This week has been "national nursing home dump in the ER week". Happened over mother's day too. Kids go see their parents/grandparents that they havent seen since christmas and all of a sudden realize that *GASP* they dont look too good! So what do they do? Bring gram and gramps to the emergency room. Along with 25 family members that are "oh so concerned" about that particular family member that they only care to visit twice a year. Grampa has had a UTI for 3 months... but TODAY it is an emergency. GRRRR! We are short 4 full time RNs, down two techs, and we dont use LPNs in the ER per hospital policy, people keep calling in sick even when we KNOW they are not sick because they know that when they come to work they are going to get triple patient loads because we have no staff.
This has made me decide two different things... Im going to start working as a part time recruiter for the hospital at Missouri Universities to get new grads into our facility...
If I have children, I am going to be really really nice to them so they pick a nursing home that actually ASSESSES before they send me out half naked in an ambulance for a CHRONIC UTI. If I DONT have children... im making a suicide pact with someone, so that they shoot me the day I can't make it on my own.
Ok, I rarely rant anymore... but this felt GOOD!