charlotteelizabeth

Yup! It's actually a really common superstition. I think it's probably all in our heads, but I swear we have the craziest patients, especially psych patients on full moons!

I can't think of any specific quotes that stick out in my mind, but patients and family members of patients threatening physical violence and death threats are WAY more common than you would think. It's especially scary because even though we have security guards, they are required to use a "hands off" approach. I've come close to being assaulted multiple times and have co-workers who've been kicked in the face, punched, spit on, etc. We also have psychiatric patients who are extremely unpredictable. It's the most dangerous place in the hospital to work, by far.

I don't really have a choice to not do anything "gross". I really hate working with sputum and respiratory secretions but I have to suck it up and do it anyways. I usually just put on a mask/face shield if it really grosses me out. I once had to put a nasogastric tube (feeding tube that goes from the nose to the stomach) in a patient who had a small bowel obstruction. He had basically been puking up fecal matter and blood because of the blockage. The smell was probably the most disgusting thing I've ever smelled. He had also vomited all over himself and the ground. But I still had to do it anyways :(

No, I haven't. I work in the MD suburbs just outside of DC so I wouldn't be too surprised if a politician or someone of a similar caliber came in. I actually used to work as a veterinary technician before I was an RN and had a famous Wizards player bring in one of his dogs to our clinic.

There's a law called EMTALA that requires patients to get the same level of care regardless of insurance status or what insurer they have. My hospital requires you to pay either a co-pay (determined by your insurer) or put down a $250 deposit. This is all done after the patient has seen a provider - either an MD, PA or NP. Registration is not legally allowed to ask for a patient's insurance before they are seen. If the patient cannot pay the copay or deposit, the hospital cannot force them to, and they will be billed later.