Being a Bitch is not a billable diagnosis
Patient's husband: "Do you think this is a sign of some sort of brain damage? I know my wife is ordinarily irritable, but..."
(Sarah's mental response: "No brain damage, you idiot. Your wife is just a huge bitch. A bitch that you married, and you've admitted it yourself before. Now you go fucking deal with her if you want her to stay in the hospital so badly, because I am perfectly within my rights to let her leave, and I really really want her gone.")
Sarah's real response: "She does NOT have brain damage. It's not uncommon that an easily irritated person, when put under this sort of stress, will become even more irritable."
I feel that was a PC response. I really wanted to say more, though.
Sometimes I just have to vent about work. I know I work in a hospital, but I always get upset when married couples, or any family member for that manner, try to medicalize issues that obviously have to do with them and their loved ones having poor coping skills and often nonexistant communication skills. There's no diagnosis for being a bitch or being passive aggressive, and just because you landed in a hospital doesn't mean I'm going to fix your family for you. It's just something you have to figure out on your own.
Everyone--patients, administrators, families-- says they want family-centered care, but no one realizes that it often means more work for the family. Nurses have long realized that it's more work for them, because it literally doubles the patient load when caring for both a patient and their family, but we're used to getting extra chores piled on us so we almost don't complain. Almost.
(Sarah's mental response: "No brain damage, you idiot. Your wife is just a huge bitch. A bitch that you married, and you've admitted it yourself before. Now you go fucking deal with her if you want her to stay in the hospital so badly, because I am perfectly within my rights to let her leave, and I really really want her gone.")
Sarah's real response: "She does NOT have brain damage. It's not uncommon that an easily irritated person, when put under this sort of stress, will become even more irritable."
I feel that was a PC response. I really wanted to say more, though.
Sometimes I just have to vent about work. I know I work in a hospital, but I always get upset when married couples, or any family member for that manner, try to medicalize issues that obviously have to do with them and their loved ones having poor coping skills and often nonexistant communication skills. There's no diagnosis for being a bitch or being passive aggressive, and just because you landed in a hospital doesn't mean I'm going to fix your family for you. It's just something you have to figure out on your own.
Everyone--patients, administrators, families-- says they want family-centered care, but no one realizes that it often means more work for the family. Nurses have long realized that it's more work for them, because it literally doubles the patient load when caring for both a patient and their family, but we're used to getting extra chores piled on us so we almost don't complain. Almost.