ALL Nurses should have to be a REAL patient

[nurz2be]

I am a nursing student. I was also unfortunately a patient a few weeks ago. My appendix decided, while I was in class, that it didn't want to be near my intestines anymore (I know this because I fell over in my chair and passed out, in class, during a "Pay attention" speech).

ALL of my nurses were FANTASTIC with the one exception. Isn't there always the one?

I went in on a Monday, had surgery late Wednesday evening, and I had obvious nausea issues. My doctor ordered IV Phenergan (I won't get into that). As some may or may not know this SHOULD be diluted and pushed slowly. (Insert Sigh because you all know what the next statement is going to be).

My friendly little nurse comes in with a syringe (mind you I came out of surgery less than 1 hour prior and still fairly loopy). I was in and out of sleep until THE BURN. I jumped and yelled "ITS INFILTRATING" she snapped back "NO IT"S NOT" I told her to remove her needle and herself from the room... One of the nurses from the IV team comes in and takes one look at my hand and says "YEP, infiltrated" (INSERT pain, agony, and hand that was swollen for 5 days).

Through the IV nurse filing some paperwork I later found out the nurse not only did this but also did not dilute the Phenergan. The risk manager called my home and let me know the nurse was being made to retake her IV class. I injected they may want to consider a patient relationship class.

Anyways, my point is I think nurses who have been patients, in my opinion and experience, have a different way of addressing patient issues. If I offended anyone with that comment it was not meant to it is just my experience.

[Music in My Heart]

Having several times been a med-surg patient and also a NICU parent, I agree that there are some experiences from the patient's bed that some doctors and nurses would do well to undergo.

[EmmaG, RN]

Ahhhh I feel for you. I was a patient on the floor I had worked night charge for 15 years (at the time). One of my fellow night nurses came in with IV phenergan (even though I'd requested it to only be given po). When I told her I didn't want it IV, she started to flip out and get all jittery (she was a nervous sort) so I told her, 'ok, give it IV but be sure to dilute and push it slow'.

I had turned away for (I swear!) a couple of seconds and the next thing I knew I felt like my arm was being amputated. With a dull saw. I looked back in time to see her pull a 3 cc syringe out of the closest port on the tubing.

When I yelled at her "DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO DILUTE AND PUSH SLOW!" she said the IV running through the tubing would have diluted it.

:stone

I ended up with a nasty phlebitis in that arm; it was at least twice the size of the other. Not to mention I spent the rest of the shift seriously afraid I was going to code or something. My BP dropped WAY down (70's systolic), I was having long periods of apnea. I was a complete mess.

I reported her ass, and told her when I got back to work how close she came to doing me serious harm. She just got all jittery again and flittered away.

PLEASE keep an eye on that infiltration site. Phenergan is one nasty drug

[nurz2be]

ahhhh....the dull saw blade......being turned on and off really fast....

I still have a nasty little burn under my skin. (please excuse the non-nursing lingo,as I said, I am still a student nurse) (WINK WINK). The risk manager did have me come in and she took pictures of my hand. It was a fairly traumatic ordeal. What was scary is that hurt and still is VERY tender, more than having my appendix removed.

Next time, hopefully there won't be one, Phenergan is going IM in my fanny (Gluteus maximus, I did learn that one) WINK WINK.

[TrudyRN]

You should both have sued.

As to the statement that all nurses should experience being patients - so should all doctors and aides and therapists, social workers, and anyone else who cares for patients. And, most of all, administrators and insurers should have to be patients. And should need some very painful and embarrassing procedures. Things would change a lot if they all felt the pain the average patient undergoes.

[cardsRN]

absolutely. and to understand the anger and disappointment and conflicting emotions people feel and how that makes life in general harder by orders of magnitude.

also, just a word about judgmental behavior: why is it that when an older person c/o pain they get treated but when a younger person c/o pain they get that label- you know the one- "seeker".

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

All nurses have been on the receiving end of healthcare at some point in their lives. I'd venture to declare that no person in the most industrialized nations (nurses included) have escaped life without ever going to a healthcare facility, hospital, doctors' office, clinic, or urgent care center for treatment of some sort. Therefore, all nurses have been patients at some point in their lifetimes.

We have received checkups, given birth to babies, undergone surgery, experienced diagnostic prodecures, and took advice from all sorts of healthcare practitioners.

[nurz2be]

Well, actually I have 3 instructors, who are RN's with 20 years plus experience, who have never been in a hospital except for working. I wasn't meaning like the going to a doctor kind of patient. I meant in hospital patient.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Well, actually I have 3 instructors, who are RN's with 20 years plus experience, who have never been in a hospital except for working. I wasn't meaning like the going to a doctor kind of patient. I meant in hospital patient.

Still, my point is that the abovementioned nurses have been patients of some type, even if they have only received care from employees at their doctors' office. A nurse should not have to experience a major hospitalization in order to treat fellow human beings with basic respect, empathy, and dignity. Either a person has respect, or (s)he does not.

Hospital nurses should be respectful, warm, decisive, and intellectually curious while managing the safety, comfort, and care of their patients.

Clinic nurses should be respectful, warm, decisive, and intellectually curious while managing the safety, comfort, and care of their patients.

Doctors' office nurses should be respectful, warm, decisive, and intellectually curious while managing the safety, comfort, and care of their patients.

LTC nurses should be respectful, warm, decisive, and intellectually curious while managing the safety, comfort, and care of their patients.

Nursing instructors should be respectful, warm, decisive, and intellectually curious while managing the safety, comfort, and education of their pupils.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Anyways, my point is I think nurses who have been patients, in my opinion and experience, have a different way of addressing patient issues. If I offended anyone with that comment it was not meant to it is just my experience.

I'm not sure what you're saying. I've never been a patient before. Is my way of addressing patient issues substandard compared to those who have been a patient? If so how do you know this? I'm not offended just neededing some clarification because I feel I'm off base in how I'm reading your point.

Phenergan is to be respected when given IV and it is never go be given undiluted and not before IVs are checked for blood return. It's a shame not all nurses understand this. This is what is probably going to get Phenergan banned from the market.

I'm glad to hear that other than one nurse your experience with the nurses was a good one.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Well, actually I have 3 instructors, who are RN's with 20 years plus experience, who have never been in a hospital except for working. I wasn't meaning like the going to a doctor kind of patient. I meant in hospital patient.

I think it is completely unnecessary (and a little ridiculous). It goes back to the theory that some schools seem to have that you need to experience something to understand it - and some use that as rationale for forcing students to practice skills on each other. Frankly, one would need to be more than a little dense to not understand that some procedures are painful, embarrassing, etc. It is not necessary to experience it yourself.

Do you really think your experience would have been different if your nurse had been a prior hospital patient? (How do you know that she was not? Did she tell you her medical history?) I have my doubts that it would have made her more knowledgeable about managing the IV or diluting the phenergan - you either know those things or you don't. Compassion is a personality trait - not necessarily the result of life experience. Would YOU be unfit to be a nurse if not for this experience (WINK WINK)?

[EmmaG, RN]

Phenergan is to be respected when given IV and it is never go be given undiluted and not before IVs are checked for blood return. It's a shame not all nurses understand this. This is what is probably going to get Phenergan banned from the market.

And that's a shame, because it does work.

Nurz2be, PLEASE keep on top of this--- especially given the site where it infiltrated.