What is it about nurses that makes us seem fair game for personal remarks?

The things some people say to us are just plain rude

‘Which patient was that?’ my colleague asked. ‘The one with the two black eyes?’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘And the legs in plaster. He’s now seeking asylum in a Central American embassy just in case I’m out to get him.’

I don’t know why some patients think it’s acceptable to make personal remarks to nurses. This particular patient, who I have known for many years, told me I was looking old.

Old! What a thing to say to a woman who is, well, getting on a bit. Not the way to win friends, frankly. But it is the eye department, I thought, and the day before, another patient said I looked too young to retire. I need to compare their visual acuities before I book the Botox.

Impertinent