“Get In, Get Out As Quick As You Can”: Hospital Workers Are Not Sugarcoating Their Reality (51 Stories)

There are often conversations (aka arguments) between MD and nurse that go unseen/unheard. Could be because we believe they are ignoring something that could cause you harm. Could be because they are asking us to do things to you that you have specifically refused or that we believe could cause harm. Could be because the doctor who you praise so much is being verbally violent towards the nurses. Could be because the doctor is trying to discharge you before you can even be home alone safely. These interactions happen every single day all day all over the country. I wish that patients knew how hard we fight sometimes to keep them safe from harm.

RN here. Hospitals are dangerous. The bugs there are super resistant to antibiotics. Get in, get out as quick as you can. And treat the staff nicely, the staff remember.

If you come into triage for a potentially nonemergent case, you will be overlooked because someone somewhere else has a real emergency. Im looking at the ones complaining of a runny nose youve had for 2 days but havent been seen in 3 hours. Go to urgent care, not the emergency room.

It's less common now that I'm working a specialized ICU but there have been many times during my career where I was giving report to the next nurse and I had to explain that there currently was no plan of care and I'm unsure why the patient is a patient.

There are sometimes when the docs have no idea what's happening.

Also how bad staffing is. We talk about how horrible nurse and PCA staffing is, but I've worked floors at hospitals that had a single mid level provider covering for all non ICU units over night. 1 NP for over 100 patients.

Your nurse has worked 5 hours with no bathroom break, no food, and just ugly cried in the bathroom.

For the other diabetics - hypoglycemia is extremely dangerous in the hospital because of how thinly-spread staff are. We might only be checking in on someone once an hour, and if the patient cannot use the call light to say they’re low (or even detect that they feel low), things can turn ugly quickly. Then there’s also accounting for instances where we are giving mealtime insulin but the person does not eat everything or meal delivery is extremely delayed, doctors throwing random sliding scales at patients and hoping they work, and other significant events taking over when it’s time to give insulin.

I personally shoot to hang around 90-110 at home, but once you’re in the hospital, I’m not going to freak out over a 175. I start to personally get concerned around 200-250 depending on the situation (established insulin use? Steroids? PO status? Need for tight control?).

How much your providers Google your symptoms and then encourage you not to Google them.
How much malpractice actually happens and is covered up because you don't know the right questions to ask.
How much racism in medicine exist ESPECIALLY if you are Spanish-speaking only or a black woman.
How most times mistakes are made solely because of a providers ego and inability to take advice from the team
I could go on and on.
- Sincerely, a crosstrained NICU/PICU/Adult Respiratory Therapist

Nurse anesthesist & anesthesiologist often play on their phone when things are well in surgery

Choosing to stay longer when you’re already advised to be discharged puts you at risk for an unnecessary nosocomial (i.e. hospital-acquired) infection like pneumonia.

When a critical patient is brought to the ED by ambulance and goes straight to a trauma room… there is a body bag already on the bed, under the stretchy fitted sheet.

I work in surgery so I think the entire environment is shrouded with mystery since most people have a general anesthetic and those that don’t get enough Versed to forget their experience


I think what would shock a lot of people is exactly how many people are in that room- I think a lot of patients get it in their heads that it’ll be anesthesia, their surgeon and maybe 1-2 other people involved directly in surgery and then a nurse. If you’re in a teaching centre, service dependent- there can be 15 people in the room at times between anesthesia+learner(s), surgeon + learners (fellows, residents, assists, medical students), scrub nurse, 2+ circulators (plus orientating staff/nursing students), med device reps, service workers etc.



Also the things that happen once you’re lights out can be kinda gnarly. If your surgical site is above the neck- they’re stapling the first layer of drapes to your head and face so they don’t slide off.

We totally manhandle people when transferring and positioning but at the same time there is a lot of finesse involved and constant checking and double checking of minute details like the angle of abduction of your arms and whether or not there’s a wrinkle in the sheet you’re lying on. Those tiny things can cause you a significant injury while under anesthesia and unable to move- so we have to be very very attentive to those details on your behalf.

If it wasn’t documented, it wasn’t done. That’s a ding on the survey 🤪.

The curtains that separate patients in any area are NEVER and I mean NEVER CLEANED.

CPR isn’t a miracle life saver like on TV - you’ll still probably pass away but in agony from us cracking your ribs and shoving a tube down your throat. More people should consider DNR/DNI and comfort measures. Quality vs quantity. I’ve seen more people die with quality CPR and ACLS than survive it.

Your OR team is probably severely sleep deprived. I have done MANY 24 Hour shifts of straight surgery back to back because of call. Your surgeon is prob the most sleep deprived if they’re on call at the hospital and we are operating on you while you’re asleep and fully reliant on us. We’ve all become accustomed to it but it’s not safe for you or us.

There’s many medical staff who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom. I got in a debate with a doctor bc he said hand sanitizer is fine. I asked him if he would be okay with a chef taking a dump and only using hand sanitizer making his food. He said he wouldn’t be okay with it. Make it make sense? HIPAA is also violated so much and no one seems to care?

If you are not insanely resilient as a healthcare worker the emotional, physical, psychological stress is crushing. The moments of respite makes it manageable so you can be there for your patients and their families to aid in the care team in reaching their goals of returning to either their normal or their new normal life.

Those blood pressure cuffs & oxygen monitor that goes on your finger doesn't get cleaned often 😩

They stress out so much. I like my room calm. So I have so many nurses run in just to escape chaos and catch their breath. A kind word, a joke..makes a huge difference or just silence. Be that patient

Don’t be a jerk to the people who are the gatekeepers between you and your pain meds.