Vent on noncommunication

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in MED/SURG STROKE UNIT, LTC SUPER., IMU.

Why is it that the doctors, pharmacy and anyone else can't communicate with each other, but instead call the nurse to call so and so doctor? I had a day from hell yesterday. Very busy group, doctors calling me to call other doctors about a patient (not once but several times) and pharmacy calling me to call the doctors about the very same patient. I spent so much time on the phone with everyone that my pm meds were late, didn't even get to input one shift assessment until 8:30pm, and generally running like my rear end was on fire. I just don't understand why doctors can not call each other and discuss the pt condition and why pharmacy can not call the doctors directly when they have a concern about a particular med.

Can no one stop and think about the fact that the nurse is trying to medicate, assess, do wound care, admissions, discharges, orders, and deal with family members not to mention in the mean time toilet, feed and all of the other things we have to do when our PCT are very busy. You can't just tell a patient to hold it when you know your PCT is in another room bathing a 300lb pt that is a total care and you know that job is going to take at least 45 minutes. Okay, got that out of my system. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.:uhoh3:

Hi TonyaM73:

Here's hoping all of your tomorrows are MUCH better and less chaotic.

{{{{{{{{{{TonyaM73}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

:heartbeat

Specializes in floor to ICU.

I call that playing post office. It sucks.

Specializes in MED/SURG STROKE UNIT, LTC SUPER., IMU.

Thank you both for letting me vent. I really felt like telling them that I didn't have time to play secretary....I was too busy playing nurse!!! hehe

I don't know how this system got started. I have often wondered why the pharmacy can't call the doc, or if radiology wants an order for an antihistamine why they don't call the doc directly.

The nurse is always Grand Central Station.

Specializes in Burn, CCU, CTICU, Trauma, SICU, MICU.

I refuse to be the go-between. I am not a secretary for the hospital and undoubtedly one person on one side of the communication is going to have a question that i need to hang up and call the other person find out, and then go back and call 1st person again... blah.

I get sugar sweet and give them the pager or phone number for whomever they are looking to speak with! They say "I dont have time to go through that!" and I say "Well, neither do I. So if you want your question answered by X person - you can make the time to speak to them yourself!"

That doesn't make sense - they don't have time to call the MD or pharmacist, but they have time to call you? !!!

Specializes in MED/SURG STROKE UNIT, LTC SUPER., IMU.

That is what I don't get. If they have time to call you and then have you call them back several times concerning the same issue because you have to clarify for the person they have had you call.....why can't they make the 5 minute call themselves and save you the 30 minutes of being the go between when you have 7 patients right there that need tending to? I have only been on this floor for a few months, so I have tried to do everything that everyone asks of me until I get the feel for how it is done there, but next time this senerio plays out I think that I will just give them the phone number. The pharacist had the gall to tell me that I am the one who has to call when I mentioned that I think that she should call the doc on this. I clarified later with the other nurses and everyone said that NO it was the pharmacy's duty to call the doc. GRRRRR

Be assertive, but polite. When the MD or pharmacist calls, be matter of fact - tell them the relevant phone number(s) and hang up before a discussion can ensue. If there's a complaint, mention that it's a matter of pt safety - cutting out the middle man (you) eliminates the chances of a mis-communication and therefore a potentially dangerous medical error.;)

I've worked in a couple of hospitals where the pharmacist called the doctor directly.

When they won't call it's because they just don't want to.

Specializes in Student.

Some doctors are just like that; I may not be a nurse yet but I have work in records & I think with out us they would be very un organize. Just keep your head up. :D;)

Specializes in pediatrics, public health.

At the hospital where I used to work, pharmacy called doctors directly, and doctors communicated directly with each other --thank goodness! It definitely makes much more sense that way -- good luck with getting these folks to talk directly to each other in the future!

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