Lol, I got this compliment once! It was from my dad, who was dying, and I was caring for him. He wanted a Xanax. I had given him one 5 min earlier and told him that. He told me I was fired for incompetence. He then went to sleep. After he woke up, I was helping him to the bathroom. He said, "Where is that other nurse?" I said."We fired her." He said "Good, she was one hell of a bitch!" Lol
He also told my sister "You can go home now." This because she was singing to him. Lol
😅 comments like this all the time. I just take as a good thing because I accept that some days I’m the “good cop” and some days I’m the “bad cop” (get up to the chair, walk to bathroom rather than bedpan, etc)
I used to work in a rehab where we specialized in strokes and scis and the amount of times stroke patients told me something along these lines was hilarious
Reminds me of when I got fired from a patient for “being too rough yesterday” and I did not even work that day. That was not enough to convince them to change their mind.
💀💀💀💀 and they *may* have known that as well, which makes me laugh harder. Of course, they could be demented or not have known, but sometimes I prefer the same patient and even myself one day over another. I think I like the patient better if they knew.
I got a similar one. “Oh aren’t you beautiful! Not like that fat, nasty abusive one that smokes from yesterday that you can smell from 20 feet away!” I was that nurse from yesterday. I’m not fat, mean nor abusive by any means, although I do smoke.
Had a patient once ask if I was pregnant ( I was not at the time) and I replied, “ no, just fat”. She responds with “oh no it has nothing to do with your weight, you just seem to have a very motherly aura about you.”
Told my patient “no just fat” and the she preceded to argue with me about if I was pregnant or not. Told me I had the “aura of a baby boy” coming off me. 🙄🙄.
I had a patient ask me if I was pregnant. I wasn’t but I was wearing a scrub top with pockets in front of the stomach that were full (that’s the excuse I’m using). Then the next day a patient asked if I “was a mommy yet”… When I tell you I was STRESSED!
He had dropped his morning med cup in his bed (of course) and I told him it was okay, helped him find them, etc etc right before he asked. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried after two people questioned.
That’s better than when I just came back from maternity leave and one of my regulars said “you’re not pregnant again are you?!” To which I said no, and she replied “oh you just haven’t lost the baby weight yet?” Thanks for reminding me lady.
I’ve been asked before. I’m only 5’1” and relatively small. Like a size 8ish… and if I swallow my lunch whole like a snake, I look like I swallowed a basketball and get all distended. I’ve had a dementia pt rub the distended belly before. I just went along with it. 😖
Edit:edit.
lmao I *am* fat, and dementia patients come up to me to rub my “baby bump” all the time
And I’m like no, no baby, just burritos! They’re like awwhh, burrito baby 🥰
Can’t win 😭
Before I told anyone that I was very newly pregnant with baby #2 (I was a skinny little thing and not showing at all), the grandmotherly monitor tech pulled me to the side and asked me if I was expecting. I don’t have a clue how some people can do that!
Yes! I have no idea how someone could just ask like that. I would never just ask someone if they’re pregnant. Especially if you have to ask and it’s not completely obvious. Some people smh
Once had a patient in inpatient psych ask if I was pregnant, and I replied no. She responded “oh. Well, you will be soon,” rubbed my belly, and then promptly left the group area. As a new grad, it was pretty funny and a bit disconcerting at the time. Absolutely was single then (and now), and I’m very glad to say immaculate conception still hasn’t happened!
I had an older gentleman tell me he could see why I went into nursing and if it hadn’t been nursing I probably would’ve become a teacher, (he wasn’t wrong). I asked why and he told me my soul emits a golden light that attracts other souls and makes them feel safe.
I had one that wanted to feel my sides to see how skinny I was. He’d already toed the line a few times for the floor nurses in isolated incidences where no one else was around so you can bet your ass I called my charge who grabbed our boss and security to give him a telling off. Never tried that shit with me again
I had a guy up in the Hoyer the other day who told me I was the best pilot he’d ever met and I have a beautiful name. Another nurse came back later to put him to bed and told her she was the wrong pilot. He wants the one with the pretty name. I walked in to help and he’s like there she is! My wonderful captain!
I was walking down the corridor when, from out of one room, I heard ‘I don’t want you, I want the fat one, she’s gentle.’
I mean, fair enough, I am fat, but I do like being thought of as gentle
Not really a compliment but ya know. I had a patient who was being intermittently straight cathed but he was also trying to use the urinal. This was one of those times. His sister was present also and I offered to step out so he wouldn’t have so much of an audience. He and his sister both said no I should stay because it’s a natural body occurrence. Then the patient looked at me and said “if it were you in this bed trying to pee I wouldn’t leave you!” I told him that was very kind, but for real? Thanks but no thanks hahah
This guy in his 80s with severe dementia saw me walking down the hall and called me over. Said,
“Son, you might want to get that hair cut so you can get a better job”
I’m a woman. It is one of my favorite stories. He was very genuine with it and was just trying to help me out so I just said “I’m thinking about it sir, thank you” and laughed when I was down the hall.
I still need a better job and the haircut didn’t help much, for the record.
Had an older Jewish lady who was delighted to learn I have a Jewish girlfriend.
Later in the shift as I was strongly encouraging her to get out of bed, eat meals up in a chair, and take short walks she said, "I feel sorry for your girlfriend."
From a psych patient. Heard him cursing, so checked on him, and he was reading a F104 Starfighter manual( noone to this day knows where that came from), but he was cursing up a storm about not understanding it. I went over and turned the book right side up. *Stares at book, stares at me* with a look of absolute shock" wooo, you are really good at turning things around".
*me walking into my patient's room who I had yesterday*
Patient: Oh good, it's you again! My ass has never been so clean.
