What are your troubling or challenging patient encounters?

[carlosc1dbz]

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Hey guys, I was just curious as to what patient interaction you have had in clinic that you found challenging or troubling. What were the circumstances of the patient encounter and did it leave a lasting impression on you? What did you take away from the experience for your future practice? Would you guys have done anything different if you had a chance to do it again? It could be a positive encounter or a negative one. Do you guys ever deal with racism?

 

[Forthegood]

The hardest thing about medical school in general, and patient encounters especially, is inexperience. You are constantly thrown into first-time situations where you know absolutely nothing and are expected to perform.

Racism happens. Sexism probably happens even more. After a while your skin gets thick and you learn to care less about individual bad events that happen to you. That being said...

1. Infants suck. First time with babies is scary as hell. Or it was for me.
2. Some middle aged people suck. No matter what you do, they hate you.
3. Old people suck. And don't listen. Which makes me wonder why they come to see you?
4. Teenagers suck. And they lie. Do you smoke? Sure you don't. Sex? Of course not. Chlamydia can be mistaken for so many things...
5. LOLs in NAD are awesome. Most of the time, they just want to chat. But at first, you don't know this, and it was hard to ignore the LONG list of medical problems while all they really needed was a good 20 minute chat.

 

[illegallysmooth]

My pediatric clinic experience: Idiots x Sex = poorly cared for babies.

Ex. Mom didn't take temperature of a very ill infant because "she didn't have a thermometer" after being told to take her child's temp every 4 hours and administer Tylenol if needed AT THE CLINIC THE PREVIOUS DAY --> hospital admission.

How do you deal with this? Care for the kid and move on. It happens all the time. A few months ago I spent 10 minutes trying to explain the importance of the H1N1 vaccine for a 6-yr-kid with history of asthma and pneunonia and the mom was like "I DUN WANT THAT ****! HE CAN HAVE DA ODDER ONES BUT NO FLU SHOTS! THAT **** DONT MAKE NO SENSE, YOU STILL GET SICK."

 

[loveoforganic]

In C&A psych - you WILL want to hunt down and murder (genuinely) some people for what they do to kids. For me, it was difficult keeping composure hearing their stories.

 

[FloatOn]

Pregnant teenage girls who don't want to go on birth control yet still remain sexually active, are not using protection, and wonder why they get pregnant. <= verrrry troubling

The hardest thing about medical school in general, and patient encounters especially, is inexperience. You are constantly thrown into first-time situations where you know absolutely nothing and are expected to perform.

Racism happens. Sexism probably happens even more. After a while your skin gets thick and you learn to care less about individual bad events that happen to you. That being said...

1. Infants suck. First time with babies is scary as hell. Or it was for me.
2. Some middle aged people suck. No matter what you do, they hate you.
3. Old people suck. And don't listen. Which makes me wonder why they come to see you?
4. Teenagers suck. And they lie. Do you smoke? Sure you don't. Sex? Of course not. Chlamydia can be mistaken for so many things...
5. LOLs in NAD are awesome. Most of the time, they just want to chat. But at first, you don't know this, and it was hard to ignore the LONG list of medical problems while all they really needed was a good 20 minute chat.

Awww 🙂. Old people, in general, make me sad but sometimes I do feel like they just want someone to talk to. I've found that they looove talking about their children and grandchildren...unless they don't have any. Then it goes back to being sad.

 

[essaywhuman]

Uncooperative, unappreciative, and stupid patients definitely suck. But the hardest patient experience I've had was one where I felt partially responsible in the death of a patient. In reality they were doomed anyways, but it really really tears you up (or it should) to feel the slightest bit responsible.

It taught me that terrible things happen to people and sometimes there is nothing you can do to change that: people die. It really taught me to lean on my fellow emts as well. Other health-care professionals know what your going through, and just that support means an incalculable amount. One told me "if you didn't feel this way, you would be in the wrong line of work." Mostly, it taught me humility.

As far as racism, sexism, and abusive or neglectful parents, you have to make sure you don't let it jade you. Caring is such a huge part of this profession, don't let all the bs (and there is a ton) change you for the worse.

oh...not all of this took place in a "clinic," some if it took place in a wheeled clinic called an a-m-b-u-l-a-n-c-e but I figured it was somewhat relevant.

 

[carlosc1dbz]

Wow, it seems that many times you guys are dealing with people not taking care of themselves, or of the children they have. Thank goodness the government doesnt pay for performance, because that would suck.

