hello you drove yourself!

Let's see, I did not go over to your house and knock on the door and ask or beg you to come to the er.
Why do people, the least sick btw, think that you owe them?
The people who are really sick or potentially really sick, hardly ever say a word. They know that we are doing everything we can to expedite care. If their level of acuity should change or if someone could potentially die, i'll take someone elses bed. I really care what happens to these people and you want my crew taking care of them.

If you have the flu or a cold or cut your finger on a piece of glass or you are intoxicated or have a sunburn or you have a prescription that has run out, etc, I could go on forever. THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY!!!!!!!!!

These people and their families are the worst. They want us to pick them up out of their cars. (my question is how did you get them in) sometimes they get thru the doors to the treatment areas and just fucking stand there. They come up to the triage nurses every 5 min and waste the nurses time asking when it is their turn, and they have to go to work or I havn't had dinner yet, etc.
You try to explain to them nicely the flow of the er and they get angry. They often ask what other people have or state ''I know i'm sicker than that guy'' this is where I usually get into trouble.
For example: A man comes up to the triage area with his wife (she is in scrubs) states ''I can't breathe'' I check his o2 sat, listen to his lungs (clear) and smaile and try to reassure them. The wife--''he is not breathing'' I say, ''Yes , he is breathing, his vital signs are good, he will see a doctor in a little bit, please have a seat'' wife: ''How do you know?
me: ''Well, he is speaking in full sentences, his o2 is 100%, his lungs are clear, he is breathing'' This goes back and forth for a while and I ask about the scrubs she is wearing. ''are you a nurse?'' ''Yes'' ''where'' ''at the clinic'' ''an rn?'' ''yes'' me: "Then you should know he is breathing'' her: ''You don't know anything, I can tell when he is not breathing''
Again this is where I get in trouble. I start my speech ''I am a traige nurse and am specially trained to determine if an actual emergency exists, he IS breathing and you can please have a seat'' her: how do you know?'' (is she retarded and how did she graduate) me: I make more money than you, I get paid to know if someone is breathing and my thought is you should go back to school and take a breathing 101 class'' Now she is pissed, but I win.

I always try to start nice, but quite often it turns bad and you have to play the ''last word game''.

Am I rude? wtf, I know my job. and this came from another nurse.

People, we do not ask you to come to the er. but we do know what we are doing. We do not sit in the back and just not take care of you. Get off my back and let us do our jobs. The truly sick people need us. Go home and take some tylenol.