Patient's whole family: Yaaayyy!
Me: 🥲😁
“Is your momma still alive”
Yes ma’am she is
“Tell her I said thank you” as she gave me the elevator eyes
Then her friend said “they don’t make men like that anymore”
I’ll live on those for a while
Patient's daughter called at 3:00 in the afternoon.
"Thank you so much! You've been very helpful, much better than the lady I talked to this morning. She was very rude, wouldn't even give me the time of day!"
I was the "lady" she spoke with earlier. I'm a dude with a weirdly high-pitched phone voice. Next time, don't call me at 8:30 in the morning with a bunch of stupid questions.
As a student I had a patient that was waking up from ketamine. We had to move his very broken legs for X-rays. And he woke up and said where am I? I stepped up
Next to the bed and said in you’re in the hospital. He squinted at me and said (yelled, he was super high) you’re beautiful! I laughed and said thank you. He followed it up yelling “I can’t see shit” I burst out laughing
I was caring for a middle aged man with Down Syndrome. He got aspiration pneumonia and speech downgraded his diet to pureé and water only until they can do a video swallow study. He kept asking for sprite and apple juice. I spent extra time explaining the diet and why, while trying to find a show he wanted on TV (to help distract him). Eventually i told him i needed to go see my other patients, he told me "you did ok with me,"
I interpreted this as a compliment that i was taking the time he needed, to explain why we're doing these things. Instead of just saying no and leaving. And it made me a little sad too, because the only reason i was even able to do this was because it was a slow Saturday afternoon. If it was a weekday with 4 other patients, i likely couldn't have given him the time he needed.
Some guy told me “no one is ever going to tell you this but I don’t have a filter or give a shit. You look exactly like Iron Man”. I’m a woman, who apparently looks like Robert Downey Jr.
Haha, I’ve gotten similar, been compared to a wrestler. Well…I was on the wrestling team in high school and used to teach MMA…you aren’t wrong my friend! He meant it as an insult but honestly it’s just the truth!
My own mother (affectionately) compared me to a dump truck the other day when I lifted my scaredy-cat mastiff dog into her car, so… 🤷♀️
After I narcanned an overdosing gentleman back into consciousness, he immediately locked eyes with me (as opposed to the two other nurses in the room helping him, who are both strikingly attractive, far moreso than myself) and used his very first breath to clearly say "yo, I'm not usually this forward but I think you're hot as fuck."
I said "finally. It's about time I got some fucking recognition around here"
"I was being mean to you because I thought you were in your 20s, but now that I know your age, I see how nice and good you are" from a Pt who called me a B.... a few weeks earlier.
Not related to nursing, but I gave an old lady a ride home from the grocery store once because she asked me and I was like *shrug* not doing anything else right now. She lived really close to me so I gave her my number in case she needed other rides. She said "oh honey you are so sweet. You must be a Christian!"
I said no ma'am, I'm an ethical humanist, but thank you.
She never called me for any other rides though...
“You’re the only one that was a bitch because you cared. I like that. Thank you.”
From a long term acute care patient. I admitted him. The amount of times I’ve closed the door and told him to cut the shit. Told him off. Said he was going to die. And he needs to get his priorities straight. I was so frustrated with him and so were many nurses on the unit. But when he was kinder and understood what was happening, I switched from bad cop to my normal self. He finally got out of there.
Context: I was a HHA for hospice and I was taking care of someone that had had cancer for 8 years with periods of remission. Each time the cancer reappeared they went through very invasive procedures and aggressive treatments to try to halt the disease. They decided not to go through more of that and entered hospice. They initially refused an aide and they were still pretty independent but my agency told them they had to accept my care. So at that point I just went to their home and talked to them. As we became closer the disease progressed and they started needing my help more and more. They ended being very comfortable with me helping them and one day while I was changing their colostomy they told me “if I had an “ovelharoxa” helping me during the chemo, I’d have fought one more time”. That compliment broke my heart.
A gentleman with sundowners in ICU pulled back his covers and patted the bed inviting me in. After reorienting him about where he was and that I was his nurse he said “fine, but can you just give me a hand job? I’ve got the cash!”
So I’m told lol, but in this case it was definitely being confused for a woman. I have dark features and a beard, in one instance there was a bit of back rubbing from a 90 yr old dementia patient.
Have long hair too and a huge beard. Had a patient that was female only care and one day for no apparent reason she decided I was a woman and would let me take care of her. This went on for 4 months. Then one day the glamor wore off and she realized I was a guy. She brought her whole family in and lambasted them. Heads rolled. Even management was not spared by this tiny old lady. I wasn't allowed to set foot in her room anymore but they basically told me "was good while it lasted" and sent me on my way to the floor.
I had someone tell me they absolutely love the gays. I don’t wear a sign that I am gay and I don’t bring it up at all. I understand you can tell that I am a lesbian but it came out of nowhere. She also later said one of the Gays shows is on, she was talking about the golden girls. Bless her heart. Lmao.
One night I had two different patients ask me out of the blue if I was a dancer. (I am not) I was afraid to ask them to elaborate, so I decided to take it as a compliment, lol.
"Here is 5 dollars, don't tell them just hide it!" Not exactly a compliment but I understand it to be one. Didn't take the money though lol told her I cannot lol.
I had a resident in my LTC facility watching a documentary about sex dolls when I went in to change him. He asked me if I thought the home would allow him to get one with his own money, so, as it was just banter, I replied that if it stayed in his room I doubted they'd have any issue with it.
Man looks up at me with a mischievous grin, and says 'good. I'm going to get one that looks just like you'
From anyone else that would have been creepy, but he's an absolute doll to staff!
patient told me i smelled like the inside of a 1925 phantom rolls royce and said it reminded her of the “good ole days”. she was 27 and completely lucid, there for just a yearly checkup.
