Nurses are trained to handle all sorts of situations in a calm and compassionate manner. But there some things that simply cannot be learned from a medical textbook. Long shifts, endless paperwork, and caring for gravely ill people are all part of the job. Unfortunately, so too is being on the receiving end of some very wild and unforgettable comments.
Patients can be funny, brutally honest, confused and even rude to the people tasked with nursing them. Sometimes, the only response is to blink twice and get on with it. Someone asked, "What's the most unhinged thing a patient has said to you?" and the answers ranged from hilarious to downright shocking.
Bored Panda has put together a list of the best unprovoked comments that capture the painful reality of working as a nurse who has to sometimes bite their tongue. We also reveal how violence against nurses is increasing. You'll find that info between the images.
#21
85 year old: "I'm pregnant." Me: "No way? Who's the father?" Her: "Your husband."
16points
The NNU's report is filled with harrowing accounts from nurses. It stresses that safe staffing is essential to workplace violence prevention.
"Yet only 29.5% of nurses report that their employer has staff available at all times to respond to workplace violence and a mere 17.0% of nurses report that their employer places additional staff to reduce the risk of violence," it reads.
So while you might be amused by some of the bizarre things patients have said to nurses, bear in mind that what many are facing behind closed hospital doors is no laughing matter.
#22
“I’m going to sue you. I’m calling my lawyer.” (Please note the patient was 5 years old )
16points
#23
When putting a patient under for a cardioversion, I told her to go to her happy place, and asked, where’s your happy place? And with no hesitation she said WALMART
16points
#24
"I'm bored" coded 15 minutes later
15points
#25
Im a psych nurse. I asked: Do you have any thoughts to harm others?
pt replied" "Only on Mondays" (it was a Monday)
pt replied" "Only on Mondays" (it was a Monday)
Report
15points
#26
You're always here don't you got a man or something
14points
#27
I got fired by a patient because my vibe was "throwing off her photosynthesis"
14points
#28
I was a CNA and I went to take vital signs on this sweet elderly lady and she said "oh no sweety, I'm a DNR."
14points
#29
We work working on a patient, CPR on the floor , he collapsed on the floor in the waiting room, another patient put her hand on my colleague's head and stepped over the deceased patient on the floor ( across his waist) and shouted to the receptionist and pointed at the man on the floor and said is this ( twirling her finger at him) going to hold up my appointment?
13points
#30
I had a dementia patient ask me if I was part of the upper class. I flipped my hair and said “no do I look like it?” He said “no. I was hoping you were so you could do something about that nose.” No joke 3 weeks later, same patient when I walked in his room said, “oh no. Not the nose lady.”
Sir. You don’t even know your name. How do you remember my nose??
Sir. You don’t even know your name. How do you remember my nose??
13points
#31
I have red hair and baby hairs. My hair was in a ponytail, dementia grandma said "Get away from me you WARTHOG" I'm still impressed.
12points
#32
Asked me who the ugly man on my badge was, the ugly man was me with my hair pulled back
12points
#33
I’m an interpreter and I was asking a mom to slow down so I can interpret to doctor and she said “and this stupid Interpeter is so slow she can’t keep up with a conversation “ I had to interpret that too
Report
11points
#34
I had a patient code, when we shocked him, he sat up screaming I’m back, stop it.
Report
11points
#35
On the maternity ward getting birth cert info. Naming the little boy Allen. I said there's several ways to spell it..how are you spelling it. She states Alien. I said that spells alien. She corrected me and said I was wrong. She named him Alien
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10points
#36
Had an older patient tell me the purewick I placed on her made her miss her husband that passed away during Covid
9points
#37
i asked a schizophrenic patient how much he weighed. he said "idk. not as much as you tho" okay sir
9points
#38
We were doing a skin assessment on a new admit and after looking under her abdominal fold, we found a knife. " I need that for protection "
Report
9points
#39
I asked a patient what pharmacy they use for prescriptions and he said “God”. I replied “Can you choose an earthly pharmacy?”
Report
9points
#40
I was trying to assess my patient with dementia to see how oriented she was, she said back to me" since you asking me all these stupid questions i'm gonna ask you one. How many strands of hair do you have on your cat?"
Report
9points
