Observation of the day

cardiacfreak, ADN · Oct 18, 2013

(I'm mainly talking about people who list ridiculous things like "oxygen" or "Vitamin C" in their allergy lists...)

Or how about Lasix because "it makes me pee too much" :arghh: This actually happened to me last week.

Student Mom to Three · Oct 18, 2013

I work in endoscopy which means I do a lot of procedures where it is just me and the doc. My observation is that my feelings of competence vary greatly based on which doc I am working with. It is so, so, so much better to work with the doc who gives you the occasional thumbs up, "good job", or "thanks for your help today" than the one who gives no kudos at all.

I try to remember this and hand out frequent and genuine kudos to my co-workers. Really helps make a happy team when we talk each other up. Just my observation.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Oct 18, 2013

Anyone ever notice how the amount someone brags about ____ skill is inversely proportional to the number of times s/he has actually performed it?

I once worked with a nurse who often talked about how good she was at inserting NG tubes. "First time, every time" was her motto, and of course the rest of us never questioned her claim because we didn't usually drop NGs on Med/Surg, the ER nurses did them before they sent the patients up. One night a confused, elderly lady came up with a bowel obstruction and orders for an NG to LCS, suppositories, and a Triple-H enema. For some reason the ER didn't get the NG in, and since it was this nurse's turn for an admission, she finally had the chance to show us how it was done.

Well, I suppose y'all know how it went. What was pathetic was that the CNA had to talk her through setting everything up.....because the CNA was a second-year nursing student who'd actually put an NG down a live patient in clinicals, and this nurse was a rookie who obviously had NOT. She didn't even know that she was supposed to measure the tubing before attempting the insertion! :nailbiting:

The GI doc on call was the one who wound up doing it under sedation, because all five of us nurses tried and none of us could get the sucker in there with her clawing and scratching us. After that, we noticed that our newbie was a little more subdued about her "skills". :sarcastic:

Keseratops · Oct 18, 2013

The "Clean" no gloves area is never Clean!!!!

TrevyRN, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2013

I have noticed this in the ER for sure. There was actually a patient who said her toothache was more important than a person having a heart attack.

Ha! Our doctor explained to a patient he took a while to get into their room to see them for sprained ankle because he was intubating a 7 year old child that may not survive. Pt insisted they were important too and that the wait was unacceptable. Nice person... they had kids too so... where is the sympathy or empathy?

Some people are social retards LOL

Tina, RN · Oct 18, 2013

I learn something new at work every day. Sometimes it's medical, sometimes it's about people, but not a day goes by that I don't learn something.
My observation of the day is: almost across the board, the sickest patients are the nicest and most patient, whereas the least sick are usually the most rude and demanding.
What's yours?

I'm going to add my 2 cents... I think that the sicker patients know and understand that there are more important things in life than cold Ginger Ale and fluffy pillows. Maybe that is why they are less demanding and have different priorities in life? The ones that aren't as sick still have the time and energy to be demanding.

Then again, as someone mentioned, it could just be a case of "Once a PIA, always a PIA"... LOL

Sassy-RN · Oct 18, 2013

I have often thought the same thing in my head! I also learn something every day. Many days it is just about learning about my patience...

Do-over, ASN, RN · Oct 18, 2013

Census is inversely proportional to the level of chaos on that shift.

R!XTER · Oct 20, 2013

About 10% of patients who are brought in by ambulance are actually experiencing true medical emergencies.

monkeybug · Oct 24, 2013

I work in L&D and my patient aren't normally 'sick' (unless you consider pregnancy and illness). Most of the time, the louder and more demanding they are, the closer they are to delivery and the more they need my help.
I do however get many, many moms who come in being loud and groaning and aren't actually in labor lol!

When ER escort comes out of the elevators with a screaming patient, we would only get in hurry if they were doing the one-hip-sit lean. Otherwise we would hand them the gown and ask them calmly to go to the bathroom and change. Seriously, I cannot count the number of times I'd do a VE and find a hard, unripe cervix at 1/0%/-4. And usually the screaming stops as soon as they figure out they aren't actually in labor and that the staff isn't swayed by the drama.

monkeybug · Oct 24, 2013

About 10% of patients who are brought in by ambulance are actually experiencing true medical emergencies.

I'll never forget the night we had a patient come in by ambulance from an outlying county (can't imagine what that cost), followed by four relatives who came in a private car, with a complaint of a yeast infection. No contractions, no bleeding, no spontaneous rupture of membranes, just "I've got a yeast infection." When I woke the doctor up, he refused to come out of the sleep room and refused to prescribe anything. Her discharge instructions were to go to the pharmacy and get monistat. Of course, I did monitor her and check her cervix, so he did know that nothing else was going on. And honestly I didn't blame him a bit. She was rather put out, but that's life.