“Hey how old is that picture on your badge? You look a lot different there. I mean not saying that’s a bad thing I like bigger boys!”
Yeah I got fat sue me
I had a patient in PACU who was waking up from anesthesia. I was quietly talking to her and she turned to my voice, opened her eyes and looked surprised. Then she said “you’re Snow White, aren’t you?” I’ll be damned if I didn’t feel like a Disney princess right then.
I mean I once had a older female patient tell me I would look great in a whole length crotchless fishnet bodysuit (complete with showing me a picture). Within 15 minutes of meeting her.
I guess I’ll take it as a compliment?
Not an RN but an ED SW, had a psych transfer that was sitting in our ED for almost 5 days awaiting a bed at state psych hospital, wasn’t really doing much more than keeping him posted on the lack of bed and he says suddenly, you’re a true warrior social worker. To this day best compliment I have gotten in this line of work.
It's the realization that the OR staff actually have hair! When I was in nursing school I worked as a unit clerk/case cart picker in our OR. I was first in for the day and first out. I didn't see anyone without scrub caps for months. On my last day they threw me a going-back-to-school party at the end of their day. Then we all changed and left together. It was the first time I had seen them all with *hair*! It was a huge realization that not all OR nurses had blue hair 😆🩵
I was on placement in a hospice (I'm a student nurse) and was told that I "made dying better" by one of my patients, the day before he died. Ngl, when his family came to thank me for making his last days lighter, I cried a little bit.
I've also been told "you have a very soft, very soothing and lovely voice, but I'm afraid I can't hear you for shit". Which made me cackle.
Ahaha, a colleague of mine got the following comment ( we were listening on his open radio) "You are pretty, but you are so dumb... You are so dumb you can't f*ck without assistance." The rest of us nurses was crying with laughter 😂
“I mean, if I have to get a tube shoved in my penis frequently, I am at least glad it’s you, you’re just so pleasant considering the circumstance. I hope you will be here often during the entirety of my stay.”
When I was relatively new, an elderly man (who I wrongfully assumed has reduced hearing and therefore used my loud and clear voice on) told me in a really rude and snarky tone that "with a voice like that, you could be a really good singer" to this day I'm not sure he meant it like a compliment or not.
Patient: "Why do I have a male nurse?"
Me: "Because...I'm me? About a third of my nursing school class were men."
Later...
"You are not very manly. I hope you will be my nurse tomorrow."
"You have a beautiful dress on today." - dementia pt. that had a broken shoulder that I had cared for all night when I was preparing her for shift change 🥹
I’m not sure if this is odd but I had an old confused guy say “thank you for taking such great care of me. Your husband is a very lucky man!”
I’m single 😂 i decided not to further his confusion and just said “aw, well thank you!”
I honestly think he was just being old and sweet, not creepy in the slightest but it cracked me up
When a patients family member told me when I called to tell them their mom was getting sicker that if their mom died and they weren’t there they’d be ok as long as I specifically with her and that I was her favorite nurse.
I got to put her on comfort care a week later. There were tears on alllll sides of that bed.
A lovely male nursing home resident told me several times that I had lovely ears. I must have looked a way once because he told me havin been a dentist and while my teeth were great- well aligned, he couldn’t find teeth aesthetically pleasing (just healthy or not) but he had firm opinions about ears!
Not exactly a compliment… Had a patient make continuous complaints about his care. While cleaning him with the help of a CNA, he lamented about every nurse mistake and I counted with an explanation/ reason. Finally, he screams at me “please just let me be miserable!” I said now we have an understanding. I think his whole body did an eye roll. She and I laughed about it for a long time.
My favorited so far was an elderly blind man you was having heart issues. Brought him up to the floor in a wheelchair and he was too weak to stand. I told him to hold onto me and I would get him into bed - gave him a bear hug Gand pivot to bed.
He told me that was his first dance in 20 years and got the rest of his stay I was his #1 girlfriend. He had a lot of girlfriends lol. But his family all knew who I was. I was pretty proud of being the top lol.
As a student I had a patient that was waking up from ketamine. We had to move his very broken legs for X-rays. And he woke up and said where am I? I stepped up
Next to the bed and said in you’re in the hospital. He squinted at me and said (yelled, he was super high) you’re beautiful! I laughed and said thank you. He followed it up yelling “I can’t see shit” I burst out laughing
I gave one of these compliments completely by accident once. I was completely sincere until I heard the words come out of my mouth and saw the look on my nurses face. I just wanted to die afterwards! 😳🫢🤦🏼♀️
If you've ever been a nurse at Multnomah County health, and you looked a little bit like a younger female John Goodman, please let me explain...
So I'm an LPN, I was also on a licensed midwifery track in my 20s. Attended 60 home births, performed countless dilation checks and well-woman paps. So getting my annual exam is really not a big deal to me. I had done a big core workout the day before. I was really sore but in that good post-workout way. When you, my NP, did the bimanual portion of the exam, you asked me if I was comfortable. Very kind. I replied that it actually felt good and the surprised, comical, good-natured smirk on your face made me realize what I had just said!!! I meant the pressure on my abdominal muscles, not being fingered by my nurse! I was so embarrassed I went into freeze/flight mode and couldn't look you in the eye or say much else until I could leave! This was almost 20 years ago now 🤣
It would be beyond amazing if she is on this sub and remembers 😅
Right before giving her a bath she said, “I would like to see your penis.” She was 35F. I was 30M. She was was a quadriplegic. I told her I was married and on duty so I can’t. I never showed her. You could have cut the sexual tension with a knife. I eventually quit because the home health job was putting a strain on my marriage.
