Ok, here's the story. I am a nurse intern going into my 4 semester. I work on a Med-Tele floor and I work nights. I have NEVER had a problem with any of the nurses I work with. In fact, I have been requested as the "tech" by several nurses. All the nurses I have worked with know I am in nursing school.
Well, last night I work and I am doing q 4 VS. One of the patients have a BP of 215/70. I ask the patient was she on any BP meds. She tells me Clonidine. The patient's family member was in the room as well. The patient then proceeds to tell me that she had not had her meds including the Clonidine since she's been down for a MRI. I tell her that I'm quite sure the nurse heard something in report and she will be in to speak with her shortly. The family member wanted to reconfirm the BP (it was done on a dinamap).
I leave the patient room to tell the nurse about the high BP. The nurse is sitting at the nurses station and the family member comes to the door and says "I just want to make sure, what was her BP again?" as I am walking away with the dinamap. I tell her what it was and tell her I'm in the process of speaking to her nurse about it.
I ask the nurse if she knew if this patient was on Clonidine and if so, when was the last time she had it because her BP is very high. I tell her what the patient told me about not having her meds since she went for a MRI.
The nurse says she will check the orders and go in and speak with the patient.
I go about my night as usual.
The nurse ask me to keep an eye on the pt's blood pressure and to take it manually instead on a dinamap. I did. The BP was still high, despite whatever drug she was giving her and it wasnt Clonidine (because the nurse said it wasnt ordered, it was a home med). So, when I told her the BP, I asked her "is she on a beta blocker or something?" She told me "yeah, but I don't think it's working", so I asked her "does she have something else ordered?" She ignored me.
This is nothing new I do. I ask the nurses questions all the time when I'm trying to piece together the big picture. Most nurses are receptive to my questions and are eagar to teach.
Why did I get pulled into the office by the charge nurse with a complaint from this nurse? The nurse told the charge nurse I told the patient and her family member she had not been given her meds for today. How can I tell the patient anything like this when I don't even KNOW this patient's meds? This is what the patient told ME and I told the charge nurse this. Then she said the nurse told her I was "questioning her about the patient's BP meds and asking her what she is gonna do about it". I told the charge nurse what the patient's BP was and if the patient was on any BP meds and the patient stated she takes Clonidine, in which, I relied to the nurse.
The charge nurse said this nurse was highly offended that I was asking her questions and was in tears. I really don't understand when I was not rude to her, nor talking to her in a condesending tone. I worked in telecommunications for over 14 years, I know how to communicate and speak to people. The charge nurse also said that this nurse emailed the nursing supervisor, so I will most likely be having a meeting with her also.
So, I told the charge nurse I am not at work to create drama and if she felt my asking questions for knowledge was too much, then please don't assign me to her again and we can keep it at that. The charge nurse said that she understands I am in nursing school and wouldnt be offended at all that I was asking questions about abnormal vital signs. She basically told me not to worry about it and basically this nurse does not get along with any of the techs on nights.
So, I go back to the floor and address the nurses (including her) and tell them if they have a problem with me asking questions, I apologize because I'm just trying to learn. I'm not there to "take over anybody's job" or "step over boundaries" by questioning things I've been taught in nursing school and trying to apply it in the real world. The other nurses said they have no problem with me asking questions and would be kinda suspecious if I didnt ask questions, considering I am in nursing school. Of course, the other nurse just sat there staring at the floor.
I am sooo upset about this! Not only do this nurse NOT come to me directly about any issue she may have had with me personally, she got the charge nurse and nursing supervisor involved. I wanted to confront this nurse so bad, but the charge nurse decided it was best that she speak with us separately because this nurse has a hx of taking something so small and blowing it out of porportion (the whole crying thing is beyond me).
What are your thoughts? Do you think I did the right thing? What would you have done if you were the nurse or me in this situation?
