"I DEMAND an antibiotic. I am the customer and I am paying your salary" - Page 6

The worst part is when the doctors give in to the patients and by doing so make you, the nurse, look like a total D-bag that has no idea what they are doing. I had a patient a few weeks ago that had her asthmatic daughter taking albuterol 4 times a day. Regularly. Even when she wasn't showing any signs of anything. So when she gets to the hospital, she freaks out because respiratory is coming in, listening to her kid, and then NOT giving a treatment because.... wah-lah... her lungs are clear and it's not needed. The order is written as it should be - "albuterol, PRN". She called me in and told me the nurses weren't giving the proper medication, that it was all our fault her kid kept getting sick because we weren't medicating her properly.... and the fact was - WE were medicating her properly. The MOM was not!!!

I tried to explain the use of albuterol to her (this child was on other asthma medications as well, and her PRESCRIPTION even said 4 times a day, AS NEEDED on it. ) - and she just yelled and fussed at me up one side and down the other.

So I called the doc. Told the doc this woman needed EDUCATION.... and she wasn't going to listen to anything but a white coat.

Doc goes in.... comes out 30 minutes later with an order for scheduled albuterol, q4. Got tired of mom and just rolled over to please her, really.

**bangs head**

This kid was a heart patient, and was going to leave jacked up on albuterol for no reason.

**bangs head again**

Sometimes we take "patient centered care" and "family centered care" to a whole new level, you know?

Blah. I'm mad again just thinking about it. LOL

Yep, love those ones, too. The ones that the doc doesn't want to deal with so just gives whatever they want, and YOU look like a schnook because you disagreed. Makes me cranky, too.

Ah, but now the documentation of her failure to follow through, her seeming lack of interest in this process is PRICELESS.

Or trying to explain to family how Coumadin therapy works and why so many blood draws and med adjustments!!

That drives me nuts when families will not listen to that!

I just love the ones that say "I pay your salary" Because I just look at them and say, "I want a raise". But just document everything she said the way that she said it. Then put in your observations, and that the Doctor was called. Notify your supervisor. That is it. She starts anything call security. You don't have to take that from this half-wit.

My kids' pediatrician also has posters and pamphlets (from the CDC no less) and a firm anti-antibiotic stance. She told me that the nurses' kids are about the only ones she'll routinely prescribe antibiotics for, b/c generally speaking we give it those few days to see if it's getting better using traditional methods first before bringing them in.

I could never ever do LTC...at least in acute care we know the prima donnas will eventually leave.

In theory, roughly 50% of people are below average intelligence. In practice the number seems to approach 90%.

I had a patient yesterday, was fine with his Foley catheter, we discussed the rationale for the Foley catheter, and so on. Then half an hour later IT HAS TO COME OUT RIGHT THIS SECOND. We did the back and forth for about 10 minutes before I said if it's really that uncomfortable I will call the MD and get a DC order. Then the SO pipes up... "just put the order in!"