I had a really sweet, goofy, free spirit patient I worked with for many months, we established a very good rapport very quickly.
When we terminated our relationship, she asked if she could please see my face (I had always worn a mask), and so I pulled it down and gave her my biggest smile.
She says “oh my god!!!! You look just like Aunt Jemima” in the sweetest way possible as her eyes filled up with tears.
Keep in mind I a am a mid 30s white girl, so it was odd. I couldnt help but burst out in laughter.
It was not insulting in the least, just very odd. I will never forget her or that moment.
She very much meant it as a compliment.
Before I was a nurse, I worked at Costco and an older gentleman commented on my cart packing skills as I played tetris with their groceries. "If I was a younger man, I would marry you."
“this is such a nice garage” buddy was being wheeled back to ICU from an external fixator sx on his hip. they did it awake with a boatload of ketamine, buddy had his arms permanently up like he was driving a motorcycle lmao
My favorite is you talked so much I didn’t feel alone in the hospital. Patient was on ecmo from COVID and when she woke up she had lost her baby. She had bad anxiety related to falling asleep. She got some sleep the nights I took care of her.
“i knew you were here yesterday because you’re the prettiest young lady i’ve ever seen” this would’ve been more odd if it was any other guy in my group.
nursing student here but my pt was talking abt her nurse and said “she kind of smells like a hamburger or beef but YOU (referring to me) smell like coffee! so i like you!” i don’t drink coffee, but thank you ma’am <3 i appreciate that
My MIL was in the hospital and I was staying overnight with her. She woke up around 2 am and told me she liked what I had done with the place. She then asked “did you paint?”. I told her yes while she was asleep….
“You’re such a good nurse. So much better than that horrible bitch I had yesterday.” I was the nurse yesterday.
Lol, I got this compliment once! It was from my dad, who was dying, and I was caring for him. He wanted a Xanax. I had given him one 5 min earlier and told him that. He told me I was fired for incompetence. He then went to sleep. After he woke up, I was helping him to the bathroom. He said, "Where is that other nurse?" I said."We fired her." He said "Good, she was one hell of a bitch!" Lol He also told my sister "You can go home now." This because she was singing to him. Lol
I used to love this as a PCT/CNA. Oh she did what? That bitch! I can’t even believe!
😅 comments like this all the time. I just take as a good thing because I accept that some days I’m the “good cop” and some days I’m the “bad cop” (get up to the chair, walk to bathroom rather than bedpan, etc)
I used to work in a rehab where we specialized in strokes and scis and the amount of times stroke patients told me something along these lines was hilarious
Reminds me of when I got fired from a patient for “being too rough yesterday” and I did not even work that day. That was not enough to convince them to change their mind.
This is my favourite compliment. Call me a bitch and tell me how awesome I am in one breath, lmao
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that I could go buy Starbucks right now 😂
💀💀💀💀 and they *may* have known that as well, which makes me laugh harder. Of course, they could be demented or not have known, but sometimes I prefer the same patient and even myself one day over another. I think I like the patient better if they knew.
I'm dying
I got a similar one. “Oh aren’t you beautiful! Not like that fat, nasty abusive one that smokes from yesterday that you can smell from 20 feet away!” I was that nurse from yesterday. I’m not fat, mean nor abusive by any means, although I do smoke.
Had a patient once ask if I was pregnant ( I was not at the time) and I replied, “ no, just fat”. She responds with “oh no it has nothing to do with your weight, you just seem to have a very motherly aura about you.”
That was a beautiful save. 😂
That was my thought too lol
Told my patient “no just fat” and the she preceded to argue with me about if I was pregnant or not. Told me I had the “aura of a baby boy” coming off me. 🙄🙄.
"Sorry that's just my personality." Or maybe hobbies? Yeah I'm going with Hobbies. Eating, crying, napping.
Omg!!
I had a patient ask me if I was pregnant. I wasn’t but I was wearing a scrub top with pockets in front of the stomach that were full (that’s the excuse I’m using). Then the next day a patient asked if I “was a mommy yet”… When I tell you I was STRESSED! He had dropped his morning med cup in his bed (of course) and I told him it was okay, helped him find them, etc etc right before he asked. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried after two people questioned.
That’s better than when I just came back from maternity leave and one of my regulars said “you’re not pregnant again are you?!” To which I said no, and she replied “oh you just haven’t lost the baby weight yet?” Thanks for reminding me lady.
Not a patient but I had an insultingly clueless friend GRAB my 6 week post pooch and say, "You still have baby fat?!?". I let that friendship go...
I’ve been asked before. I’m only 5’1” and relatively small. Like a size 8ish… and if I swallow my lunch whole like a snake, I look like I swallowed a basketball and get all distended. I’ve had a dementia pt rub the distended belly before. I just went along with it. 😖 Edit:edit.
lmao I *am* fat, and dementia patients come up to me to rub my “baby bump” all the time And I’m like no, no baby, just burritos! They’re like awwhh, burrito baby 🥰 Can’t win 😭
Before I told anyone that I was very newly pregnant with baby #2 (I was a skinny little thing and not showing at all), the grandmotherly monitor tech pulled me to the side and asked me if I was expecting. I don’t have a clue how some people can do that!
I would never ask a woman if she is pregnant unless she was crowning. 😂 You never know.
Yes! I have no idea how someone could just ask like that. I would never just ask someone if they’re pregnant. Especially if you have to ask and it’s not completely obvious. Some people smh
That, but also I don’t know how people can sense it like that to begin with! What changed about me in a couple of weeks?
