Doctors and Nurses, Oh My!
Woman in the Middle | July 15, 2013Poor Big Bro became very ill on Friday and had to be rushed to the hospital. I am happy to report that after a few pints of blood and a few days in ICU he is feeling much better, as impossible as that seems. But having to deal with what I term the “medical establishment” once again has left me baffled and bruised. Here is why.
1. Me, my brother’s closest family member, never got to speak to a doctor. I saw one, once, accidentally, but every time I tried to ask for one I was put off by the nurses. I love nurses, but I would have liked to speak to the doctor. I wonder why they made it so hard to do so?
2. Nurses, God love them, shouldn’t be making sweeping statements to family members such as “he is too frail to live alone.” Things like that tend to get us all worked up. How about we all take a big breath and at least wait untill the patient has been in the hospital for 24 hours before starting to draw such conclusions?
3. Why, oh why, would you restrict visitor access to patients every night between 7 and 8 for a shift change? Isn’t that when a lot of people would drop by to visit a patient? And, when that is the policy, why would a nurse not mention that when the family member says they will be there at 7 p.m.? Especially when the nurse recommended the family members drive from another county to visit said patient THAT NIGHT?
4. Finally, while having soothing voices is certainly a plus for nurses, they shouldn’t sound like they are narrating a ride at Disneyland. Having difficult news delivered in the lilting voice of a Disney princess is, well, just weird.
Sorry I seem to be complaining about nurses so much but it was a trying weekend and, as I mentioned, they are he only ones I got to speak to and deal with. I am sure if I had actually gotten to speak to a doctor I would have had a few things to say about them as well. So here is hoping Big Bro can go home to his home soon, as I am sure that is what he wants. If not he is coming home with me.
Ok I happen to think the only time doctors in a hospital take the time to speak to patients is when there is a tv camera around or they are actors pretending to be a doctor……….lol
Ok not really but we do feel like that at times, when we want to talk to the doctor about our loved one and they can’t be found or are too busy to talk to us and leave the nurse to do the interacting with the patients family which is not fair on the nurse.
I hope your big bro is doing much better and wil be home soon
I know what you mean about the “medical establishment”. When my mom was in the hospital for cancer, my family had to stay on top of the medical staff to make sure she was not neglected. On the other hand, I really did like the service of the Loma Linda Medical Center for my dad. A doctor came to the waiting room to talk with me more than once about his condition, and I got to speak with the doctor who performed my dad’s surgery almost right after he finished it. Plus, I got to visit my dad that evening. So, I suppose the quality of the service depends on which “medical establishment” you go to.