Things you'd LOVE to tell the doc and get away with it....

[nerdtonurse?]

Since the patient version is so popular, and I had a bad weekend (and no hope for a better one this weekend....)

You've been giving this schizophrenic Alzheimer's pt 10 mg Ambien, plus 50mg Benedryl, plus 100mg Seroquel every night at their NH for years. Could you please, PLEASE explain why you stopped giving it to them when you put them in the hospital? Do I look like a lion tamer?

Yes, I am going to report you when you take the packing out of an abdominal wound with your bare hands, despite me waving gloves in front of your face. That's what the risk management software's for. BTW, did you not see the big isolation gear on the door? Pt. has hx. of MRSA in the wound, and you just stirred in it barehanded....

When I call you at 3 am and tell you your pt's BP is 212 over 179, resp are 32, and O2 sats are 78, could you please say something other than "So what do you want me to do?" Because, one night, I'm going to tell you what to do, and it's going to be something that only a hermaphrodite can physically do.

We all know this pt's a junkie; could you please, PLEASE, not admit everyone who comes to the ER with a pulse tonight? I've got two evolving CVA's and an acute MI, along with my OOB q5minutes Alzheimer's pt, my drama queen post lap chole, and one in restraints that the NH sent simple to get a break from him trying to bite them. I don't need a "demerol, phenergan and diet soda" q4h, too.

[lamazeteacher]

Well I told the docs and the communities in which they're expected to work, by writing an essay that was published in the "Opinion" section of our local newspaper. I told them that their new/current practise of keeping far shorter office hours (10 am - 3:30 pm), referring patients to long waits in ED/ER when their office closes very early and opens very late, with possible exposure to communicable disease(s) (like H1N1) there, and the general pathetic level of cooperation with previous specialists seen out of state, is not tolerated.

Their use of family practitioners as "hospitalists" when their patients are admitted to hospital, results in lack of continuity of care, as medications used pre-admission, although listed upon admission are not provided there; and hemorrhaging GI patients (me) need to be seen earlier than 2 hours after ambulance drop-off with report given of same to personnel. I have refused to pay for the hospitalists' services as it was quite substandard! Upon (my) discharge, I was told by one, that K would be prescribed, but no prescription could be found, and staff were unwilling to call that doctor (my lab value was 3.3). So I was told to eat bananas and take OTC K. That was obviously insufficient, which was proven on a follow up lab test. Responsibility for patient care, I wrote goes beyond time spent in hospital.

Well, responses in that newspapers' "Last word" column included one opposing my viewpoint, that described the writer's similar problems during and after his/her hospitalization and ER visit at the same hospital. (?!!?) Another response was a statement that the community was privileged to have ANY doctors to meet peoples' medical needs, at all! (You have to love the south!)

[Florence NightinFAIL, BSN, RN]

I haven't sat down once in over 8 hours, my bladder is bursting, I'm behind in my charting and you could see me running around - don't think you can stroll in and ask me stupid questions you can find the answers if you could just flip through the chart in front of you!

[Poi Dog]

Would it kill you to smile...just once?

:nuke:

[casi, ASN, RN]

Just because they are old doesn't mean we should stop treating acute illnesses.