Why I guard the referral telephone like a dog...

[BelgianRN]

Newer grad in the ER.

She somehow gets the referral telephone in her hands. She takes a call and hears the word sectio, type A, and (nearly) ruptured. So she reports to the coordinating nurse claiming a woman is coming in for an emergency C-section because of a (nearly) ruptured placenta. Not sure what to do about it but OBGYN gets paged and is waiting in the ER for this patient. And the newer grad is assigned this incoming woman and I'm to be her backup if she runs into trouble.

So in rushes the ambo from the other hospital with a 50 yo guy, full code, who turned out to have a rupturing type A aortic disscetion. So we still handle it pretty well without any notice ^^. I get the anesthesiologist to perform the thoracotomy as we page cardiothoracics and get the patient up with a pulse into the OR and later into the ICU. We ask the new grad what possessed her, "C-section really?" She goes "well they were speaking so fast and I figured it was urgent so I didn't dare ask them to repeat and I figured you could do a type A and B C-section apparently and we'd figure it out when they were here...". I wasn't sure what to do laugh, cry, smack or just continue looking dumbfounded. I ended up with the later.

[Nurse Maru]

when I'm responsible I'm guarding the telephone as a dog and even take it to the toilet with me, paper towels make good writing paper ^^.

LOL. - So they do, . . . So they do. Present company has taken many a note on family consultation in our units "library" room

:-)

[morte, LPN, LVN]

paper towels=nurse's note paper......at least you don't have to tear off the corner of the bed sheet....

[friendlylark]

:-) GOODNESS! As a new grad, I am terrified of doing this sort of thing, but it is almost guaranteed that I will!!! I am pretty sure I am going to fall flat on my face a time or two. The GREAT thing is that I am no stranger to falling flat on my face!!! The worrisome part is that ::: this is NURSING, and I care very much about doing a good job & taking the best possible care of my patients. With God's help, I know I am going to be a good nurse ... I just don't think I AM a good nurse quite YET!!! Working on it though, only one way to get there!!! :-)

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

maybe it just didn't come across in the spirit it was intended? it can be hard to do on a 2-dimensional message board. i myself read "smack" as you were wondering if you should smack her.

also: how can she get better at fielding calls if you guard the phone like a dog? what happens when you're not there and she's not been allowed to learn?

i think perhaps the new grad ought to learn the difference between a "c-section" and a type a or b dissection before she's trusted to answer the phone by herself. and she certainly needs to know to ask questions if she doesn't understand something.

i didn't find the op negative toward the new grad, but i have found your posts negative toward the op.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

step.by.step. that is what needs to happen, even a phone set up with two handsets. because above all it is the patient that counts...frankly, i think that new grad got off easy.

i think perhaps the new grad ought to learn the difference between a "c-section" and a type a or b dissection before she's trusted to answer the phone by herself. and she certainly needs to know to ask questions if she doesn't understand something.

i didn't find the op negative toward the new grad, but i have found your posts negative toward the op.