hang around the ER admissions. It wasn't really choice mind you, I had to sign for his papers and what not; so I was kinda stuck there. That's when I got to see two rather amusing incidents. One, a totally sucky customer/patient, the other a sucky assed nurse.
The patient happened first:
As I'm sitting waiting, this lady comes in. She has this slightly stoned look going, and looks nervous to beat anything. Naturally, she's told to take a seat and they'll triage her, but the lady won't have anything of it. Walking over to the Triage door, she tries to open it, and then bangs on the window. "I need my MEDS!" she whines. This draws out the nurse, to which she repeats. "I need my meds!" The Triage nurse gives her a rather strange look, and then in a very polite, if tired tone asks her if she's been admitted. The lady says no, so the Triage nurse turns to leave. Sucky Patient doesn't let her get far. "I need my meds. My doctor wouldn't fill it and I want YOU to fill it." The nurse blinks at this and looks at me. It's a look I've seen before. The "help me" look, given even when you know the person recieving it can't help. "What medication is that?" the nurse asks. "Xanax." (A rather STRONG sedative and narcotic) "You have to talk to your doctor about that." the nurse says. With the SP whining/demanding. "NO. He wouldn't fill it. I want you to fill it." What happens next is a long bout of whining, and the nurse trying to get the woman to understand that if her doctor wouldn't fill the medication, the ER doctor isn't likely to either. Finally, with her nerves shot, the nurse looks right at the lady. "Listen. I'm not going to fill it. The doctor won't fill it. So you're out of luck. Now leave me alone." With that Triage left. The SP hovered around for a little while longer, with eventually security had to escort her out after she tried to buy another patient's medications off them.
You can't fix Stupid:
The nurse that I had the problem with, on the other hand, is a perfect example of someone who needs to think before they speak. As the doctor (who got a laugh out of this said) "You can't fix stupid..." Well, this was a wonderful case of stupidity. I almost wondered how she became a nurse in the first place.
The ER was FULL. Slap full. Every room was taken and we, my father and I, ended up sitting in the "Consultation" room on the couch. That's the room they go to if your family members have died, cancer, or are pregnant. That couch isn't the best in the world, but it's better than nothing I suppose.
My father needed some water, so I headed out to get it and as I returned, I was "accosted" by one of these nurses. The lady comes right up to me, presses her hand in my chest. "You can't go in there." she says, pointing in the direction of the consultation room from whence I had just come. "Only family members are allowed in. If you don't leave I'm calling the police." HUH? WTF Is going on here? Looking at the woman a moment, I tried not to stare and blubber. "Uh, that's my dad." I said, to which she replied tersely. "And if that's true, then I'm Miss December." About this time, my dad pipes up. "Got my water DY?" I nod, hand it over and then smile at the girl. "I loved the pictoral." I said and went inside.
Later, talking with the doctor, I find out that the girl was new. VERY new. She'd been told that there weren't supposed to be patients in the consultation room, but someone had failed to tell her to make sure it's a patient's family before telling them off.
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