so... i assisted in a code today... BUT

CanadianAbroad · Feb 23, 2017

Well, at least it wasn't like my patient who walked into a room during a code and asked me to stop doing compressions and to get her a turkey sandwich and a drink. She literally said "excuse me, can you stop what you are doing and get me a sandwich and a drink?". This is what happens when it becomes about patient satisfaction only. I admit I was unprofessional and said "sure, let me stop compressions so you can get a damn sandwich. Are you freaking kidding me?". I reported myself to my manager and was told to call security the next time a patient takes it upon themselves to walk into another room during a code blue and demand care. People give no sh*ts about anyone else and it is sad what has become to nursing due to worrying about damn patient scores!

EaglesWings21, ASN, RN · Feb 23, 2017

Wow I have nothing but empathy for the situation. Coulda shoulda woulda nothing. The lady can wait 30 minutes for a stool softener. Say I apologize; I was asssiting in an emergency situation but I am more that happy to help you now.

sickonXmas · Feb 23, 2017

are you one of those people who start a thread asking for input, not get what you wanted to hear, then turn salty? cause I can't tell what that sentence is supposed to be - sarcasm? anger?
You said you don't know whether there was anything different you could've done. The previous posts have all said what you could've done differently and you responded with that.

my post was being moderated... i tried to edit once the first reply arrived. it all should've ended up on my initial post. i apologize.

this has nothing to do with me becoming "salty" or "angry" i already know what to expect from certain posters. "hearing what i want to..." lol

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 23, 2017

I have never seen so many nasty responses to someone who is "one of us". You all just prove the point of Nurses Eat their Young ....

Oh, for pity's sake. Grow up. There as been no one bashing anyone and no "young eating" in this thread. Check your glasses.

Ben_Dover · Feb 23, 2017

Since the family member is a CC nurse, it's pretty likely that she is coming with a much more complex set of issues than the usual family. Whenever I am dealing with a hospitalized member of MY family, I guarantee you that I am watching everything.... and taking notes and names. I have been known to physically prevent a physician from touching my family member because he had not washed his hands. I even double-check the I&O for accuracy & make them disinfect the call light regularly. Yeah, I know - bonkers, but I felt that my my role was to serve as a guardian and keep my family member safe.
I know, there are some days when everyone gets on my last nerve too. But I have found that it's better in the long run to just put on a "game face" rather than do what I really want to do - because that would open up a ton of s.t.u.f.f. that I'll have to deal with later. Like getting called on the carpet. Been there, done that - way too many times.

I highlighted and underlined the things that really caught my attention:

Anyway, here is my spill!

I really did not want to write this. But Man... I just have to! I think you are just ruthless to US, your fellow nurses. I get the part where you can tell the doctor to make sure they wash their hands before touching your family member. But isn't it a little creepy and weird AND annoying for you to be taking notes and listing their names. What The!

Gets even better here: To make "THEM", meaning us, your fellow RNs/CNAs disinfect the call light regularly! This is way more than bonkers!

You've gone full retard! How do you really know that they truly are disinfecting the call light "REGULARLY" the way you want them to! Why can't you just do it.

Alright, I get it, you may not be there 24/7. But seriously....again, why can't you just do it? Oh My Gerd! :sniff:

Check this out, when one of my grandparents was hospitalized...guess what! I was the one disinfecting "the Call Light", the side-rails, the patient/visitor's chair, and that includes the toilet seat! Also, I don't tell them that I'm a nurse and I actually don't want them to know. However, it is now somehow a second nature for me to speak in nurse's tongue automatically and especially when I'm in a hospital setting; and the moment they hear me talking how often my family member gets his metoprolol like I'll say the word "BID"... they can tell right away that I'm a nurse! But I always kept a low profile when I was visiting my gramps. I was actually a family member and not a pain on their behind.

I hope none of the medical personnel that assisted your family member didn't need to put on a game face!

All I can say is... don't be a snotty and it's "Still" cool to be kind and respectful!

OP... sorry didn't mean to jack your post but this one single post truly gave me a nose bleed.... :yes:

Clarysage, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2017

Hi. I haven't read all the responses yet, so this may have been stated already. On my unit we assign a code team at the beginning of the shift, and announce it during our morning shift huddle. We run our own codes and RRT's. Only an anesthesiologist will attend if the patient does not already have an advanced airway. If you are on the code team, you are obligated to that situation. Yes, more people than needed initially arrive. We do this only to cover code team members who may not yet have arrived. Once they have, the room consists of (generally) Leader, Monitor, Meds, 2 for CPR, Recorder, and a respiratory therapist. If you're not on that team, you are expected to be covering the floor. Still, with 4-5 nurses in the room, that is about 16-20 patients who need covered by staff who already have a 3-5 patient assignment. No matter what, someone is going to be waiting. It is up to you to be able to prioritize care. Cardiac and pain meds before colace. Be professional, apologize for the delay, leave the room courteously when you are finished. If you truly were where you needed to be, your manager will know that. If you were at all disrespectful or sarcastic-and I am not assuming you were-then you need to own that. You will never make everyone happy, all the time. Let it slide.

Just an anecdote and show of empathy for you-I was once in a code where the patient was also hemorrhaging everywhere, and we were running in blood products and fluid as fast as we could. The lady across the hall was so agitated that we would not stop what we were doing to come and give her an update on her husband (with whom she roomed, and had only left him for about 2 hours to grab a meal), that she actually called into the room to distract the physician, and asked him when he would "finally be done in there." Well, I watched the physician, the kindest man I have known, tell the woman where she should shove it, and threatened to have security haul her away if she didn't leave immediately!

If we never became nurses, we would have missed out on all the best stories!

IrishCMSRN, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2017

This is why I HATE taking care of nurses and their families....some of them can be real peaches..lol. YOU did the right thing... airway, breathing, circulation comes before CONSTIPATION as I recall. I would have personally told her straight out that I was assisting in a code. Im so sorry you had this happen.

3ringnursing, BSN · Mar 2, 2017

I'm so sorry - sometimes people forget themselves when they are on the receiving end of healthcare and are stressed out or worried about a loved one. As we all know, people can become very picky over the smallest of infractions in those instances due to difficulty coping. That being said, it sure doesn't make it any less exasperating or hurtful.

We all try to go the extra mile for patients and family members routinely, so I understand how something like this seems so petty (as a matter of fact, hopefully when this patient's nurse-daughter has a chance to think about it she will too).

{Perhaps Karma may visit the same to her in future? The universe is odd that way â€¦}

I'm sure you are an excellent nurse, therefore your supervisor is aware of your strong work ethics and understands where a complaint like this really came from.

Paws2people · Mar 3, 2017

This is why they say nurses and doctors are the worst patients! :arghh:

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Mar 4, 2017

My answer is , I'm sorry I wasn't available for your family members needs at that moment. As a nurse, you should be aware that we have to constantly prioritize patients needs. I will get that PRN as soon as I can based on providing the most effective care for ALL patients. I've had people ask for cups of water while I was recording codes and I tell them, please go back to your family members room and I will send someone who is available when I can.

If I'm one of the extra people gawking then I will make rounds to check on patients and make sure all the other patients stay stable. Etc.

You did the right thing. Customer service can suck it when it comes to people's lives