She got fired...

[StL_Momma27]

I was in my Ethics class today and one girl started talking about how her friend, an RN was with a patient when they started to bleed out. She said that the patient needed their vein sutured up or they would die. They called the dr and it took him over a hour to get to the room. She knew that she needed a dr in the room, but knew that if she waited the patient would be dead. She saved the patient and her and the dr both got fired.

How is it possible that she saved someone's life, but she gets fired for doing so?

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

If the situation even really happened, the chances are low that the nurse got fired "for saving people's lives." More likely, she either didn't do something that could have avoided a life/death scenario, or she did something outrageous that she shouldn't have.

With the sketchy information provided, we can't know for sure whether or not an injustice was done to the nurse or whether or not her firing was justified.

Boy did you not read my post.

[StL_Momma27]

Sorry ladies, she didn't go into detail about what happened. I wish she would have, but this is all I got out of it. I didn't mean to confuse you all, but I thought what I wrote would be sufficient enough.

All I know is that she called for the dr, he didn't get there for an hour, she wasn't supposed to do what she did, but sutured up the vein without him being present. I get what a lot of you are saying, that it doesn't all add up.

Thanks for the responses though!!

[Patti_RN]

This story has all the components of an urban legend, served up by the attention-seeking classmate of the OP. It serves the RN's ego: "I'm a hero. I saved a patient's life with my excellent clinical skills, my superior intelligence, and my willingness to take risks!" It serves her desire to paint senior professionals as incompetent: "The doctor didn't show up for an hour!" It serves as a moral/ ethical lesson and ominous warning to others: "Don't ever do anything heroic or you'll be punished for it!" It paints the hospital administration as an uncaring bureaucracy where unthinking, unfeeling men in suits squash valiant, selfless nurses as if they were pesky gnats. And, it has the drama and shock value that commands the listener's attention. None of the folks who heard this story checked out the facts--nor could they when it's 'a friend of a friend' this happened to. I'll bet if the OP went to the student who shared this story and asked for a name and phone number there would not be a direct link The student would tell the OP, "Ah, well... um... it wasn't MY friend... it was my FRIEND'S FRIEND...and after she lost this job she had...ah.... to move... to... SIBERIA to get another! And that's where she's working now!"

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

You mean I can't suture a vein the same way that I mend a hole in my scrubs?

It appears that the RN sutured the vein herself, rather than waiting for the doctor. Suturing a vein is much different then suturing skin. Veins are very delicate, and suturing them incorrectly can permanently damage the vein and cause some serious vascular complications.

The time that the RN was gathering supplies for the suturing, and performing the suturing was time that she should have been holding pressure on the bleed and calling a Rapid Response or getting the help of another doctor. I can't think of any medical situation where bleeding from a vein would require immediate suturing rather than firm pressure to control the bleeding. It appears, with the facts on the table, the nurse acted outside of her scope of practice and did deserve to be fired.

I can't speak for the doctor, as we don't have any information about why he wasn't there or what he did in the meantime.

I'm hoping this is a fictional story that was passed through the grapevine to this student, who, in his or her limited experience, happened believe it was true.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

All I know is that she called for the dr, he didn't get there for an hour, she wasn't supposed to do what she did, but sutured up the vein without him being present.

The Defense Department regrets to inform you that the nurse was fired because she was stupid.

[Sparrowhawk]

Well that was a whole lotta nothin. I feel like I watched a movie with no plot. Can i have a refund?

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Boy did you not read my post.

I did, but haven't had my coffee, and that irony slipped right by me.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Sorry ladies, she didn't go into detail about what happened. I wish she would have, but this is all I got out of it. I didn't mean to confuse you all, but I thought what I wrote would be sufficient enough.

All I know is that she called for the dr, he didn't get there for an hour, she wasn't supposed to do what she did, but sutured up the vein without him being present. I get what a lot of you are saying, that it doesn't all add up.

Thanks for the responses though!!

If this is truly what she did she than should have been fired....immediately. You can't be a loose cannon and just say....If I didn't do it they would die. That just isn't true.

She deserved to before and have her license at least disciplined.

[klone, MSN, RN]

sutured up the vein without him being present.

And there you have your answer. She was fired for performing a surgical procedure without a medical license. Definitely a fireable offense. Unless, of course, she was an MA, and you believe some of the people here who claim MAs can do whatever the heck they want as long as the physician allows them to, up to and including cardiothoracic surgery .

[JDZ344]

A "I heard this" story is normally not the whole truth.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I think this falls into the category of "I HEARD about a nurse who........" sort of an urban myth, kwim??????

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

But I have a degree in Fashion. That means I can suture anything I like because I got an A+ in embroidery. Right?