Thursday, August 6, 2015

NURSE RATCHED* OR THE GENTLE ART OF PUSHBACK

I was in the ER waiting for some testing to be done when this harridan came right into my personal space and shoved her hand with a pill and glass of water into my face.

"Uh, what's that?" I asked.
"Take it!" she demanded.  "It's for fever."
"Understood," I replied, "but what is it?"
"I already told you!  Now take it!"

I got that was late at night and she was super stressed, so I decided to do a gentle end run.

"Thank you," I say smiling benevolently.  "Give it to me and I will take it."

"Oh no!  No way!" she spat.  "I want to see you actually swallow that pill!"

OOOKaay…
I did try gentle.  I believe in gentle…
But hey, Guru, when gentle doesn't work…

"Lady," I said loud enough for everyone around us to hear.
 "THAT IS ENOUGH!"

"This is not an Insane Asylum where you have to make sure the crazies don't 'cheek' their meds!"

OK, I was sounding a wee bit crazy, but cheesh…

And you want to know the really interesting thing?
Not only did she back off, but when I ran into her later she was sooo nice…

What do ya say?
Can you let yourself give it the old heave ho when you really need to?

*Nurse Ratched (aka Big Nurse) is a wonderful character in Ken Kesey's 1962 book 'One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.  If you've never read it, check it out.


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