Unsafe ED

Nurses Safety

Published

Lately I've noticed more and more that I happen to get my admissions right at 1040, 1045, change of shift you get the drift. Today I was told at 5 I was getting an admission. The SBAR got faxed at 7, in my hand at 710. 930pm I'm wondering where my patient is. I called down and asked the nurse when they planned to send him and his response was "ehhh I'll send him up in a bit." I told him that if he sends the patient at change of shift I'm sending him back to the ED and writing it up. To me it's unjustifiable to send a patient 3-4 hours after sending the SBAR. They hold these patients until change of shift so they don't get new patients. Now I know why my patients are coding on me when they get to my floor, or coming to me in rapid afib. The patient told me that he never met a male nurse, in fact he didn't see a nurse for 3 hours before he came up. This infuriates me. If I'm sure of one thing, it's that I'm a good nurse and always will act for my patient. I would never ever do things like that. Does this go on in all ERs? I understand they deal with a lot of BS, but these people are ones that require attention, I work on a tele floor. These patients typically need the attention and they aren't getting it.

Ugh, I'm sorry this happened. Frankly, your entire facility sounds terribly unsafe. I'm glad you got out. Good luck in your future endeavors!

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I was extremely angry. I like the super critical patients, but I prefer for them to be alive when they get to me. I had been super excited about getting this guy because he was supposed to be a therapeutic hypothermia and I've only had one of those before, and then only in the maintenance/rewarming stage, so I hadn't got to have someone during the cooling stage before. Obviously, I didn't get the opportunity this time either.

I was sleeping pretty hard yesterday - I missed my manager and the critical care secretary calling me. Apparently, this is a risk management deal now. I didn't report it because I am leaving (Tuesday night was my last night) and I just was over everything about that hospital, but apparently someone else did. I was supposed to go to a mandatory meeting yesterday at 1600, but when you call me at 1300 and the meeting's at 1600, and I didn't even wake up until 1800 because I got off work at 0730 and didn't fall asleep until 1000... that's not going to work. Yay for disrespecting night shift's sleeping patterns! We'll see how that goes down.

Night shift sleeping pattern is never respected by the day shift. I told the CNO once when she was not happy that I could not, would not, attend a 2 PM meeting...after she quipped "you can't make it at 2 PM...that is more than ample time for you to lay down" I asked her if she went to bed at 10PM, went to a meeting at 2AM and was expected back to work at 7AM was 10PM to 2AM "more than ample time" to lie down? .....she never made that comment again.

You need to write down the details while it is still fresh in your mind. Keep it is a secret place. You will need to talk with risk management even though you are not longer employed there (they can't 'mandate you')...they do have to go by what is convenient for you now. But just like you are liable for what you do at one facility even when you leave and go to another. You will need to speak with them after all... this could turn out to be a lawsuit.

Good luck on your new endeavors!

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

No kidding. It sounds like he was pretty cold already. :dead:

I had been super excited about getting this guy because he was supposed to be a therapeutic hypothermia and I've only had one of those before, and then only in the maintenance/rewarming stage, so I hadn't got to have someone during the cooling stage before. Obviously, I didn't get the opportunity this time either.
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