Couldn't tell who was a doctor or nurse!

[smk1]

my FIL is in the hospital just diagnosed with colon cancer. We were visiting him when he started having a major seizure, we didn't know what was happening and it was very frightening! So i run out into the hall to get help and and the first 3 people i run up to for help, all dressed in scrubs one even with a stethescope, are not nurses or doctors! :angryfire they went to find the nurse for me but it really was annoying and scary to think how few docs and nurses there were on the floor. I realize it was christmas day and for some reason they had admitted him to an ortho floor (no idea why) but I immediately thought about the debates about having a uniform for nurses or not allowing non nurses and docs to wear scrubs. The dietary aide was in scrubs, the NAR, the secretary and housekeeping assitant. My FIL lay seizing and of course we were all freaking out getting my little one out of the room so she wasn't scared, and we couldn't find the button or pull cord to call someone so i m running down an empty hall trying to get help. Maybe nurses could wear scrub tops with the word NURSE in huge black print across the back or something, :uhoh21: all i know is that unit was seriously understaffed with nurses, and had way to many other personell hanging out in the hallways and at the computer areas. They ended up moving FIL closer to ICU because he isn't as stable as they thought. This was a lot better, he was directly across from the charge nurses office and there were more actual nursing and medical staff visible so we felt more comfortable. By the way the nurse on the ortho floor was great when she got there and we certainly aren't going to complain about not knowing who the nurse was because i have a sneaking suspicion that somehow it would be blamed on her not "providing care in a timely manner" when our true complaint was that we simply couldn't differentiate between nurses/docs and other staff.

[smk1, LPN]

this is off the uniform subject but just had to say, I was MORTIFIED at how my hubbys stepmom was acting with the nurse! She thought he was getting too much morphine, (well he is still very alert and in pain even on the dosage he is getting!) didn't think he should get any medications to help prevent seizures, she thinks they are just due to alcohol withdrawal, doesn't understand why he needs to have potassium hung with his saline solution. (hello his low potassium levels are probably a huge clue as to why he seized in the first place!) The nurse lord bless her was patient and just explained everything twice and let her rant on an on about the evils of medicine and how a naturopathic solution would work. I am all for blending natural rememdies in with the western medicine paradigm, but it isn't her choice, it's her husbands who is in complete control of his mental faculties. He has chosed surgery and chemo, and i wish she would just respect that and allow the staff to provide care.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

So sorry for your frustrations! Have you considered asking about the nurse/patient ratios for this floor? I think I would also send a letter to patient relations and a copy to the floor's unit manager. Good luck...

[cargal]

I'm not sure, but I think that the blend of staff that is dressed the same saves the hospital money-If certain attire was dictated by the faciltiy, they would be required to pay for it. So, scrubs that the nurses purchase themselves save the hospital money in more than one way. Unfortunate, as mentioned, it is a screen for low nurse staffing.

[NurseFirst]

While I realize that wasn't the OP's problem, colored nametags COULD provide a possible solution. And then the hospital should have an easy-to-find directory to the different colors of name-tags. (When I worked as a contractor at high-tech companies, that was usually how they distinguished between employees and contractors and also vendors.

NurseFirst

[crazyearrings]

It's a good thing other professions are proud to be in uniform! Can you imagine what it would be like if police, fire-fighters, football players ect, didn't distinguish themselves?

Football players? You put football players in the same category as other life-saving professions? Oh, you're talking about the uniform. Well, pay me a couple hundred thousand a year and I will wear a uniform. Until then, you'll have to rely on my ID badge, stethoscope, and knowledge how to handle the situation. I work peds where uniforms and stethoscopes identify the people most likely to hurt you, so we like to keep it light-hearted. I just had to prove to a 2 year old that listening with a stethoscope does not hurt - I had him tickling me before I left.

Oh, and I'm sorry for the stressful situation your family is having to go through. It's not easy being on the other side of the care continuum.

[Fun2, BSN, RN]

Sorry about your FIL, first of all.

I really think you should file some type of complaint. Why wasn't anyone that could help around? Maybe, just maybe, SOMEDAY enough complaints will come in and hospitals will eventually hire more staff. I realize hospitals think of it as money issues, but family members, or the patients themselves think of it as their life.

As for uniforms, I think that only nurses, Dr.s, CNA's and other legit personnel should wear scrubs. You shouldn't have to wonder if it's a nurse or a cleaning lady giving you a shot!

