Sorry guys, this is a boring co-worker issue but I’m conflicted on what to do.
I recently started a new job as a Case Manager at a community health center. This facility has a walk-in clinic and on this particular day my mom sent me a text telling me she had come through the walk-in and told me what room she was in and asked me to come see her. When I went in the room a floor nurse was doing vitals. I chatted with my mom until she did the BP. I noticed that the BP cuff was too small and almost popped off when she was inflating it. When she was done she asked my mom if her BP was always high to which she said no but maybe because she was in pain. I spoke up and said she needed a larger cuff. The nurse said the only one larger was a thigh cuff and I said what about the red cuffs in the other rooms and she said this was the largest besides the thigh cuff. I dropped it after that and that was the extent of our conversation. She finished with her charting and said the provider would be in in a few minutes.
I come in the next day and get pulled aside by one of the NP’s who says that I was out of line for “calling her out” in front of a patient and I should have pulled her aside outside the room. I tried to explain that the patient was my mom and I know her history and I wasn’t in there as a nurse but as a concerned family member. She wouldn’t let me say much and said I needed to apologize to the nurse that was in the room. I was more stunned then anything and just said ok and walked off.
I don’t work with this girl and we barely ever cross paths. I don’t even know her name. But I did try to find her after speaking with the NP and couldn’t so went back to work. As the day went on I replayed the scene in my head thinking where exactly was I in the wrong. I even asked my mom if I sounded rude or anything to which she said not at all.
So here I am needing some outside opinions. I don’t think I did anything wrong. I merely was advocating for my mom, which is what I go to every appt with her for, because that BP wasn’t correct. On the outside looking in, I wouldn’t have said a damn thing if I would have known it was going to blow up into this. Should I just suck it up and apologize or stick to my guns that I didn’t do anything wrong?
Sorry guys, this is a boring co-worker issue but I’m conflicted on what to do.
I recently started a new job as a Case Manager at a community health center. This facility has a walk-in clinic and on this particular day my mom sent me a text telling me she had come through the walk-in and told me what room she was in and asked me to come see her. When I went in the room a floor nurse was doing vitals. I chatted with my mom until she did the BP. I noticed that the BP cuff was too small and almost popped off when she was inflating it. When she was done she asked my mom if her BP was always high to which she said no but maybe because she was in pain. I spoke up and said she needed a larger cuff. The nurse said the only one larger was a thigh cuff and I said what about the red cuffs in the other rooms and she said this was the largest besides the thigh cuff. I dropped it after that and that was the extent of our conversation. She finished with her charting and said the provider would be in in a few minutes.
I come in the next day and get pulled aside by one of the NP’s who says that I was out of line for “calling her out” in front of a patient and I should have pulled her aside outside the room. I tried to explain that the patient was my mom and I know her history and I wasn’t in there as a nurse but as a concerned family member. She wouldn’t let me say much and said I needed to apologize to the nurse that was in the room. I was more stunned then anything and just said ok and walked off.
I don’t work with this girl and we barely ever cross paths. I don’t even know her name. But I did try to find her after speaking with the NP and couldn’t so went back to work. As the day went on I replayed the scene in my head thinking where exactly was I in the wrong. I even asked my mom if I sounded rude or anything to which she said not at all.
So here I am needing some outside opinions. I don’t think I did anything wrong. I merely was advocating for my mom, which is what I go to every appt with her for, because that BP wasn’t correct. On the outside looking in, I wouldn’t have said a damn thing if I would have known it was going to blow up into this. Should I just suck it up and apologize or stick to my guns that I didn’t do anything wrong?
Np needs to mind her business. I would have said the nurse can talk to me first, you are going by heresay. Idk, but I can't stand when people get involved and cause gossip. I hate the
talking behind backs. Np should have told her to try and address you first
I think you could, in good conscience, apologize to her for surprising her in front of a patient like that instead of telling her to the side in private.
I think you were correct and I also can see where she may have felt humiliated, rather than take it in the appropriate light that she should have if she had a mindset on patient care instead of her pride. I mean, really, "calling her out" by offering her advice on a b/p cuff is not at all how I saw it. Then again, the mindset of someone who has a HUGE ego is what I see her as.
Still, in good conscience, I think you could apologize to her for offending her pride, (or whatever fluff words she needs to hear,) in front of a patient.
The nurse did something wrong and got caught. Oops. No wonder she is being sensitive, that and yea, go ahead and say you didn't mean to hurt her feelings if you want to. She could be written up for using the improper size equipment. Additionally, if the NP is not your supervisor, they should stay out of it. You might decide that you will let it go at this point, after all you are new and people get prickly when new people make suggestions.
It is so not difficult to use the correct cuff that this issue does make me crazy and I address it every time I see it. I do think there is an additional dynamic involved because it was your mom. Were it a patient unknown to you and you happened to witness this, you could very casually/pleasantly just say "we could try the regular cuff." I've done this many times myself without any interpersonal difficulty or hurt feelings ensuing. But, if it is clear this patient is your family member and you come in and make comments involving others' work, I would think embarrassment would be increased since the coworker knows that you and your mom will be able to discuss this (or her) later (whether you actually do or not is beside the point).
Alternately, you could have approached the nurse privately (like when she stepped out of your mom's room) or approached the provider and simply state what you witnessed and request the provider to recheck w/ correct cuff or in some other way address the inappropriate reading.
(Were it me) I would find the nurse and apologize for not addressing it privately. And if it makes you feel better you could also follow up through other channels with the fact that education is needed (and also possibly supplies) so that patients' blood pressures are taken appropriately.
And the BP would still be recorded incorrectly.
Screw the other person's embarrassment. She should be more embarrassed for knowingly doing BP's the wrong way.
Carry it up to the next level. You are the one, OP, who should be upset.
If the OP has to apologize it will set the wrong tone. She may as well apologize as soon as she clocks in for work every day. Atleast the OP tried to help. The nurse has clearly been doing Bps wrong her whole time working at this place. Sometimes you can't pull someone aside to correct them, and even still, teaching can be in that moment. We are taught to correct each other. OP didn't do it in a nasty way either. If anything the nurse should apologize for not giving the OP a chance to explain herself and escalating things when it didn't need to go to that point. Now the whole office knows what happened but I am sure the nurse didn't tell it like it happened. She probably said some other stuff. The NP needs to apologize to the OP because she didn't give the OP a chance to speak. She goes to her and says apologize. There should have been a meeting. What the OP did does not require an apology. All 3 need to have a meeting since that nurse wants to take it there. Just imagine something more serious happens, they will throw you under the bus OP, without your day in court
Workitinurfava, BSN, RN
1,160 Posts
Np needs to mind her business. I would have said the nurse can talk to me first, you are going by heresay. Idk, but I can't stand when people get involved and cause gossip. I hate the
talking behind backs. Np should have told her to try and address you first