it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood
it seems in the past few days i've been at work, a few patients have been obsessed with my sexuality. and i don't talk about it at work...i mean... i'm very out to my co-workers, but i don't discuss it with my patients at all.
first patient: i was working nights one night this weekend, and this one woman was going off from pretty much the start of my shift. she was ranting and raving and so after awhile, we just kinda let her go and ignored her, cuz she kept repeating the same stuff and there was no discussion involved; we just let her vent. so we were ignoring her. then all of a sudden:
patient: "are you gay?"
me: continuing to ignore her, and debating how to answer the question... she was hyper-religious, so i was scared she was gonna condemn me, and i really don't think that talking about sexuality with my patients is appropriate anyways.
patient: "don't you keep ignoring me now. i just asked you a simple question."
me: "well, i really don't think that's the issue here."
patient: "stop avoiding my question. i love gay people. they're honest. they're true. they're happy. and i love gay people. i love happy people. god loves happy people and honest people. so are you gay?"
me: "yah i am"
patient: "see now was that so hard? i love gay people. you're honest. you speak the truth alleleuliah. it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. god loves you. i love you...." (you get the idea).
since then, she's continued to insist that she owns the corporation that owns the hospital i work at, and says that everyone's fired except me, cuz i'm happy and honest. so i can have any job i want to. according to her. and she keeps bringing up my sexuality. it sorta makes me uncomfortable, cuz well, i think certain things are inappropriate to talk about with our patients, unless they bring it up (like sexuality, politics, and religion... and even then, it's about them, not me/us staff). but yah. she cracks me up and has been sort of a light in the midst of the insanity that has been my work the past few days.
second patient: i go in at about 5 in the morning to draw this guy's blood. he was up anyways, so that wasn't an issue.
he says to me, "yah i remember you. lesbian dyke bitch."
me: "would you like someone else to draw your blood?"
patient: "no no just go ahead."
me: "are you sure? cuz i sense that you have a problem with me and i will gladly get someone else to draw your blood."
patient: "no just get it over with lesbian dyke bitch."
so i draw his blood, and he's going on and on the whole time how horribly trained we are and how stupid this hospital is. and i'm packing up my phlebotomy kit...
patient: "yah i remember you lesbian dyke bitch (these last three words are muttered). you were hitting on that patient the last time i was here."
me: (suprised, cuz i am pretty uptight about boundaries) "who was i hitting on?" i was a little worried. i wanted to know the situation, cuz well if i was doing something wrong, i'd like to know so i can correct it.
patient: "some woman. i got her number."
me: (i'm thinking two things: 'you say i was hitting on her, but you got her number?' and 'weren't you picked up by the cops for attempting to pick up little kids you fucking pedophile?'... but i just said, "thanks for letting me get your blood. try and get some rest."
patient: "fucking lesbian dyke bitch."
yesterday morning, he came up to the nurses station, where i was sitting, and said to me, "there's an erin that works at (and he emphasizes this next part) left bank books, and she spells her name the same way."
me: "thanks for the information."
today, i was sitting on the seclusion door, and he walks by and says, "you know the erin that works at left bank books? well she's [pause] straight, unfortunately for you."
i just ignored him. i'm extremely amused with his obsession with my sexuality, especially considering the fact that he's a known pedophile (who'll never see a day of time in his life cuz he comes from a lotta money).
people like him make me really greatful for patients like the above woman.
right now, we also have a patient who has broken a window, 2 phones, a computer monitor, lights in the seclusion room, and a hallway camera. he's incredibly violent, manipulative, sociopathic, and over 6 feet tall. oh and he's also a white supremacist (and our patients are almost all black) and has aryan nation tattoos all over him. i've been scared to go into work the past few days.
but, i am fortunate enough to have another patient that continues to remind me that "it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." and i still have a job.
first patient: i was working nights one night this weekend, and this one woman was going off from pretty much the start of my shift. she was ranting and raving and so after awhile, we just kinda let her go and ignored her, cuz she kept repeating the same stuff and there was no discussion involved; we just let her vent. so we were ignoring her. then all of a sudden:
patient: "are you gay?"
me: continuing to ignore her, and debating how to answer the question... she was hyper-religious, so i was scared she was gonna condemn me, and i really don't think that talking about sexuality with my patients is appropriate anyways.
patient: "don't you keep ignoring me now. i just asked you a simple question."
me: "well, i really don't think that's the issue here."
patient: "stop avoiding my question. i love gay people. they're honest. they're true. they're happy. and i love gay people. i love happy people. god loves happy people and honest people. so are you gay?"
me: "yah i am"
patient: "see now was that so hard? i love gay people. you're honest. you speak the truth alleleuliah. it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. god loves you. i love you...." (you get the idea).
since then, she's continued to insist that she owns the corporation that owns the hospital i work at, and says that everyone's fired except me, cuz i'm happy and honest. so i can have any job i want to. according to her. and she keeps bringing up my sexuality. it sorta makes me uncomfortable, cuz well, i think certain things are inappropriate to talk about with our patients, unless they bring it up (like sexuality, politics, and religion... and even then, it's about them, not me/us staff). but yah. she cracks me up and has been sort of a light in the midst of the insanity that has been my work the past few days.
second patient: i go in at about 5 in the morning to draw this guy's blood. he was up anyways, so that wasn't an issue.
he says to me, "yah i remember you. lesbian dyke bitch."
me: "would you like someone else to draw your blood?"
patient: "no no just go ahead."
me: "are you sure? cuz i sense that you have a problem with me and i will gladly get someone else to draw your blood."
patient: "no just get it over with lesbian dyke bitch."
so i draw his blood, and he's going on and on the whole time how horribly trained we are and how stupid this hospital is. and i'm packing up my phlebotomy kit...
patient: "yah i remember you lesbian dyke bitch (these last three words are muttered). you were hitting on that patient the last time i was here."
me: (suprised, cuz i am pretty uptight about boundaries) "who was i hitting on?" i was a little worried. i wanted to know the situation, cuz well if i was doing something wrong, i'd like to know so i can correct it.
patient: "some woman. i got her number."
me: (i'm thinking two things: 'you say i was hitting on her, but you got her number?' and 'weren't you picked up by the cops for attempting to pick up little kids you fucking pedophile?'... but i just said, "thanks for letting me get your blood. try and get some rest."
patient: "fucking lesbian dyke bitch."
yesterday morning, he came up to the nurses station, where i was sitting, and said to me, "there's an erin that works at (and he emphasizes this next part) left bank books, and she spells her name the same way."
me: "thanks for the information."
today, i was sitting on the seclusion door, and he walks by and says, "you know the erin that works at left bank books? well she's [pause] straight, unfortunately for you."
i just ignored him. i'm extremely amused with his obsession with my sexuality, especially considering the fact that he's a known pedophile (who'll never see a day of time in his life cuz he comes from a lotta money).
people like him make me really greatful for patients like the above woman.
right now, we also have a patient who has broken a window, 2 phones, a computer monitor, lights in the seclusion room, and a hallway camera. he's incredibly violent, manipulative, sociopathic, and over 6 feet tall. oh and he's also a white supremacist (and our patients are almost all black) and has aryan nation tattoos all over him. i've been scared to go into work the past few days.
but, i am fortunate enough to have another patient that continues to remind me that "it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." and i still have a job.