Crazy things independent pts have asked of you?

16 I work in a medical surgical floor and sometimes the requests that A&O3, independent, adult pts ask/make just floor me. No sense of shame and responsibility.

1. Pass me that cup of water. The table is literally inches away.
2. Fix my pillow.
3. Pull up my blankets.
4. Hold up my urinal. *ugh, I don't think so*
5. Wipe me. 'What's wrong with your hands?'. 'I can't seem to get everything, it's better if you do it'. 'Well, try and let's see how much you can do'. *he wipes* 'Guess what, you got everything'.
6. I give them their pills and they lay there expecting me to put in their mouths and hold the water while they drink through the straw like little kings/queens.

The incident that prompted the start of this thread happened a few days ago. It was a pt with an ileo *post op +++". He was being discharged within two days and the ostomy nurse has already visited him and gave pt education on ileo management. Anyway, it was giving +++ ouput and it would start to fill up and leak if not emptied regularly *of course*. This happened three times before I came in for the night shift. It happened again. I went in cleaned up the floor, cleaned him up, helped him change etc. Then he just layed it on me. Talked completely condescendingly saying

'I can't believe that I have to do your job for you. I'm in the hospital. It's your job to empty my pouch. What do you guys even do all day. You expect me to do everything. What's the point of being here?' etc. etc. etc.

Most of the time I don't take things personally and just let pts vent as long as they don't curse or yell. But this guy just rubbed me wrong. I told him:

"NO. This is actually YOUR job. There is nothing wrong with your hands. You are completely independent. The nurses help out people who can't do things for themselves. You can empty your own pouch. And when you leave here, who is going to do it for you at home? I understand you are frustrated but please don't blame it on me or the other nurses. It's an important part of your therapy that you be as independent as possible. I won't hesitate to help you but I won't do things for you that you perfectly capable of."

He didn't like it but he emptied it himself and stopped waiting for us to constantly check in to see if it's time to empty.

OH, WELL!!!

This job has made me more assertive than I ever thought I would be. Or else I would be staying behind all the time finishing up my work!

What have your experiences been?
sometimes they need assertiveness. they think nurses are maids.had a lazy pt asking to be bathed by myself or a female aid. i told him give me a minute and we'll get you some help. 2 minutes later i could hear the male aid i sent in going c'mon lets get bathed

The worse thing I was asked was if I could run across the street and get him a smoked meat on rye from his favorite little deli shop. EXCUSE ME??

I work on a post-op floor and most of our patients really do try to be independent. A couple years ago we had a 40 something male patient that was 2 days s/p lap appy that was refusing discharge because he was still having post-op pain. While his surgeon was in the nurses station across from his room writing orders for him, he pressed his call light and asked for his door to be closed. His surgeon overheard the request, stopped what she was doing and loudly told one of the nurses to go in and tell him that "if he wants his door shut, he better get off his a** and close it himself!" I guess he overheard his surgeon because about 30 seconds later a very nervous looking, wide eyed patient walked over to his door and closed it himself.

"put my slippers on for me" " throw awy my newspaper""be a dear and get me some whiskey"and my personal favorite... "alright if I have a feel???"

bring him a bedpan so he could have a BM - mind you, this patient was certainly not bed bound - was a 35 y.o. patient that was ambulatory and in overall good health. Patient fully capable wanting a sponge bath "Down there" :icon_roll

"rub my feet" "give me a massage" "feed me" "wipe me" "i'm going to pee/poop in the bed and make you clean me up unless you do xyz..""give me a hair cut""paint my nails""do my mascara, i have visitors coming""get my family some dinner""go to subway and get me dinner""go buy me a soda from the vending machine""put lotion.... down there"

"Do XYZ or I will sit on the floor and say I fell"

When I was still working on a med-surg floor we had a 21 year old woman who would urinate on herself instead of getting up & walking to the bathroom. SHE WAS WEARING DIAPERS & expected us to change her every time. The whole floor staff collectively put its foot down. She was informed that if she kept peeing on herself that we would leave her in a wet diaper all day. 21 YEARS OLD!!!! Anyway she got the message & started using the bathroom. There was another story I was told about a man who asked one of the nurses to scratch his back. When the nurse asked him where on his back he reached behind himself & touched his ass. Needless to say this angered the nurse who had been having to deal with this spoiled douche all day. He told the patient that if he could reach back there himself then he could scratch his own ass & walked away.

Yeah we have a new pt who expected us to basically drag her 300 lb ass up out of bed and then practically carry her to the bathroom and then back again, doing everything for her along the way. Uh I think not! My personal favorite is "Get me that Kleenex" when the box is RIGHT THERE. I refuse to get it. This job has made me so assertive lol. I'm like "Sorry it's right there. Good night!" and walk out of the room.

I had a completely A & o x 3 independent pt ask me to dial the numbers for her on her phone because she hates to dial numbers! i told her to press 9 to dial out.

So far the craziest thing was a pt who was completely independent WALKED up to me with basin in hand asking me to fill it up with water so she could get washed! And the funniest part was that I was standing at the sink washing my hands! Needless to say she got her own water, lol!Oh and another pt I had, 20 something year old peed in her wash basin and said that she couldn't make it in time! OMG

As a young nursing student I had a elderly patient ask me to elevate his testicles on a wash cloth while he was sitting in a chair.