Everything is our responsibility. Rant.

[dudette10]

Why do I have to call lab to remind them of timed blood draws being drawn, well, on time?

Why do I have to call dietary to make sure the ordered supplements are on the tray?

Why do I have to call pharmacy to refill the Pyxis?

Why do I have to call supply to tell them that they smooshed two types of IVF together in the supply Pyxis and they need to sort it out?

A STAT imaging call to radiology is our job, but why do I have to follow up 30 minutes later?

Even if I'm busy, I have to check orders every 30 minutes because STAT orders are put in without a courtesy call to the nurse!

I wish, as an orientation exercise, every department of the healthcare team was required to shadow a nurse for a day. I think many eyes would be opened.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Speaking of housekeeping, does anyone know why they can't just put on a pair of gloves and clean up the darn poop/blood/vomit on the floor??

Its so stupid that the aide has to clean every trace of bodily fluid before housekeeping will even think of cleaning the room. I know for a fact that the handling of potential biohazards is part of their basic training. So what's the big deal? Cleaning rooms and stuff is kind of, like, the whole point of the or job, no?

It seems to me that if one accepted the job as a custodian in a hospital, it should have occurred to him/her that maybe, just maybe, they might have to one day come into contact with a little bit of poo or blood...

I've had had a housekeeper go to great lengths to find me so I could wipe down a quarter-sized drop of dried blood we missed on the bed rails so she could "finish cleaning the room." Really??

Money....it has to do with money that is spent on training them for hazmat spills and then they would have to pay them more.

It's all about the money.

[thelema13]

I agree with the waitress thing. 100%

That's why I've said this, time and time again: leave a 20% cash tip on the bedside table.

Working in restaurants before becoming a nurse, I wholeheartedly agree. You don't mess with people who touch your food, you don't mess with people who wield needles and powerful chemical cocktails. A tip is always appreciated, as is a simple compliment.

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

Start inspiring music and fireworks....

OP, we do it all because nurses are everyone's den guides. (I won't say "mommies" in for respect to our guys). Everything including MD orders come through us. We are the control panels to the patients' care. Of course it wears us down! How many people can yell at you at once? All of them! Who has the balls to face it head on and fire back? We do!

That's part of why we are the glue in medicine. We make it come all together, we make it happen on time, big or small, stupid, yucky or downright disgusting! Nurses are the ones who makes sure it gets done and gets done RIGHT!!

YOU are a superhero! YOU are the one who kicks butt and takes names and then goes back and kicks it again if needed!

You aren't the one who comes in a pokes at a patient and then leaves, saying "I'll ask your nurse." You aren't the one who is afraid to walk into a patient's room just because the door is closed. Everyone looks to you, the patients, families, MDs, NPs, PAs, PT/OT, RT, Nutrition, Engineering, Social Work, Lab, Radiology, everyone!

The MD can look at a patient for 5 minutes and run out after throwing some orders at you, but you are the one they look to when they don't have a CLUE as to what is going on! "What was their temp?" "What was their K?" "When was their last BM?" They don't know, you do!

YOU. ARE. A. NURSE!!!

(This message was brought to you by Nurses for Kicking People's Sorry Butts Incorporated.)

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

sometimes i redirect the complaint including ones from pts to the approppriate department instead of just listening or trying to fix things. lab drew scheduled labs at wrong time, I direct the dr to the phlebotomist who drew it.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

Our radiology docs! Ugh. They'll call with urgent findings up to our unit - ask for the patient's RN - and then start talking about how the patient has metastasized cancer, or a pneumo, or a PE. Great. I do need to know that. But then ramble on with suggestions for further work-ups, etc. There are certain ones that if you try to re-direct them to the primary doctor's pager number, they get angry or - worse! - start to /whine/ about why I can't have this talk with the doctor? Because I'm not a doctor! Or a NP!

