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Life as a nurse, doctor or any other healthcare professional can be incredibly rewarding and unbelievably difficult at the same time. There are many pros, but the list of cons can sometimes seem to be equally as long (if not longer), especially after a hard day of helping patients, not all of whom are the brightest of the bunch.

A British nurse, who goes by the nickname GoddessBadger on Imgur, shared her work stories about the most oblivious, impolite, and downright bizarre patients she’s ever had to deal with. Upvote the stories you enjoyed the most, share them with your amigos, and keep on scrolling. While we’re on the subject of nurses, be sure to check out our post about the best and funniest nurse memes — they’re sure to get a chuckle or two out of you.

#1

Nurse-Shares-Insane

"We, of course, explain to her that cola is not an appropriate food to be giving to her child."

GoddessBadger Report

#3

Nurse-Shares-Insane

"Truly amazing how much this gets thrown at us NHS nurses when somebody can’t get their own way... Do they not realise that we pay taxes too?"

GoddessBadger Report

GoddessBadger’s work stories were a booming success on Imgur. It even made the front page! Her meme collection got 4,930 upvotes and was viewed over 150,220 times at the time of writing. But these numbers keep on getting bigger and bigger, as the stories go even more viral.

The emergency room nurse from England detailed just how weird her shifts can get: from one patient refusing suppositories because they’re ‘not gay’ to a mother giving her baby fizzy drinks instead of formula. [Groans internally]

It takes the patience of a saint to get through to people who are as oblivious as this. So we’re probably all grateful that there are so many healthcare professionals out there who are patient enough to excuse our mistakes.

#4

Nurse-Shares-Insane

"She was at LEAST 80 years old"

GoddessBadger Report

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Serbob
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My (now passed) 90 year old grandmother said she didn't want to date anyone in her retirement home because they were all too old for her and she didn't have the energy to lift her butt in the air anymore. She had 8 children and said that every time she took her pants off she got pregnant. I hope I'm as spunky when I'm 90.

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#5

Nurse-Shares-Insane

GoddessBadger Report

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Restless
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh dear....that misunderstanding can get them into jail, never mind ER

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Speaking of patience with patients (pun intended), Jacksonville University has some great advice on how to deal with incredibly inconvenient individuals. The most important thing for a healthcare professional is to remain calm and maintain control.

Furthermore, it’s vitally important that nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff be as empathetic as they can. If a patient is angry or upset, they might simply want to complain a tad, so try talking to them, show them that you understand their pain and that you’re on their side. We’re all human beings and we all want to be heard.

#7

Nurse-Shares-Insane

"Racism is surprisingly common. I am British but not white so I face a lot of these comments. Sometimes I can be on an entire shift without a white British staff member...

If you’re a racist, I have one thing to say to you... 'Grow the f**k up.'"

GoddessBadger Report

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Foxxy
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I understand asking for someone who is more fluent in your language due to misunderstandings and language barriers but definitely not because of race. That’s just ignorant. My regular GP is an Indian and there are rare occasions where he says something that I need him to repeat and he is happy to do so. He is one of the best GP’s I have come across in a very long time.

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#8

Nurse-Shares-Insane

"We end up giving them an IV instead since they were adamant they didn’t want a suppository."

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A B C
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's funny (and a little sad at the same time) how many men still believe that anything touching their a**s means being gay.

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#9

Nurse-Shares-Insane

"After much deliberation and a look through their medical records, we realised they meant “Sickle Cell” as in anemia."

GoddessBadger Report

Arguing with patients is also never the answer because it doesn’t lead to anything other than more arguments: it’s far better to be respectful; the ER is not the place for a screaming match over whose opinion is correct. That being said, you have to set concrete limits on how a patient can treat you. If a person is being disrespectful, say that this is the wrong way to treat you and walk away. At the end of the day, if you’re feeling exhausted and emotionally sapped, just remember, that you’re doing this job for a reason and that the temporary inconvenience is worth it in the long run.

#10

Nurse-Shares-Insane

"This was truly one of the most bizarre excuses I’ve ever heard for a dildo stuck up the butt. This patient insisted that he was minding his own business, running as he normally does in the morning when a dildo wielding assailant appeared and started chasing after him. He claimed he tripped and that’s when our mysterious dildo man inserted the toy... Did we believe him... No... and they never caught the dildo wielding man."

GoddessBadger Report

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Dr.Scott
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While you're making jokes we have a dildo wielder running around unabated.

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John L
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom was a nurse and told me that it happens more often than you think...

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Simon Murray
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A friend of mine dated a nurse who told us that they were so sick of guys coming in with vacuum cleaner poles stuck on their d***s that they would make them sit in the waiting room with an ice pack around the pole to get the swelling to go down

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Analyn Lahr
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, dude. Man up and admit you were experimenting. Next time remember lots of lube.

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TheExtremeSmell
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If there’s a hole someone’s gunna get bored and put stuff in it. It’s why me and cousin couldn’t have sleep overs anymore

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Άρης Παπαδόπουλος
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They caught him! Here is the article: https://floridaman.com/florida-man-swings-dildo-at-cops/

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Madonna Rose
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe he meant he was assaulted in the bum not on the run!....ooooops

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#11

Nurse-Shares-Insane

"These types end up in the ED often and often they just need to go home and sleep it off. Discharge is often queried with “How am I supposed to get home?!” Why is that my problem? The Ambulance Service is not your personal taxi service."

GoddessBadger Report

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tuzdayschild
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, if you sit awhile over there in that waiting room, you can take yourself home in the morning.

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