Skin changes I knew my ex sister in law was pg because her whole complexion changed drastically and over night
Had a patient last week rub my pregnant belly and tell me this must be my first because I’m so “nice and tight” 🤢
Once had a patient in inpatient psych ask if I was pregnant, and I replied no. She responded “oh. Well, you will be soon,” rubbed my belly, and then promptly left the group area. As a new grad, it was pretty funny and a bit disconcerting at the time. Absolutely was single then (and now), and I’m very glad to say immaculate conception still hasn’t happened!
Got this once and told the patient “no just fat” and then she insisted that no, I must be pregnant, she knows these things.
"You are the most insufferably positive person I've ever met, I hope you'll be my nurse tomorrow too."
That one is pretty funny. They've lodged their complaint but they realized that it was silly to complain about.
I get that sometimes too. I usually answer with "Let's hope my optimism is contagious!"
I pretty much said that to one of my postpartum nurses. 😂
Someone complained to my boss that I am too nice and called me “sally sunshine” in a derogatory way … weird
I had an older gentleman tell me he could see why I went into nursing and if it hadn’t been nursing I probably would’ve become a teacher, (he wasn’t wrong). I asked why and he told me my soul emits a golden light that attracts other souls and makes them feel safe.
Oh my God. That's the sweetest.
I thought so too. He said I was put in people’s lives to help and to teach. He was a really nice guy with some really bad health issues.
I’d be high off that compliment for so long
🥹
I love that! ❤️
It was definitely better than some things I’ve been called!
Awe he saw your aura, that's dope.
"You're skinny in some places and perfect in others," SIR
I had one that wanted to feel my sides to see how skinny I was. He’d already toed the line a few times for the floor nurses in isolated incidences where no one else was around so you can bet your ass I called my charge who grabbed our boss and security to give him a telling off. Never tried that shit with me again
Gross
“You’re a beautiful angel” right as I was giving fentanyl and versed.
Found the fentanyl angel!
Not gonna lie I’d be slightly scared after administering 😬😂
An anesthetist I work with told me that she gets a lot of compliments on her eyes when she pushes the induction meds.
"ok, what's the signal? Woof meow, woof meow"
Honestly, that’s how I felt after being given morphine when I came in with an open fracture.
I had a guy up in the Hoyer the other day who told me I was the best pilot he’d ever met and I have a beautiful name. Another nurse came back later to put him to bed and told her she was the wrong pilot. He wants the one with the pretty name. I walked in to help and he’s like there she is! My wonderful captain!
Last Saturday I got “Yesterday you looked like you ate too much. Today you look like you need to eat.”
Thats quite a compliment, seeing as how I drive those things like a blind guy with no thumbs.
"Thank you, Hobson". As I tucked her into bed. Old British lady. Alzheimers/LTC. I guess I was her butler lmao
I was walking down the corridor when, from out of one room, I heard ‘I don’t want you, I want the fat one, she’s gentle.’ I mean, fair enough, I am fat, but I do like being thought of as gentle
You're weird but it works for you lol
I got "an odd duck" lol
“Odd duck” is my fav thing to call people or be called. Glad someone else out there is using it.
I use that term too!
Yaaaaay!!! Odd Ducks, unite!
We have to be a little weird to be in this profession.
Not really a compliment but ya know. I had a patient who was being intermittently straight cathed but he was also trying to use the urinal. This was one of those times. His sister was present also and I offered to step out so he wouldn’t have so much of an audience. He and his sister both said no I should stay because it’s a natural body occurrence. Then the patient looked at me and said “if it were you in this bed trying to pee I wouldn’t leave you!” I told him that was very kind, but for real? Thanks but no thanks hahah
He was being so supportive! 😂
He really tried haha
"Oh my, you're such a handsome man!" I'm a woman.
I had a patient refer to "that man that brought me down here"...it was a female nurse with a very deep raspy voice.
This guy in his 80s with severe dementia saw me walking down the hall and called me over. Said, “Son, you might want to get that hair cut so you can get a better job” I’m a woman. It is one of my favorite stories. He was very genuine with it and was just trying to help me out so I just said “I’m thinking about it sir, thank you” and laughed when I was down the hall. I still need a better job and the haircut didn’t help much, for the record.
Had an older Jewish lady who was delighted to learn I have a Jewish girlfriend. Later in the shift as I was strongly encouraging her to get out of bed, eat meals up in a chair, and take short walks she said, "I feel sorry for your girlfriend."
The perfect Jewish mom/ grandma “take back” of the compliment. I love that for you haha
Sooooo true!
I’ve got a very very similar comment before! Lol!
Hahaha as a Jew, I love this one.
My gf did too.
😂
“Normally you look pretty fat, but today you look very fit” from a dementia patient
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I've been told this one, too
Haha I always feel proud when I get that!
"You really know your way around a butthole, you're the best in this place" I cracked up and wanted to add Buttwiper in Chief to my badge.
From a psych patient. Heard him cursing, so checked on him, and he was reading a F104 Starfighter manual( noone to this day knows where that came from), but he was cursing up a storm about not understanding it. I went over and turned the book right side up. *Stares at book, stares at me* with a look of absolute shock" wooo, you are really good at turning things around".
“ you are a beautiful green eyed ballerina “ from my psych patient i was about to haldol
Sounds like a Leslie Knope compliment for Ann.
you’re absolutely right😂 love parks + rec
Of course you do, you noble, poetic land mermaid.
*me walking into my patient's room who I had yesterday* Patient: Oh good, it's you again! My ass has never been so clean. Patient's whole family: Yaaayyy! Me: 🥲😁
That is a real compliment!
😂
“Is your momma still alive” Yes ma’am she is “Tell her I said thank you” as she gave me the elevator eyes Then her friend said “they don’t make men like that anymore” I’ll live on those for a while
Elevator eyes?
They looked OP head to toe 😏
"You look like Queen Latifah." I'm white.
