Nurse as a Patient, treated badly, wanting to rant

I am sorry for your experience, and sincerely hope you have found a source of high-quality specialized care.

I strongly encourage you to report your experience as the others have recommended.

I had a similar experience at the outpatient clinics of the University of Pennsylvania shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. I wrote letters to everyone I thought might be even remotely interested, and received prompt responses. I believe they made honest effort to improve, but I was never satisfied with my care there.

Fortunately, I had excellent local physicians whom I trusted with my care, and didn't have to rely on Penn for much other than consultation. I certainly learned that bigger is not always better. I believe their clinic had grown so rapidly that they had no idea how to manage it and couldn't find adequate qualified specialized staff. No excuse for poor care, though.

Definitely write a formal complaint.

Thank you for taking the time to do this, not only for your peace of mind, but also for the patients yet to come who have no idea what basic safety measures and standards of care their nurses should be following.

Please let us know what you learn.

Take care.

write a detail note for yourself first about everything what had happened. this will keep your memory fresh when it all goes to court. get a good layer. report them to JACHO, hospital CEO, DON, unit manager. this was very disrespectful treatment, unsafe for you as a patient, and i don't even want to think what they do to other patients. i never would give anything to patient asleep; i would cut my hand for that. i do not even give medication unless i have ID band on patient hand or leg. my patients even laugh when i ask them for tenth time about their name and birth date. there are always policies and procedures one should follow to maintain safety of patients and facility itself. it would be great if your experience would change the way they treat and care for their patients.
also the hospital is the one to pay your bills for the treatment they has offered to you. i am sure they would arrange for some good deal on your behave as soon as the wheel starts to wheel: JACHO, CEO, DON...
best wishes!!!

You have received excellent advice to which I cannot add. I just wish to add my support and hope you can find trust and complete recovery, soon. I really do wish you the best. I am so sorry.

Notify the Department of Public Health, Department of Health Services, or the agency that licenses hospitals in your state.

And please keep us posted as to what happens!

Prayers still with you...

OMG I am glad you can document and understand that you were treated poorly, not by the book etc. As a nurse , you have so much knowledge regarding your treatment.

As a new student, I already know that my text book sounds great but real world healthcare does not follow all the lovely ideas my text book describes.

I have been having a really hard time at clinical b/c I know one thing is supposedly right, but I have never experienced any of this so called health care system espoused in texts.

If we are questioning our care, how does the typical patient deal with this? All I ever hear are bad , horror stories.

I have many questions............but hopefully you are well.


I mean really well!

I don't want to go OT

In some small defense of the nurse, she had already met the patient, so didn't really need the armband. As for not waking the patient - one of my major goals in life is to not wake people.

the part about not using the pre-existing PICC is just plain stupid. is it common practice to not use a PICC unless it was inserted at one's own hospital?