Pet Peeves (by Julian Ayrs)...Nurses who cram patient's clothing in plastic bags! Wrinkled messes!

If you’ve been to the “Emergency” Department at a hospital, you know the drill!

Once an ailing individual is checked in at the front desk, the nurses on duty urge the patient to take a seat in the overcrowded lobby.

 Now, the waiting game begins!

An hour or two later (!) a nurse will call the patient’s name – at which point – they'll be led to a holding area in the “bowels” of ER where they're iinstructed to strip down to their underwear (if the person is not wearing any, they’ll be forced to flap in the breeze!) and slip on a tacky-looking nightgown.

While the patient is languishing in pain, a handful of staff members trot in and out, poking and probing this way 'n that until the Doctor finally trots in to work his magic (drum up a diagnosis, hopefully).

If the patient needs to be admitted, they’ll be asked to sign a slew of papers – and produce their insurance documents – just before they are rolled on a gurney to the upper reaches of the Medical facility.

At this point, a Nurse takes an inventory of the patient’s belongings, and then proceeds to rustle up a plastic bag.

Here’s where my pet peeve comes in!

Instead of carefully folding a gentleman’s dress dinner jacket carefully, for example, the staff on duty simply cram the man's clothing into the bag wrinkling it all to hell in the process.

Then, for good measure, the thoughtless inconsiderate employee tosses in the dirty shoes on top, to ensure that when the patient is discharged a day or two later they’ll appear for all-the-world like a bum who just dragged themselves out of a ditch nearby.

Cedars-Sinai and California Medical Center are the worst offenders, folks.

Is it too much to ask the Nurses and staff at these hospitals to be a little more careful with a patient’s belongings?

'Nuff said!