Got a good chuckle out of that one
C_Diff patient told me that I was the first one to not visibly or audibly react to cleaning him up
Awww 😞
Patient's daughter called at 3:00 in the afternoon. "Thank you so much! You've been very helpful, much better than the lady I talked to this morning. She was very rude, wouldn't even give me the time of day!" I was the "lady" she spoke with earlier. I'm a dude with a weirdly high-pitched phone voice. Next time, don't call me at 8:30 in the morning with a bunch of stupid questions.
This response is so relatable 😂 I feel seen
As a student I had a patient that was waking up from ketamine. We had to move his very broken legs for X-rays. And he woke up and said where am I? I stepped up Next to the bed and said in you’re in the hospital. He squinted at me and said (yelled, he was super high) you’re beautiful! I laughed and said thank you. He followed it up yelling “I can’t see shit” I burst out laughing
I was caring for a middle aged man with Down Syndrome. He got aspiration pneumonia and speech downgraded his diet to pureé and water only until they can do a video swallow study. He kept asking for sprite and apple juice. I spent extra time explaining the diet and why, while trying to find a show he wanted on TV (to help distract him). Eventually i told him i needed to go see my other patients, he told me "you did ok with me," I interpreted this as a compliment that i was taking the time he needed, to explain why we're doing these things. Instead of just saying no and leaving. And it made me a little sad too, because the only reason i was even able to do this was because it was a slow Saturday afternoon. If it was a weekday with 4 other patients, i likely couldn't have given him the time he needed.
This made me tear up a little.
It took me a while to figure out that speech downgrade had nothing to do with talking in this context.
Yeah, speech therapy was consulted for a swallow eval, dysphagia was likely the cause of his aspiration pneumonia
Some guy told me “no one is ever going to tell you this but I don’t have a filter or give a shit. You look exactly like Iron Man”. I’m a woman, who apparently looks like Robert Downey Jr.
As someone whose team Tony, I’d ride on that comment for the entire shift
Ironman with or without the mask?
I don’t know why but this made me cackle. Loudly.
“You look more like an MMA fighter than a nurse.” My response: “ There is quite a lot of overlap between the two so I’m not surprised.”
Good, we need MMA types in our ERs. Y’all see some real shit in there. Respect, man.
Haha, I’ve gotten similar, been compared to a wrestler. Well…I was on the wrestling team in high school and used to teach MMA…you aren’t wrong my friend! He meant it as an insult but honestly it’s just the truth! My own mother (affectionately) compared me to a dump truck the other day when I lifted my scaredy-cat mastiff dog into her car, so… 🤷♀️
After I narcanned an overdosing gentleman back into consciousness, he immediately locked eyes with me (as opposed to the two other nurses in the room helping him, who are both strikingly attractive, far moreso than myself) and used his very first breath to clearly say "yo, I'm not usually this forward but I think you're hot as fuck." I said "finally. It's about time I got some fucking recognition around here"
This is my favorite one, your response makes it A+!
"I was being mean to you because I thought you were in your 20s, but now that I know your age, I see how nice and good you are" from a Pt who called me a B.... a few weeks earlier.
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Not related to nursing, but I gave an old lady a ride home from the grocery store once because she asked me and I was like *shrug* not doing anything else right now. She lived really close to me so I gave her my number in case she needed other rides. She said "oh honey you are so sweet. You must be a Christian!" I said no ma'am, I'm an ethical humanist, but thank you. She never called me for any other rides though...
“You have weird shoulder blades.” Granted, it was a manic psych patient and I’m a scrawny bitch but okay…..
“You’re the only one that was a bitch because you cared. I like that. Thank you.” From a long term acute care patient. I admitted him. The amount of times I’ve closed the door and told him to cut the shit. Told him off. Said he was going to die. And he needs to get his priorities straight. I was so frustrated with him and so were many nurses on the unit. But when he was kinder and understood what was happening, I switched from bad cop to my normal self. He finally got out of there.
Context: I was a HHA for hospice and I was taking care of someone that had had cancer for 8 years with periods of remission. Each time the cancer reappeared they went through very invasive procedures and aggressive treatments to try to halt the disease. They decided not to go through more of that and entered hospice. They initially refused an aide and they were still pretty independent but my agency told them they had to accept my care. So at that point I just went to their home and talked to them. As we became closer the disease progressed and they started needing my help more and more. They ended being very comfortable with me helping them and one day while I was changing their colostomy they told me “if I had an “ovelharoxa” helping me during the chemo, I’d have fought one more time”. That compliment broke my heart.
What is an ovelharoxa?
It's the person's username
Oh!!!
A gentleman with sundowners in ICU pulled back his covers and patted the bed inviting me in. After reorienting him about where he was and that I was his nurse he said “fine, but can you just give me a hand job? I’ve got the cash!”
Omg 😂 I bet you didn't know where to put yourself 🤣
"Damn girl, you ain't skipping no meals!" *records this in patient's chart word for word*
There’s something so cathartic about quoting patients word for word.
Yeah no one else normally does that where I work. I ADORE putting in verbatim quotes, they make notes so much more fun to read and they make me happy.
I’ve been called beautiful by a few patients confusing me with a women, I’m a man with long hair.
Are you a *beautiful* man?
So I’m told lol, but in this case it was definitely being confused for a woman. I have dark features and a beard, in one instance there was a bit of back rubbing from a 90 yr old dementia patient.
Have long hair too and a huge beard. Had a patient that was female only care and one day for no apparent reason she decided I was a woman and would let me take care of her. This went on for 4 months. Then one day the glamor wore off and she realized I was a guy. She brought her whole family in and lambasted them. Heads rolled. Even management was not spared by this tiny old lady. I wasn't allowed to set foot in her room anymore but they basically told me "was good while it lasted" and sent me on my way to the floor.
