The Customer is Always Right?

Today was just one of those days that work sucked! We had this really sick septic kid come in. He seems to have turned the corner or is trying but we worked hard a good part of the morning. Have a kid that was declared brain dead and they are working up for organ donation. Typical story-tragic story, nice family. Makes me remember that I have a MD friend that swears he is going to start acting like an A**HOLE b/c bad thiings happen to nice people and maybe if he is an A** his kids will stay happy and healthy! Sick medical thinking!

Then we have this adorable 3 month old that someone beat up. Old bleeds and new, bruises, broken femur and pelvis. Just tragic! And of course no one knows how this happened. Parents seem okay but its hard to tell but Grandma is a piece of work. Pulled me aside twice today to chew me out how the bedside nurse is giving attitude to the parents and the rest of the family. How they deserve to be treated with respect. How she is going to administration and will even bring in a lawyer! Get a grip lady! So I did the old politically correct thing and apologized that she is feeling this way, I would make the nurse aware of this but that no I could not change the nurses assignment. Then by the time she pulled me aside the second time I really realized that there is no pleasing this woman. She didn't like the nurse personally and there was nothing I was going to say to make that better. I think even if I and the bedside nurse offered to bend over and kiss her A** it wouldn't be enough! The patient's mother had even pulled me and a physician aside to apologize for this grandmother's reactions. So finally when grandma is going on and on at 7:10 pm I finally just told her, "(this nurse's) shift is over. She will be going home for the night." Reassured her again that our patient's are our top priority and that sometimes we may come across a little harsh if things aren't going well with the patient and we haven't had time to fill in the family yet. She continued to go on about they didn't know what happened to the baby or who did this and they were trying to figure it out, remember who the baby has been with. HELLO!!!! the baby is 3 months old! How hard could it be! Not like the kid can put themselves in places. Really all I wanted to say to this woman is "Listen someone beat the shit out of your granddaughter and I really wish you would just direct your energy towards figuring that out! We the staff did not put her in this situation and we are busting our A** to help her. And with you complaining to me you are taking mine and the other staff members attention away from that!" So no sometimes the customer isn't always right!

Sorry for the language in this post but sometimes you just feel better with a few curse words!


***UPDATE***
Well low and behold the father is the one that beat the baby up and his mother was the one being the PITA! Imagine that! Apparently she continued to be aggressive towards staff but nothing ever came of it. Luckily this baby is actually doing pretty well. May have some deficits but its too soon to tell.