RN here. I am not a particularly reactive/harsh member of this (or any) sub. But I can say with certainty that this episode did not play out as OP depicts. I have never worked with ANY nurse (or medical assistant/MA, for that matter) who would sacrifice the time or trouble to grab a separate scale for comparison’s sake AND THEN proceed to stand on the scale him/herself.
I’m sorry, but this episode simply did not happen quite as OP depicted. (Isn’t there a whole sub for things that didn’t happen? OP’s post belongs there).
I work in a busy surgery clinic where we generally record patients’ weight first thing with a full set of vital signs to follow. Any sort of counseling around weight awareness/loss (which totally falls within the RN’s scope of practice) would not happen while on the scale, let alone before the patient steps upon the scale.
Should a patient decline to be weighed, no worries. We document this and move on. Should a patient prefer to self-report their weight without stepping on the scale, no worries. We document the stated weight (and the fact that it’s self-reported) and move on.
In real life, nurses and MAs do NOT have time to quibble about patients’ weights to the point where we would personally step on the scale ourselves during a patient’s precious appointment block. Clinics are pretty faced-paced and the vast majority of us prioritize seeing and caring for our patients in a timely manner. We would not waste the time of our patients (or doctors for that matter) by engaging in silly games that do not ultimately promote the well-being of our patients.
Moreover, I personally would not want to explain to my manager or the surgeons that a patient’s rooming time was delayed because I decided to grab an extra scale and note my personal weight for comparison purposes. This simply would not fly in a real/actual clinic situation. At the very least, it would call into question my time management skills. At most, my clinical judgment would be suspect.
And also…a smug smirk that could be seen behind the masks we are all required to wear at all times simply did not happen. Nurses are smiling and talking and struggling with mask-ne like everyone else right now. We really care and advocate for our patients, and would happily celebrate healthy weight loss if we were aware.
As a 5’4” 42F, I have lost from 208-137 (with 10-15 pounds more to go) recently so I understand the complexity of the weight loss journey. Yet it would be entirely unprofessional for me to superimpose my journey upon my clinic patients. When I’m in the clinic, it’s a patient-centered therapeutic relationship focused on their needs. This sentiment holds true for the vast majority of nurses. We truly root for our patients’ success.
Hopefully OP finds what s/he is looking for.
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