Emergency Room...people have no clue!
By wattsupiac
@wattsupiac (16)
United States
January 8, 2007 10:53pm CST
I work as a registered nurse in the emergency room of a local hospital. There is no end to the truely stupid things people show up in the emergency room for, it's almost as if no one knows what the word "emergency" means.
My all time favorite is the girl (early 20's) that came in because she broke one of her fake nails almost all the way off while playing softball. One pair of semi-sharp nail clippers would have solved her problem. Her bigger concern should have been her lack of gray matter.
Then there is the one I see pretty much every day I work...some chick comes in for a pregnancy test. What is the emergency in being possibly pregnant?
Who do these people think pays for their visit to the ER? Most seem to have no insurance, no job and no clue.
Another favorite line....I couldn't go to my doctor because I don't have any money. Emergency room visits aren't free!!Maybe I should just be grateful that so many people are so stupid cause it provides me with a job. But then again, have you ever had to wait in an ER emergency room for a true emergency because some less than bright person broke a nail and got there before you did?
2 responses
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
10 Jan 07
I hear you! My neighbor, who has five children, uses the emergency room as her pediatrician. She nor her husband have jobs, so of course they have no insurance, but of course the do have the almighty medical cards for the children. She will call me over whenever one of the children has the SLIGHTEST problem to get my advise. (I am a nurse) I will tell her what I think and after I am finished telling her what I think she ALWAYS says, "I think I am going to go ahead and take him to the emergency room to have him seen, I'd rest better." Now mind you, none of these incidents have involved anything remotely resembling an emergency. I'm left standing there thinking about how MY TAXES are rising constantly to pay for her children's medical cards so that she can go utilize the emergency room as a pediatrician! I best sign off, my blood is boiling just thinking about it! If I continue, I'll need high blood pressure medicine!
@wattsupiac (16)
• United States
10 Jan 07
I know exactly what you are talking about.
It's to bad so many physicians are afraid of our current legal system. If the ER doc's would refuse to treat anything but a true emergency it would force those using the ER as a clinic to find their own doc for regular care. Everytime I hand discharge paper work to a patient along with their rx for a muscle relaxer and some ibuprophen (rx strength) I know they'll be back. Those people need a doc or clinic of their own. It makes my blood boil also!!!
@hh9905 (1275)
• Malaysia
9 Jan 07
Wow..I didn't know people like that do exists..!! Must be tough though having to compromise with people that falls under 'that' category. Best of luck in your job.
p/s: i think we should educate people more about ER having to know that there are people who aren't be able to use their common sense when it comes to things like this.
@wattsupiac (16)
• United States
9 Jan 07
You didn't know that those people exist because you aren't one of them. It surprises me how little common sense so many people seem to have. Were they raised that way?
One of my other pet peeves....People that come to the ER for a complaint of pain. The pain can be most any place, it doesn't matter (headache, backache, etc). One of my first questions is "what have you taken for the pain?". I would say that 9 of 10 people tell me that they haven't taken anything, not an ibuprophen, not a Tylenol....NOTHING!
If the pain is sooo bad that they took the time to show up in the ER, why couldn't they at least pop some over the counter pill to see if it would help?
I'm sure you deal with people lacking common sense..What do you do for a living?
