Nurse Tech and first patient fall. Worried about being fired.

[guyman123]

I am a nursing student who has a job as a nurse tech. I've been on the job for four months. I'm on the float team and today I was assigned to a neuro medsurg floor. I had a patient who needed to use the restroom so I took her there and closed the door and let her have her privacy. I was called to another room so I told the patient to pull the call lift when she was done. I find out a few minutes later that she pulled the call light, a few seconds before she went to clean herself. As she cleaned herself, she tipped over, hit her head, and was on the floor. She was given Dilaudid 30m prior. They're taking her to do a CAT scan now. I now learned never to leave my bathroom patients alone. So now I have a couple questions.

1. What will happen in regards to this?

2. Will this fall go on my record?

3. I really want to work at this hospital when I become an RN so will this affect my chances of being hired?

4. The most important question: will I be fired?

Thank you in advanced.

Edit: patient was in her 20s

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

This concerns me more than anything. With this many falls, there are some major systemic issues on this floor. Yes, patients fall, it happens, but to have this many this consistently? Craziness. How long before there is a serious injury or death associated with a fall? Add to this, people not wanting to work the floor? It sounds like management really needs to step up and make things better.

Like perhaps giving the techs a complete report on the patients they will be assisting for the shift.

[DoeRN]

Like perhaps giving the techs a complete report on the patients they will be assisting for the shift.

This times 100.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

[loriangel14, RN]

Like perhaps giving the techs a complete report on the patients they will be assisting for the shift.

Well yes exactly.Everyone needs to know stuff like how someone ambulates etc

[schnookimz]

I used to work on a neuro floor and this is how many falls we used to have too---we had 34 beds. Fully staffed each RN had 4-5 patients and each tech had 8-9. Every single patient was on a bed alarm, whether they were alert or not. And yet, still the falls.....anyone come from a neuro floor that doesn't have that problem?

Even assisted falls were counted against us as falls. Which is ridiculous. It's like we are doing everything perfectly and it's counted against us that we helped the person onto the floor.....

[Wave Watcher]

I've never floated on a floor and not known what type of floor/unit I was working. Glad your patient is ok.

[Aurora77]

Like perhaps giving the techs a complete report on the patients they will be assisting for the shift.

Exactly.

[emcadams]

Use it as a learning opportunity...Dilauded + Neuro = bedside commode/bedpan. On my floor, I can't stay with everyone in the bathroom. It is unrealistic. But if they need that much watching/help...bedside commode. Bed alarm. Also, almost every fall I've encountered (and no, your not fired if you followed all protocol and even then it's a learning opportunity) were people you would not expect to fall. So teaching is VERY important..."don't get up by yourself"...and chart chart chart.

[RNewbie]

I work on a surgical floor and we have had so many falls lately. Some were with injuries. One ended in a woman in her 30s ending up in a coma. We can no longer leave anyone unassisted in the bathroom or bedside commode. Can't close the door, the pts can't have any privacy. If someone has to have a bowel movement, the door stays cracked and we stay right outside the door. We can no longer instruct pts to use the bathroom alarm when they are done. We just have to wait with them. So for 20 min while they are in the bathroom and my other pts are calling I'm waiting in the room bc I can't leave.

[cardiacfreak, ADN]

I work on a stroke certified Progressive Care Unit so I understand that these types of patients can be very impulsive. We have a very strict high risk fall policy and someone must be with a pt that is high risk while they are in the bathrm. If I would leave a pt alone in the bathrm and go to another pts room I would get written up whether that pt fell or not.

We have decreased our fall rates by 25% in the last 3 years. Our last fall was August 8th and that was because the pt had orthostatic hypotension and the PCA was taking orthostatic vitals. Now it is policy that 2 people be present during orthos. It is a pain in the neck, however pt safety is major concern at my hospital

You cannot prevent every fall but I do believe the majority of falls can be prevented. Does your hospital have a Fall Committee? If they do maybe you should attend one of their meetings. Falls should not be common, your facility needs to acknowledge the problem and then institute policy and procedure to decrease falls. I live in Indiana and the facility where I work must report all falls with injury (except minor injury like skin tears) to the state.

[VANurse2010]

Take it as a learning experience not to leave folks unattended in the bathroom... and don't take to heart the guilt trips about only worrying about yourself. Those folks aren't going to pay your bills if you get fired.

[Alnitak7]

I like to get guidance from people who have worked with them before I take care of them so this won't happen.

I sometimes like to ask, "Should I stay with her or is she okay to walk by herself?"

"Should I leave her alone in the bathroom or stay with her?"

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I don't think you have to worry about being fired. You seem to care, which is a plus in this situation. Learn from your experience and don't leave your patients unless you know them. Most hospitals have a sentinel event reporting system in place for falls, pressure ulcers, etc. The nurse will take care of this.