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Discussion

Catheters

I am going into my 3rd year as a nursing student and I currently work at a hospital as a cars attendant. I had a patient who's bladder was scanned at 410- the nurse decided to straight cath her, she tried to place the catheter but kept getting it wrong, it looked to me as though she was getting it in the lady parts not the urethra. But she kept attempting with the same catheter multiple times--at this point wouldn't the catheter be no longer sterile??

Also she gave up and didn't come back for another 6 hours to try again- at this point the patients bladder read at 800. She tried again and couldn't get it and kept getting it wrong. she got help and finally was able to get someone who could do it.

Should I have said something?

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    You could have said politely, "what if we tried leaving the catheter in the lady parts, that way we can tell the difference between the lady parts and the urethra because the lady parts will already have a catheter in it".

    Or you could have offered to do it yourself.

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    • Author

    Well she just kept saying why isn't there urine. So I don't think she knew...

    And with my job position even though I know how to do it I am not allowed at work.

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    Well she just kept saying why isn't there urine. So I don't think she knew...

    And with my job position even though I know how to do it I am not allowed at work.

    Well you are still a patient advocate. There are polite ways to say things and something should have been said. If she didn't want to listen to your advice, go up the chain of command.

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    A cars attendant? As in valet? Why were you in a patients room? I'm confused.

    Possibly the hardest skill to learn is to gather the courage to call out a fellow team member. It is not to be rude or disrespectful. But it is about patient safety. And that nurse could have easily caused a CAUTI.

    There are ways to let the nurse know she made a mistake without embarrassing her in front of the patient such as "let me get you a new catheter kit since that one didn't work."

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    • Author

    Care attendant in my hospital is a fancy way of saying patient sitter- like for psych patients

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