Oh You’re My Nurse?

Hi good evening, I’m Vee and I’ll be your nurse tonight.

Patient: Oh no, my nurse just left out.

No, that was your tech. I’m the nurse for you tonight.

Patient: YOU’RE my nurse? RN? What school?

😏

Have you ever had this happen to you?

I remember walking into the room of my patient and introducing myself and the confidence they displayed in telling me I was not their nurse, their nurse had just left. I understand it can be confusing as you have people in and out of the room performing different tasks. This patient was adamant however after I’d explained that I was the nurse and I typically get these types of responses from patients who don’t look like me. I mean I’m questioned down to the school I graduated from while the person they’d believed was their nurse was not asked anything.

Moments like these are frustrating. I have been “mistaken” for everything but the nurse. Called the “n-word”, “b-word”, etc. Oddly this is not unusual amongst other nurses I’ve talked to that look like me. My friend who is a Nurse Practitioner was on a unit asking a nurse about a patient and they questioned her position as if she was not wearing a white coat with her title right there on it.

In these situations I have to remind myself why I chose nursing in the first place. It’s people out here who really need a helping hand and a smiling face. I worked hard for this degree and although there are people out there who find it hard to accept that I’m “degreed”and educated, it doesn’t change that I AM. I still continue to give A1 service while also demanding respect.

Have you ever been belittled by a patient or considered “less than”?

Let’s chat.