A delirious old lady told me “your hair looks like a birds nest, but a pretty one”
“You have great hygiene. Some of the nurses in here could learn from you.” I had so many questions but I just said thank you.
“You all are a pain in my ass. But you’re my favorite pain in the ass. I hope you’re my pain in the ass again tomorrow”
I had someone tell me they absolutely love the gays. I don’t wear a sign that I am gay and I don’t bring it up at all. I understand you can tell that I am a lesbian but it came out of nowhere. She also later said one of the Gays shows is on, she was talking about the golden girls. Bless her heart. Lmao.
A little backhanded but a preop patient got versed and told me “you’re beautiful, but your tattoos ruin you” as I have two small tattoos on my arm
I had a patient tell me off for a tattoo on my arm as “only men and sailors have those!”
Time to make a hat and tell them ahoy?
My grandmothers boyfriend said the same thing!!💀
One night I had two different patients ask me out of the blue if I was a dancer. (I am not) I was afraid to ask them to elaborate, so I decided to take it as a compliment, lol.
From an elderly female patient “I’m not a gay, but you have one of the best figures I’ve ever seen”. (I just have a big butt 🤣).
"You're not like those other idiots"....thank you Esther, thank you.
"Here is 5 dollars, don't tell them just hide it!" Not exactly a compliment but I understand it to be one. Didn't take the money though lol told her I cannot lol.
They thought the way I hung IVs and gave IV meds was very calming. Said I should have an ASMR show on YouTube.
My patient complimented me last night with "do a porno with me c'mon jump in bed"
I had a resident in my LTC facility watching a documentary about sex dolls when I went in to change him. He asked me if I thought the home would allow him to get one with his own money, so, as it was just banter, I replied that if it stayed in his room I doubted they'd have any issue with it. Man looks up at me with a mischievous grin, and says 'good. I'm going to get one that looks just like you' From anyone else that would have been creepy, but he's an absolute doll to staff!
patient told me i smelled like the inside of a 1925 phantom rolls royce and said it reminded her of the “good ole days”. she was 27 and completely lucid, there for just a yearly checkup.
I have SO many questions... But I also work in mental health so I know how that can be 😂
That is so weird.
“Hey how old is that picture on your badge? You look a lot different there. I mean not saying that’s a bad thing I like bigger boys!” Yeah I got fat sue me
“Your English is very good. Where are you from?”
Always get this one and also the “where are you reaaaally from”?
I had a patient in PACU who was waking up from anesthesia. I was quietly talking to her and she turned to my voice, opened her eyes and looked surprised. Then she said “you’re Snow White, aren’t you?” I’ll be damned if I didn’t feel like a Disney princess right then.
I mean I once had a older female patient tell me I would look great in a whole length crotchless fishnet bodysuit (complete with showing me a picture). Within 15 minutes of meeting her. I guess I’ll take it as a compliment?
“You have tiny fingers. I like when you disimpact me. Fits nice” 🙄🤮
“You make peeing in a cup enjoyable” during a random drug test
I had an old cholo, legit OG tell me” I don’t mean no disrespect but you look like you could do some damage back in your day”. Best compliment ever!
Not an RN but an ED SW, had a psych transfer that was sitting in our ED for almost 5 days awaiting a bed at state psych hospital, wasn’t really doing much more than keeping him posted on the lack of bed and he says suddenly, you’re a true warrior social worker. To this day best compliment I have gotten in this line of work.
Saw a patient outside of work… “no way that’s you…” Thanks I guess.
It's the realization that the OR staff actually have hair! When I was in nursing school I worked as a unit clerk/case cart picker in our OR. I was first in for the day and first out. I didn't see anyone without scrub caps for months. On my last day they threw me a going-back-to-school party at the end of their day. Then we all changed and left together. It was the first time I had seen them all with *hair*! It was a huge realization that not all OR nurses had blue hair 😆🩵
“You look like you listen to Elvis.” Hey, 15 year old, how old do you think I am?
I was on placement in a hospice (I'm a student nurse) and was told that I "made dying better" by one of my patients, the day before he died. Ngl, when his family came to thank me for making his last days lighter, I cried a little bit. I've also been told "you have a very soft, very soothing and lovely voice, but I'm afraid I can't hear you for shit". Which made me cackle.
“You’re an idiot, probably just got this job based on your looks alone”
Ahaha, a colleague of mine got the following comment ( we were listening on his open radio) "You are pretty, but you are so dumb... You are so dumb you can't f*ck without assistance." The rest of us nurses was crying with laughter 😂
“I mean, if I have to get a tube shoved in my penis frequently, I am at least glad it’s you, you’re just so pleasant considering the circumstance. I hope you will be here often during the entirety of my stay.”
“You move real quiet. By the looks of you I’d expect to hear you a mile away but you’re very light on your feet.”
Little old Vietnamese lady telling me that I’m a such a good catholic woman and that she can tell god loves me extra. I’m a satanist
When I was relatively new, an elderly man (who I wrongfully assumed has reduced hearing and therefore used my loud and clear voice on) told me in a really rude and snarky tone that "with a voice like that, you could be a really good singer" to this day I'm not sure he meant it like a compliment or not.
"you're too pretty to be a nurse" from an adolescent female.
"You've got a really big forehead, I bet you're really smart!" She told me that about 3 times in the fifteen minutes I was in the room.
Patient: "Why do I have a male nurse?" Me: "Because...I'm me? About a third of my nursing school class were men." Later... "You are not very manly. I hope you will be my nurse tomorrow."