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Sorry about your FIL, first of all.

I really think you should file some type of complaint. Why wasn't anyone that could help around? Maybe, just maybe, SOMEDAY enough complaints will come in and hospitals will eventually hire more staff. I realize hospitals think of it as money issues, but family members, or the patients themselves think of it as their life.

As for uniforms, I think that only nurses, Dr.s, CNA's and other legit personnel should wear scrubs. You shouldn't have to wonder if it's a nurse or a cleaning lady giving you a shot!

I think it is up to me to know if a housekeeper is giving me a shot or not!! :)

I still think uniforms and staffing are separate issues.

steph

[mitchsmom]

Sorry you went through this problem... I did too when my husband was in a huge city hospital for 8 days... I was constantly wasting everyone's time addressing 3,4,5 wrong people before I found a nurse. It is very frustrating when you have bigger things to worry about and there are seemingly simple solutions to the problem. As some posters mentioned, a big part of it must be the "let's let every employee wear scrubs & make it look like we have tons of nurses walking around the place" scam. Ptooey.

Employees are usually moving quickly and often are further than reading distance when a pt or family member is looking to ask someone a quick question (or whatever). When someone is standing in front of a cart, leaning over a counter, desk, etc. etc. etc... what are you going to do, say "could you turn around so I can read your badge before I address you?" Probably more often than not the person isn't going to just happen to be standing in a perfect straight position, facing you, for you to read their tag. Not to mention the people who don't see well (probably a majority of people in a hospital)? I think the nametag idea is much better than nothing but still not the most effective solution.

[TracyB,RN, RN]

Sorry to hear about your FIL, hope he is holding his own....

As for the nametag thing, we have our photo id attached to a hard plastic card, which I jokingly say is about the size of poster board, with our title... RN, CNA, LPN, in 2 in blue letters on a white card, also to be worn at chest level...I HATE THEM... they are constantly in the way...but do help identify who is who... but it doesn't really matter, if you are short staffed the way we constantly were on nights....on rehab, the 3 staff members we had were often in one room moving the 300+ bilateral TKR's to the toilet.. FUN TIMES!!!

[hoppermom3]

When I started school, I was not very happy about having to wear whites...we wear white scrubs of our choice with an optional navy warm-up jacket. After my first few clinical experiences, I have decided that when I am a nurse I will wear whites if allowed. The response from the patients convinced me. It is worth the extra laundry effort to know that the patients like it.

At one of our clinical sites, ALL nursing staff, including CNAs and NAs, wore name tags that said their first name and "NURSING." I thought this was deceiving. Several times I heard patients refer to the aides as nurses. Once, a patient even referred to the ward clerk as the nurse - and the ward clerk did not take the time to correct.

[mitchsmom]

When I started school, I was not very happy about having to wear whites...we wear white scrubs of our choice with an optional navy warm-up jacket. After my first few clinical experiences, I have decided that when I am a nurse I will wear whites if allowed. The response from the patients convinced me. It is worth the extra laundry effort to know that the patients like it.

I saw a study somewhere (wish I could remember so I could post it.. if anyone knows where it is, feel free!)... they showed people (patients?) some photos of nurses in 3 or 4 different kinds of uniforms... ranging from traditional white with a stethoscope to colorful prints... the white with stethoscope was ranked highest, it was the nurse they picked every time, they felt that person would be the most competent nurse, etc.... I know that has no basis in fact but that was the overwhelming perception that people had in this study. Interesting, huh? I don't know what I'll do when I'm done with school... I don't usually wear prints anyway so I will probably wear solids of some kind (if not white... I am awful about staining my clothes and awful at getting them out!!).

[Headhurt, ADN]

As I was reading your post, I wondered how having a nurse or physician in a specific uniform would have changed the outcome of your experience. . . . "dietary aide was in scrubs, the NAR, the secretary and housekeeping assitant" . . . . the dietary aide and NAR and secretary and housekeeping assistant would still have physically been there - they work there. The issue is finding your FIL's nurse in a timely manner and if she is busy elsewhere, having on a white uniform with a white cap and a beacon flashing blue lights would not have helped you. Wearing a specific uniform does not change staffing issues. steph

I gotta agree with this one. Even if the staff had been wearing clownsuits, it would not have changed the outcome. Clownsuits...hmm, can you imagine what that would be like?