 

[Nevadanteater]

i've dealt with racism and homophobia; worked with drug induced psychosis and all sorts of schitzophrenics; helped lance stinky ass abscesses and helped remove scabbed over socks all with no problem.

the only people that really give me trouble are those with borderline personality disorder.

they just drive me mental.

 

[Anita817]

I work as an MA in a respiratory and infectious disease office. When some pts hear that I'm going to medical school in the fall they ask what I think I'll specialize in. I usually tell them I have no idea and that I have a long time yet to figure it out, but occasionally I'll give some ideas of what I might be thinking about. Once I told a pt that I was interested in neonatology but wondered whether I was too tender-hearted to handle it. The pt's (female!) response: "Oh I wouldn't have any problems with babies dying. I think we save too many of 'em as it is. We could afford to lose a few more."

WHAT?! 😕 .... I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion...

 

[tinery]

The hardest thing about medical school in general, and patient encounters especially, is inexperience. You are constantly thrown into first-time situations where you know absolutely nothing and are expected to perform.

Racism happens. Sexism probably happens even more. After a while your skin gets thick and you learn to care less about individual bad events that happen to you. That being said...

1. Infants suck. First time with babies is scary as hell. Or it was for me.
2. Some middle aged people suck. No matter what you do, they hate you.
3. Old people suck. And don't listen. Which makes me wonder why they come to see you?
4. Teenagers suck. And they lie. Do you smoke? Sure you don't. Sex? Of course not. Chlamydia can be mistaken for so many things...
5. LOLs in NAD are awesome. Most of the time, they just want to chat. But at first, you don't know this, and it was hard to ignore the LONG list of medical problems while all they really needed was a good 20 minute chat.

My only clinical experience was volunteering with a friend at a nursing home. There were several old creepy men who gave us looks and made inappropriate comments to us.

A LOT of the old people were really cranky and very demanding and they would try to get volunteers to do things they're not supposed to. There was this one man who was actually quite young and he had no legs and he wasn't allowed to eat anything but he would constantly ask me and my friend to get him chewing gum.

 

[sonofva]

I definitely attract the middle age women for some reason, and have had them show their genitals to me at inappropriate times...

that said, i think the biggest problem/frustration you will face (esp. as primary care) is with non-compliant patients and patients who don't take care of themselves.

 

[Forthegood]

I definitely attract the middle age women for some reason, and have had them show their genitals to me at inappropriate times...

?

When exactly would that be appropriate?

 

[Morsetlis]

Difficult patients are fun. I love drunken people who try to punch the nurses in the trauma room then get restrained by me and a CNA and then get paralyzed. I then got to bag him.

Oh, and senile ladies are fun too.

 

[FloatOn]

?

When exactly would that be appropriate?

When shadowing an Ob/gyn...I hope.

 

[Disinence2]

Ive encountered sexism occasionally, it can be pretty awesome at times.

EX. A patient repeatedly calling a particularly mean-spirited resident a nurse and ignoring her opinion, while thanking me and referring to me a "Doctor" (Despite multiple correction) with her in the room

Look out for Karma

 

[Practitioner]

Telling parents their child is dead/going to die and watching as support is withdrawn.

Makes me sick 🙁.

Still love pedes, but don't anticipate ever wanting to be the person telling family directly. Sucks enough interpreting/translating. Although might be easier if you can hide behind the authority of being a doctor. Can't imagine it though.

The pt's (female!) response: "Oh I wouldn't have any problems with babies dying. I think we save too many of 'em as it is. We could afford to lose a few more."

WHAT?! 😕 .... I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion...

Wow... lose a few more?!

What did you take away from the experience for your future practice?

The doctor's demeanor and choice of words. Stuff like "heroic effort", and they tend to be sympathetic in a very formal way with an attitude of we did our best but it was not good enough. It's hard to describe.

 

[Catalystik]

A patient interaction I found troubling: I had a patient with body lice, standing in by a window. Against the bright light, I could see the lice jumping off of him.

Up to three feet away.

 

[Danae00]

.

 

[carlosc1dbz]

I definitely attract the middle age women for some reason, and have had them show their genitals to me at inappropriate times...

that said, i think the biggest problem/frustration you will face (esp. as primary care) is with non-compliant patients and patients who don't take care of themselves.

LOl that is super funny.