[sistasoul]

Our radiology docs! Ugh. They'll call with urgent findings up to our unit - ask for the patient's RN - and then start talking about how the patient has metastasized cancer, or a pneumo, or a PE. Great. I do need to know that. But then ramble on with suggestions for further work-ups, etc. There are certain ones that if you try to re-direct them to the primary doctor's pager number, they get angry or - worse! - start to /whine/ about why I can't have this talk with the doctor? Because I'm not a doctor! Or a NP!

Our radiology docs do the same thing.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

And can we talk about consults? I was constantly having to call docs for consults as a Unit Secretary who would then tell me they weren't on call or ask all kinds of questions I had to go to great lengths to find the answers for. (I know the Nurses probably know this info or can find it easier but..)

The Hospitalist's were notorious for this. They'd follow the patient the whole hospital stay and then try to drop them when they got to our unit. I'd call whoever was on call and get the run around. "Call again at 0800 when I'm off" or "We've released them" Ok thats great, but the patient still needs a medical doctor. Ahhhhhhh

[anothergrumpyoldRN]

So the tests, etc are important, we know that and we advocate for the patient...even when it is ridiculous and time consuming.

We are not, however, responsible for the actions or inactions of other disciplines or professionals unless they report to us.

It is uncomfortable when we are in the accountable position of nurse, who is supposed to orchestrate all of these things, but we are not responsible for the actions of others.

No, documentation in and of itself will not improve anything...but in this crazy health care world you must protect yourself while trying to do the best job you can for your patients. And most change in the corporate system needs data to support the cause...hence the IRs.

[CodeteamB]

Speaking of housekeeping, does anyone know why they can't just put on a pair of gloves and clean up the darn poop/blood/vomit on the floor??

Its so stupid that the aide has to clean every trace of bodily fluid before housekeeping will even think of cleaning the room. I know for a fact that the handling of potential biohazards is part of their basic training. So what's the big deal? Cleaning rooms and stuff is kind of, like, the whole point of the or job, no?

It seems to me that if one accepted the job as a custodian in a hospital, it should have occurred to him/her that maybe, just maybe, they might have to one day come into contact with a little bit of poo or blood...

I've had had a housekeeper go to great lengths to find me so I could wipe down a quarter-sized drop of dried blood we missed on the bed rails so she could "finish cleaning the room." Really??

Really? At my facility they do it all. Just the other night I left the code room with a stretcher leaving red tracks on the floor, there was so much blood in that room.... And housekeeping cleaned the lot of it. I have other stuff to do, and that is their job. Really, what is the point of hiring a janitor if they won't clean???

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

All day, Dad screamed at me about how we were torturing his child by keeping him NPO and how if I couldn't give him a time for surgery right.this.second. he was going to feed the child.

I'd be tempted to call security on someone like this. He shouldn't be given the opportunity to feed the child before surgery. Lawd knows if the child aspirated after eating a Happy Meal it would be all our fault as well.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I'd be tempted to call security on someone like this. He shouldn't be given the opportunity to feed the child before surgery. Lawd knows if the child aspirated after eating a Happy Meal it would be all our fault as well.

^THIS.

I know I have...no write ups either!!!

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I'd be tempted to call security on someone like this. He shouldn't be given the opportunity to feed the child before surgery. Lawd knows if the child aspirated after eating a Happy Meal it would be all our fault as well.

Well, had Dad fed the child surgery would have been post-poned till the next day and it would have been the same circus all over again. It took us (me, the Charge RN and the Resident) a LONG time to break him down and get him to understand that and that tomorrow, his kid would be on call for the OR again with no definite time.

Also, this thread reminded me of one of the most ridiculous experiences I ever had in the hospital... I'm walking down the hall to see one of my patients and an Attending stops me in the hall and says "excuse me, where is my Spanish interpreter for Johnny?" And I said, "I have no idea, I'm not Johnny's nurse." And then he had the nerve to ask me to arrange an interpreter for him. Do I look like your secretary? I'm a NURSE... pick up the phone and page the interpreter yourself.