8 Quirky Types of Hospital Visitors

My dear mshannon:
As you have indicated your profound distaste for a more private response by email, I shall post my response to your statements and suggestions here so that all may evaluate my response.
First: I shall assume that you work in a health care setting such as a hospital as you seem to have answers for all of the problems with visitors who create problems, take up an RNs valuable and limited time and sometimes pose a very clear and present danger by their actions/inactions. I do not know in what capacity you may or may not be employed and therefore will make no assumption on that point.
I have practiced for 35 years in every nursing specialty from neonatology to neurosurgery, hold a national certification in Critical Care and a BSN from a well known university with some Masters' work in progress.
I have NEVER refused to describe or explain a medication, its actions and side effects, or any other information to a patient or a person who is designated to receive information under the HIPPA Act. Even give out the little 'unit dose' packet so that the internet saavy may research the drug further. I have several websites to which I refer people which are written in plain English.
People who 'drop names' are merely annoying. I fear no man and am intimidated by no one. I treat the VIPs exactly the same as the 'street' people. (Actually the street people probably get BETTER care because they have nothing to lose by threatening to sue!)
Directing demanding visitors to the supervisors' office does nothing except create further aggravation. Is it fair to 'grease the squeaky wheel' and be ordered to devote MORE than the usual time and effort to one patient over another?
Screwing around with the equipment. Hmm. That's an interesting one. How many people REALLY keep their hands off of the PCA button, the bed controls, etc. The patient I mentioned whose visitor removed the 2 craniotomy drains? Well that was fun when we had to call the neurosurgeon. He couldn't believe it either...
Whatever your job in the healthcare profession may be, I have seen and heard the lofty ideals before. Usually from newbies who have not met Reality in person enough times to expect the unexpected, think outside of the box, and trust people to follow instructions.
Wh

Of course we love our patient visitors, but sometimes they do some things that are weird or even annoying. I thought this was hilarious!

As a non-nurse, I'm a little shocked and concerned. This is NOT okay and despite how "quirky" the visitors are, they are there for the patient as should you be. I just started nursing school and I thought the insensitive, uncaring nature of the students I've witnessed was just anxiety and uneasiness at the "new" culture but now I don't know. People used to complain about the poor bedside manner of doctors, let's not hope this is where the nursing community is headed. Lol

Seriously.....are you starved for content? Hospital nurses should be grateful for patient visitors.

I am shocked that you call the advocate annoying in this article. An advocate can be critical for the patient. Patients all too often are submissive to health care, and will hardly ever stand up for themselves against shoddy practice. We as nurses love to pat ourselves on the back and think of ourselves are overworked angels, but the truth is, check into a hospital as a patient, and watch how many times your nurse doesn't wash her hands, gives you incorrect meds, ignores your pain, etc, and you may sing another tune. An advocate is a great visitor!

Please don't make articles like this which make visitors appear to be annoying. You are supposed to be shaping the minds of people entering the nursing field now and you are going to turn them into the complainers who stand around the nursing station bellyaching about visitors as if they are the enemy. Please be more responsible!