Was I at fault? the nurse embarrassed me in front of others.

[crunchytaco]

I am a nursing assistant in the float pool. I got floated to a med-surg floor. It was going okay, and then it got very busy when there were 3 new admits. I was in the room with the new admit and the nurse for that new patient. I was changing sheets, getting the patient situated, and getting vitals. When I come out, I check on each patient. One patient tells me he's in pain. I tell his nurse. Then that nurse asks me in a attitude in front of other nurses, if I heard the call bell going off for 1 patient for like 10 minutes. That patient needed a bed pan but ended up pooping on the sheets etc. I told her I didn't know because I was in the room with the new admit. Then she gives me an attitude in front of others saying that she cleaned him up. I was so embarrassed. I didn't know the patient had his call bell going off. I was in the room with another patient. Was I so at fault that she embarrassed me????

[mamaxmaria]

The fact of the matter is, when you work in healthcare, there is always going to be that nurse with the superiority complex that does not see the techs and aides as her team members but simply their assistant who they have control over.

I work as tech and was very recently chewed out in front of my coworkers by a nasty nurse. I was assigned to do cover for breaks, and the first tech refused to go when I went to relieve him. I told this nurse ( who was the charge nurse that day ) and her response was "I dont care as long everyone gets their break." ...okay then I moved along went to the next person but unfortunately people like to take a little longer then there assigned breaks so when I finally got back to break the tech that originally refused he had already complained he didn't get a break and someone else broke him. Well and hour later this charge nurse calls be over and in front of all my coworkers (and a few pt's and visitors) yells at me "Why didnt this person get a break?!?!" I told her I went back to relive him but he had already gone" well she goes on how I am supposed to tell her and not just take it upon myself to take of it.

Well lets just say I could have gone off and made her feel like a complete ass but I just shut my mouth and walked away. I love my job and I love what I do but this is the nature of the beast. We as techs and aides are the "low ones on the totem pole" sometimes certain nurses seem to forget that we are a part of the team and are their for the same reason they are... to help care for our pt's.

All we can do is perform our job to the best of our ability. Don't let a mean nurse get under your skin because their are plenty of other mean nurses where that came from, and plenty of nurses that truly appreciate the work we as techs and aides do.

[WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN]

This kind of thing happened to me enough times that I left my previous LTC facility. I usually try to be humble and I would have said "Oh thank you so much! I really appreciate that you cleaned up the patient so that I could settle the new admit" Make them feel like they are appreciated .

[itsnowornever, BSN, RN]

You are an aid, and are there to do just that, aid...NOT run around like a chicken with your head cut off just to do things some lady doesn't want to do herself. Why couldn't she have gone and helped if the call bell went off? I'd talk to your supervisor, if anything just to CYA.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

I'd probably have said right back to that RN in front of everybody, "Well seeing that I was busy with the new admit you assigned me to -- or did you forget already ...Why the hell, did you wait so long to clean that patient up? And, I better not find that you didn't change the sheets!"

[LVN2RNMom, ASN, BSN, LVN]

I am not surprised but why some people become nurses is beyond me. There is no CNA button & we are supposed to be a team. I was not a CNA prior to becoming an LVN but that isn't the point. If a call light is going off & my CNA's are busy then I go deal with it. It doesn't happen often but sometimes it does. It isn't a big deal to me. I feel we should have each others back & work as team but that is my opinion. There are many nurses who can sit there & let a call light go off for 10 minutes yet continue working. I can't.

[aureliarye]

It was not your fault! 1st of all she still needs to be able to change sheets, diapers, whatever is necessary if you are not available. Her education does not get her out of that task-ever. If she thinks it does she needs to go do something else. REPORT HER!

[chevyv, BSN, RN]

That nurse heard the call bell going off for 10 minutes and did nothing!?! I'm a nurse and believe me when I tell you I take pts to the br often. Not just the easy ones who can be walked into the br and the call light handed to them, but the ones that need help standing, turning, sitting etc. I then clean them up, put a new brief on and clean up afterwards. That nurse was a piece of work and next time feel free to let her know that a call light going off for 10 minutes is about 8 minutes too long and she needs to go see about her pt. You could remind her that teamwork is important and she is also part of the team caring for her pts. Come work with me! You tell your nurse someone is in pain? You actually provide information? I love you

[sunnyskies9]

That nurse was way out of line. You can't be 20 places at once. If I were the nurse with the new admit, I would have expected you to be there taking vitals, etc. Was it so difficult for the rude nurse to answer the call light herself?? On my unit, we have secretaries that answer the call lights. But surely the nurse station was not empty for an entire 10 min where no one was there to answer the call light. You are certainly not at fault. I would tell your manager asap about what happened.

[proud nurse, BSN, RN]

I come from the old school of thinking, treat people the way you want to be treated.

Would she like someone embarassing her in the nurse's station? I doubt it. If you were the only aide on the floor, and there were 3 new admits you guys were seriously understaffed.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Do you have a communication system where they can beep you or call your beeper? Otherwise how are you to know? "SOMEone" knew and should have been your backup...."Oh Nurse...it's your patient too." even turning and putting a temporary draw sheet would have been better than ignoring hime and going looking for someone to blame.

[Piña la niña]

If it is anyone that should be embarrassed, it should be the nurse, who clearly complains because she can not do basic patient care like changing sheets and cleaning poop. Just remember, you can only attend to one patient at a time. Call light is everyone's responsibility. Whoever nearby should've attended to it. No need to feel embarrassed about anything. Stick up for yourself, because nobody will! Know that you have done your job and be proud of it! =)

[IsmeAmanda, LPN]

I agree with other posters. If she noticed the bell going off for 10 minutes she could have A) Gone and dealt with it herself B) Gone to get you to let you know C) Ask someone else to go since you were both otherwise engaged. There is no excuse on HER part for letting the patient do that to himself.

I dont care what letters come after your name, RN, LPN, CNA, wtv. People who think they are too good to do things like help a patient walk, get a patient to the bathroom or on a bedpan, do a bedbath, they just make me mad. Its all nursing 101.

I had a colleague once who thought that kind of thing was acceptable. Really busy AM rounds. Patients ringing everywhere. She walks by a specific patient who tells her he has to have a BM and needs to go to the bathroom. She answers, 'I dont have time, just **** in your bed and the CNA will clean up after'. True story, her actual words. Needless to say, she did not last long at this hospital.

OMG UNACCEPTABLE! Sickening!