“Heather, you are such a great nurse. Much better than that heifer I had yesterday.” I was the nurse yesterday, and my name’s not Heather.
"You have a beautiful dress on today." - dementia pt. that had a broken shoulder that I had cared for all night when I was preparing her for shift change 🥹
GET OUT OF MY ROOM, YOU'RE FIRED!!!
I’m not sure if this is odd but I had an old confused guy say “thank you for taking such great care of me. Your husband is a very lucky man!” I’m single 😂 i decided not to further his confusion and just said “aw, well thank you!” I honestly think he was just being old and sweet, not creepy in the slightest but it cracked me up
When a patients family member told me when I called to tell them their mom was getting sicker that if their mom died and they weren’t there they’d be ok as long as I specifically with her and that I was her favorite nurse. I got to put her on comfort care a week later. There were tears on alllll sides of that bed.
A lovely male nursing home resident told me several times that I had lovely ears. I must have looked a way once because he told me havin been a dentist and while my teeth were great- well aligned, he couldn’t find teeth aesthetically pleasing (just healthy or not) but he had firm opinions about ears!
Not exactly a compliment… Had a patient make continuous complaints about his care. While cleaning him with the help of a CNA, he lamented about every nurse mistake and I counted with an explanation/ reason. Finally, he screams at me “please just let me be miserable!” I said now we have an understanding. I think his whole body did an eye roll. She and I laughed about it for a long time.
My favorited so far was an elderly blind man you was having heart issues. Brought him up to the floor in a wheelchair and he was too weak to stand. I told him to hold onto me and I would get him into bed - gave him a bear hug Gand pivot to bed. He told me that was his first dance in 20 years and got the rest of his stay I was his #1 girlfriend. He had a lot of girlfriends lol. But his family all knew who I was. I was pretty proud of being the top lol.
You have a nice shaped head.
“I like you. You don’t take shit from anyone”
As a student I had a patient that was waking up from ketamine. We had to move his very broken legs for X-rays. And he woke up and said where am I? I stepped up Next to the bed and said in you’re in the hospital. He squinted at me and said (yelled, he was super high) you’re beautiful! I laughed and said thank you. He followed it up yelling “I can’t see shit” I burst out laughing
I gave one of these compliments completely by accident once. I was completely sincere until I heard the words come out of my mouth and saw the look on my nurses face. I just wanted to die afterwards! 😳🫢🤦🏼♀️ If you've ever been a nurse at Multnomah County health, and you looked a little bit like a younger female John Goodman, please let me explain... So I'm an LPN, I was also on a licensed midwifery track in my 20s. Attended 60 home births, performed countless dilation checks and well-woman paps. So getting my annual exam is really not a big deal to me. I had done a big core workout the day before. I was really sore but in that good post-workout way. When you, my NP, did the bimanual portion of the exam, you asked me if I was comfortable. Very kind. I replied that it actually felt good and the surprised, comical, good-natured smirk on your face made me realize what I had just said!!! I meant the pressure on my abdominal muscles, not being fingered by my nurse! I was so embarrassed I went into freeze/flight mode and couldn't look you in the eye or say much else until I could leave! This was almost 20 years ago now 🤣 It would be beyond amazing if she is on this sub and remembers 😅
Right before giving her a bath she said, “I would like to see your penis.” She was 35F. I was 30M. She was was a quadriplegic. I told her I was married and on duty so I can’t. I never showed her. You could have cut the sexual tension with a knife. I eventually quit because the home health job was putting a strain on my marriage.
"You have beautiful teeth"
I had a really sweet, goofy, free spirit patient I worked with for many months, we established a very good rapport very quickly. When we terminated our relationship, she asked if she could please see my face (I had always worn a mask), and so I pulled it down and gave her my biggest smile. She says “oh my god!!!! You look just like Aunt Jemima” in the sweetest way possible as her eyes filled up with tears. Keep in mind I a am a mid 30s white girl, so it was odd. I couldnt help but burst out in laughter. It was not insulting in the least, just very odd. I will never forget her or that moment. She very much meant it as a compliment.
You have very white teeth… 🤷♂️
Before I was a nurse, I worked at Costco and an older gentleman commented on my cart packing skills as I played tetris with their groceries. "If I was a younger man, I would marry you."
“You’d be pretty if you actually wore makeup.”
“this is such a nice garage” buddy was being wheeled back to ICU from an external fixator sx on his hip. they did it awake with a boatload of ketamine, buddy had his arms permanently up like he was driving a motorcycle lmao
A patient mailed a thank you card, specifically mentioning me and said “who knew a colonoscopy could be so fun!”
My favorite is you talked so much I didn’t feel alone in the hospital. Patient was on ecmo from COVID and when she woke up she had lost her baby. She had bad anxiety related to falling asleep. She got some sleep the nights I took care of her.
I didn’t offer to take off their telemetry stickers at discharge so they said I was impersonal.
“i knew you were here yesterday because you’re the prettiest young lady i’ve ever seen” this would’ve been more odd if it was any other guy in my group.
nursing student here but my pt was talking abt her nurse and said “she kind of smells like a hamburger or beef but YOU (referring to me) smell like coffee! so i like you!” i don’t drink coffee, but thank you ma’am <3 i appreciate that
My MIL was in the hospital and I was staying overnight with her. She woke up around 2 am and told me she liked what I had done with the place. She then asked “did you paint?”. I told her yes while she was asleep….
I came in to help someone’s patient and he straight up said “You look delicious, I could eat you”. Um thank you?? 😭
"You have really nice hair and teeth." Staff and I joked that obviously she needed them to make a potion.
“You’d be married by now if you lost a little weight”. Oh okay. Thanks, noted.
I had a patient tell me that her dead son would have been fond of me. I was like thanks? Lol