Medical staff being rude/arrogant

How do you actually get medical nurses on the phone to do their damn jobs?
Here’s the deal: I called the orthopedic hospital today to schedule a spinal checkup for my son. Once they finally picked up, some guy answered and told me to hold. After a few minutes, a woman came on the line, and I politely explained that I wanted to book an appointment for my son's exam. She hits me with this incredibly condescending tone, asking if he's seven years old. When I told her he's fourteen, she just flat-out tells me, "Well, it's too late to do anything now; that's supposed to be handled by age seven."
I insisted that I still want the exam done—since he's been diagnosed with scoliosis—and she just barked at me to show up on August 9th. When I asked what time, she snaps, "DON'T MESS WITH ME RIGHT NOW, I HAVE BILLS TO PAY!!"
I was honestly stunned. I asked her why on earth she was speaking to me in that tone, and she just coldly replied, "Just come in the morning." She didn't even give me a specific time! She just asked for his last name and slammed the phone down on me.
Now I'm sitting here wondering what to do. Should I bother going there, or should I take him to a physical therapist first? If I do go, I'm terrified I'm going to lose my temper and cause a massive scene.
What would you all do if you were in my shoes? File a formal complaint? If so, who do I even talk to? Should I just show up and sink down to her trashy level and give her a piece of my mind? Or do I stay quiet, let my kid's condition get worse, and then just beat my head against a wall later?
I don't know, I just know I am absolutely livid and disgusted with people working in healthcare.

Honestly, you'd be better off finding a respected specialist—someone who’s already proven themselves with a few of your friends or someone you actually trust.👍

Most nurses in America honestly don't deserve the title "nurse" anymore! They’re just greedy opportunists who act all proud when they pocket a box of rubber gloves donated to the hospital! 😠

Look, this isn't about stooping to her level, it's about fighting for what you're entitled to...
If I were you, I’d head down there in person and demand an appointment right then and there.
And if she tries to brush you off? You go straight to the hospital director.

I actually did something similar once because of a nurse. I wrote to both the hospital director and the Department, demanding a full explanation of everything they had done regarding her conduct...

My old lady’s been a nurse for over 30 years now. She’s basically living at the hospital, pulling all kinds of night shifts and dealing with every type of crazy patient imaginable 24/7. After all those years on the front lines, she’s become incredibly blunt and thinks she knows everything about every single illness you could name. I guess they call it occupational hazard or some crap like that.

Kyle Nelson2, and what exactly did they do?

I’ve somehow walked away with this impression that the younger nurses are generally decent, while the older ones... well, they can be a bit malicious (I was just a kid hanging around hospitals back then, so those were my categories, I suppose). It would align perfectly with what Robin Richardson mentioned 🙂

Personally, I’d do exactly what Kyle Nelson2 suggested—write a letter to the Director and send a formal complaint to the Department. I'm just curious to see how it actually plays out.

If you're looking into scoliosis, I’d really suggest reaching out to the orthopedics department at the local community center. Dr. Smith is hands down the best specialist right now when it comes to those idiopathic juvenile cases. Just a heads-up though, surgery isn't typically an option until they hit age seven—back when I was doing some training there, I saw kids as old as 12 or 13 who were still in that waiting period. And honestly, most of them don't even end up needing surgery at all...

Lawrence Wells said:Nurses in America mostly haven't earned the right to be called "nurses" anymore! They're just a bunch of greedy opportunists who act like they've won the lottery just because they swiped a box of rubber gloves from a donation bin... 😠

That’s a bit relative, isn't it? Honestly, I’ve run into way more friendly faces than rude ones. I have to admit—it actually caught me by surprise. Maybe I was just hanging out in the wrong aisles... 😁

Honestly, I don't run into rude nurses very often. Sure, they exist, but I just shut them down immediately. What actually scares me? Incompetence. Like, someone who misses the vein seven times in a row because they have no clue what they're doing (trust me, I've been there), only for their coworker to nail it on the eighth try without breaking a sweat. Or those fake-nice types who feed you completely wrong information. That’s happened to me too.

I’d probably just head straight to the head nurse at the unit to lay it all out, and then take that exact same story right up to the hospital administrator. Either way, you gotta be firm, direct, and honestly? Don't be afraid to be a little difficult and push their buttons if you have to.

Scott Allen10 said:Go straight to the charge nurse of the unit to report what happened, then take that exact same story up to the hospital administrator. In both instances, be firm, be articulate, and honestly? It’s probably best to be a little difficult and blunt.

So, we’re talking classic escalation here. Figure out the nurse's name—or if they play coy, just grab the date, time, and which wing they were stationed in. Then you go to the head nurse, their direct supervisor, and let them have it. Tell them you aren't afraid to take this even higher. Naturally, it's much easier for them to lecture subordinates than to face heat from their own bosses. Sure, they'll probably freeze you out, but on the flip side, they'll definitely think twice before messing with you again.

nimbleskipper17 said:I’d follow Kyle Nelson2’s lead and send a letter straight to the Director and the Department.

+, especially since it's currently "pickling season" for the media. You just have to hand a story to a news outlet on a silver platter, and some ambitious reporter will inevitably start digging. Call them, play the patient, get those heated responses, grab names, and write the piece... You'll see how quickly things turn sweet as honey once they hit the public spotlight. 😉 That sister, her doctor, the clinic, and even that nurse acting similarly—they haven't quite been thrust into the limelight yet...

Back when I used to handle patient admissions at the hospital, the biggest headache by far was always the folks coming in for their relatives. You know the type—they’d show up demanding to be seen right this second, and heaven forbid if you couldn't fit them into the schedule immediately...

And honestly... I can't even tell you the kinds of people I had to deal with. Sometimes it’s a real struggle to keep your cool and stay polite when someone rolls in at seven in the morning, reeking of booze and looking like they haven't seen a shower in days.

If you don't even know who you're dealing with—like, seriously, she should've just introduced herself from the jump—then there's really no point in approaching anyone

Casey Palmer5 said:doing laundry at seven in the morning.

I mean, who actually wants to be doing laundry at seven AM? 🤔

😁

So, I think I need to vent about this one nurse for a sec

I actually had to practically beg the lady just to get my follow-up appointment scheduled after my surgery...

You know, Richard Thompson33, I’ve actually been thinking about that.
I didn't end up taking my kid there because I was just too livid to deal with them. I'm going to take him to a physical therapist instead; I'm really hoping they're actually competent over there.
I honestly regret not demanding to see the head nurse or someone actually in charge right away. That woman’s behavior completely threw me off.
For crying out loud, all I did was ask what time we were supposed to show up!😢

Healthcare workers are way too overpaid and have way too many perks!

They act like they’re running a cutthroat corporation, yet they’re basically coasting on a monopoly. Someone really needs to step in and rein them in.

Justin Fox said:They act like they're running a business, but they really just love having a monopoly.

I mean, if we were actually a for-profit outfit, maybe we could finally charge all those idiots who think it's totally fine to roll into the ER at like 3 AM because they've been nursing some random ache for two or three weeks...🙄 😕

And then when you tell them to go see their regular doctor first, they start threatening to sue you or call the local news... honestly, be my guest. censored by Jose Miller3. Please understand, I really don't allow any personal attacks between members on this subforum!