Can a nursing student use the word "code"?

[newtress]

Hello to all, I had an unfortunate experience this morning at my clinical site with my patient I was assigned to. This was my third day in caring for her so I had a good prior history of her and her condition. As I was returning to her room to check on her she had moved herself onto a small couch and was out of bed. I asked her if she wanted to remain sitting there or could I assist her back into the bed. She responded and continued to conversate with me. I didn't feel comfortable with her sitting there as she had her IV line bunched around her ankle and was sitting on her line. As I helped untangle her line which was running only NS, right in the middle of her talking to me she suddenly pursed her lips, cheeks filled up like she was holding her breath, made a gutteral sound and eyes rolled completely back and head flodged back. The code button was not in an easy within reach area for me to get to and the room was directly in front of the nurses station. I sensed immediate emergency in my gut. I made the choice to not talk or ask any questions to her and immediately yelled out " help STAT help STAT, patient in distress!" Within seconds numerous staff and paged doctors and RT were in the room and she was in full code. After 35 minutes of all measures she was pronounced. This was my first code experience in clinical with an assigned patient. I'd like to know if I did the right thing first, and secondly am I not within any scope or parameter to use the term "code blue!" in a situation like this. I feel sad to have lost a patient so suddenly and wonder if I alerted properly.

[sissiesmama, ASN, RN]

I think you definitley did the right thing, and you have every right to initiate a code blue. I believe it's better to be safe than sorry in calling a code, and that anyone is obligated to do so if they feel there is an emergent situation. Rest assured, your first patient is always hard, but you did the right thing.

Hey - to the OP, I agree with the above posting. You did great, and they can just crash just right there that fast . It is hard, especially when you witness the event. You did fine!

Anne, RNC :paw::paw::paw:

[firecoins]

as a paramedic, you did the right thing. The patient was having a major problem. Whether you called a code or not is irrelvant. You put the patient's needs first and got help immediatly. You don't need a set of vitals to call for help.

[sissiesmama, ASN, RN]

W H A T!!!!!!! Are you SERIOUS????? Please please tell me I did not read that correctly! She actually told you that? I hope you don't listen to that. And, I know I'm not supposed to listen to your instructor, but OMG! Ridiculous! And whatever hat you should or should not have on, I'd want to tell her where to "stick it"!!

Good luck to you in dealing with her!! YOU DID FINE!!!

Anne, RNC :paw::paw::paw:

[bamagt]

So your retarded clinical instructor wants you to come up to him/her or another RN with vitals that read: BP 0/0, Pulse- 0, Resp- 0?

I would fight this to the bitter end and have the instructor find if they really do fail you.

I work in an ER and while I have never had anything like this happen to me, if you need help, scream! It doesn't matter if you're wrong or not, as a nurse you are to act in the best interest of the pt!

[sissiesmama, ASN, RN]

So your retarded clinical instructor wants you to come up to him/her or another RN with vitals that read: BP 0/0, Pulse- 0, Resp- 0?

I would fight this to the bitter end and have the instructor find if they really do fail you.

I work in an ER and while I have never had anything like this happen to me, if you need help, scream! It doesn't matter if you're wrong or not, as a nurse you are to act in the best interest of the pt!

My thought exactly!! And so the instructor would rather you waste the amount of time in delaying of life saving treatment to a patient to find your teacher, your nurse, or whoever you can lay your eyes on with vs on a patient that is coding than summoning help ina manner that the patient needed.

Now when I was in nursing school, we learned BLS pretty early and it was not just to have a little card to carry around in our wallet. Seems to me like the BON would frown on the type of "instruction" you received at this clinicals.

Anne, RNC :paw::paw::paw:

[newtress, LPN]

Here I am to tell you how much your support and advise has helped me see that there may be something that I can do to put in place some validation and witness to this incident for backing, if my instructor does decide to go ahead and fail me at the end of this month. I wonder how I approach the nurses I worked with that day. Would they be hesitant to sign my documentation. I'll be passing meds with the CI this week and we must give her an oral drug card for each med for our patients. We have to know 15 drugs for each patient in two hours prior to dispensing from med room. Just a deliberately insane individual I think, and as one OP stated, been away from bedside too long. She treats the young students far better than me. I am an older student(49) and she is ancient herself. I have noticed these instructors throughout this program riding me harder than my classmates. They can't fail me for theory and academics with A's and B's, but use clinical as a means to give an unjust lousy grade to bring me down. I call this "personality" grading. I remain respectful to her at all times, and have to accept the truth that she just plain does not like me. I have far more good grades in the bank than the insuficient funds on this rotation. But if she bounces my check at the end of the month, I will not be allowed to go on to my last semester. Oh they are crafty egomaniacs.

[Tash4nvyblues, RN]

You did exactly the right thing and I would definitely take this further as obviously the instructor that failed you is in the wrong profession all together. Keep up the good work, for you to have reacted as you did is fantastic.

[missjennmb]

You need to talk to those nurses from the hospital ASAP. They have so much going on that waiting until you pass/fail would not leave it fresh in their mind. Write down what you felt happened and see if they would sign it that they agree as well.

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

Good luck to you!

Ageism comes to mind from what you stated in your previous post.