COVID: I'm ready to leave the hospital until the end of the pandemic guilt

Nurses COVID

Updated:   Published

Hello!

I am considering leaving the hospital until the end of the pandemic. Not necessarily because of the ill patients. Mostly because of the politics. I understand that there is a shortage of staff for COVID units. My issue is, the hospital I work for is constantly creating new COVID units for patients that are asymptomatic. I've learned these hospitals are getting additional funding from the relief programs put in place by the government. The hospitals gain additional funding if the patients are placed on vents as well. I've noticed MDs and rr therapists are forcing us to place them on vents even if they do not meet the criteria.....

I am becoming extremely overwhelmed and am sick of what I am seeing. I hate how the system is taking advantage of these extremely difficult and emotional taxing times...I don't want to be a part of this anymore.

Am I wrong?

Specializes in Cardiac, Telemetry.
1 minute ago, Jack Peace said:

Well I do know for certain that in these patients that are covid positive the last thing that they want to do is put them on a ventilator because it's an autoimmune response when that occurs and they do not do well. In the first month or two it was a 80% mortality rate when these symptomatic patients were put on the ventilators. But you are right it is all about the reimbursement for these hospitals. Why else do you think they test every patient that is admitted and every patient that has a procedure in each facility? And if you come in with shortness of breath or cough or fever and they test you and your negative they will test you three four five more times until there is a positive.

They don’t do well at all!! They go from tachypnea being their only symptom with stable satO2 to intubation suggestion

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Specializes in ER.
10 hours ago, CardiTeleRN said:

and that’s a part of the problem. I’ve experienced this on a personal level as well. I actually felt the need to bring it to the public’s attention since I have experienced it on a personal level and have wondered who is speaking for patients that are experiencing these circumstances. So sorry you don’t believe someone who is witnessing it first hand. Sorry for your ignorance because if it is you plainly turning a blind to the issues, you do not belong in health care. There needs to be a major reform.

You can't kick people out of healthcare because they don't believe something they read on a discussion forum. Healthcare needs many voices. 

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If you really believe this is true, do not participate and report these providers to the proper authorities.  Otherwise, you are just as guilty as they are. I, as a CRNA, am grateful everyone is tested.  That way, I can better protect myself, my family, my colleagues can protect themselves, and the public can be protected from the patient and their infected families.  

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On 11/23/2020 at 12:38 AM, CardiTeleRN said:

I've noticed MDs and rr therapists are forcing us to place them on vents even if they do not meet the criteria.....

 

13 hours ago, CardiTeleRN said:

I actually felt the need to bring it to the public’s attention since I have experienced it on a personal level and have wondered who is speaking for patients that are experiencing these circumstances. So sorry you don’t believe someone who is witnessing it first hand.

As an RN, are you the one who places patients on vents? You say that physicians and respiratory therapists are forcing you?

I you witness assaults occur at your place of work, posting anonymously on a forum is not the correct way to act. How is anyone here supposed to do anything about what you claim is happening on unit x in hospital y?  As others have said, there are proper authorities that you as a licensed healthcare professional should be reporting to. You don’t just ”put the word out” to Joe Public via an online forum. What possible good would that accomplish? Scaring every person who needs to go to an emergency room into refraining and staying at home instead? How is that helping patients?

I’ll admit that I am sceptical of your narrative. It doesn’t seem logical nor plausible to me. But if you are observing ethical or legal breaches take place, I think you have responsibility to report it. The correct way. 
 

 

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Specializes in Dialysis.
59 minutes ago, macawake said:

But if you are observing ethical or legal breaches take place, I think you have responsibility to report it. The correct way. 

 

To the OP: if you don't report this, you are just as liable of guilt as those that you accuse

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On 11/24/2020 at 12:39 AM, MunoRN said:

There's not really anything that isn't possible these days when it comes to billing, but your description is implausible at the very least.

There is a reimbursement 'bump' for hospitals that care for Covid patients, but it doesn't go to doctors or respiratory therapists.  Intubating patients who the doctors and respiratory therapists would know don't need to intubated is not just medicare fraud, it's felony assault, ie jail time.  It would seem unlikely that doctors and respiratory therapists would risk jail in exchange for nothing.  And that this wouldn't be limited to just one doctor or respiratory therapist since multiple MDs and RTs would have to be in on it.

So you think CardiTeleRN and all the other RNs with similar stories are lying then?

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On 11/29/2020 at 10:19 AM, macawake said:

As an RN, are you the one who places patients on vents? You say that physicians and respiratory therapists are forcing you?

I’ll admit that I am sceptical of your narrative. It doesn’t seem logical nor plausible to me.  

So you think CardiTeleRN and all the other RNs with similar stories are lying?

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On 11/22/2020 at 6:38 PM, CardiTeleRN said:

My issue is, the hospital I work for is constantly creating new COVID units for patients that are asymptomatic. I've learned these hospitals are getting additional funding from the relief programs put in place by the government.

Very plausible. Healthcare organizations lost trillions of dollars as they halted outpatient services and elective surgeries. Here in the Buckeye State in the Spring we had empty inpatient units emptied out in anticipation of surge in COVID-19 cases that never came. There is even a presumed COVID-19 diagnostic billing code. It is all a game with CMS and insurers. 

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6 minutes ago, DaveMHA-RN said:

Very plausible. Healthcare organizations lost trillions of dollars as they halted outpatient services and elective surgeries. Here in the Buckeye State in the Spring we had empty inpatient units emptied out in anticipation of surge in COVID-19 cases that never came. There is even a presumed COVID-19 diagnostic billing code. It is all a game with CMS and insurers. 

Yes, you are correct. And those "presumed positive" cases are INCLUDED in the overall "cases" numbers. All it takes to be considered in the presumed category is one symptom such as cough, sob, fever, etc. 

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24 minutes ago, DaveMHA-RN said:

So you think CardiTeleRN and all the other RNs with similar stories are lying?

Since you asked, yes I do. 

I think that if patients were being assaulted on a regular and systematic basis like these posters claim, multiple someones would actually have made formal complaints with the proper authorities long before someone thought to open an account here and make unsubstantiated allegations. But instead of seeing real live nurses and physicians speaking up, all we see are some anonymous posts about it on various forums and social media.

I think there’s a political agenda.

If you believe this is true and that the alleged felony assaults of patients rightfully upsets a nurse, why do you think they choose to only come here and post about it instead of ACTUALLY PROTECTING THEIR PATIENTS? 

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Specializes in Cardiac, Telemetry.
5 minutes ago, macawake said:

Since you asked, yes I do. 

I think that if patients were being assaulted on a regular and systematic basis like these posters claim, multiple someones would actually have made formal complaints with the proper authorities long before someone thought to open an account here and make unsubstantiated allegations. But instead of seeing real live nurses and physicians speaking up, all we see are some anonymous posts about it on various forums and social media.

I think there’s a political agenda.

If you believe this is true and that the alleged felony assaults of patients rightfully upsets a nurse, why do you think they choose to only come here and post about it instead of ACTUALLY PROTECTING THEIR PATIENTS? 

How do you know we haven’t? We have brought our complaints to management. We are always taking nonsense from MDs when we question certain orders or consultations. So do not assume. Why are you posting things as if fraud does not exist in health care? I’m convinced you are actually a part of the problem. That’s unfortunate. 

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5 minutes ago, macawake said:

Since you asked, yes I do. 

I think that if patients were being assaulted on a regular and systematic basis like these posters claim, multiple someones would actually have made formal complaints with the proper authorities long before someone thought to open an account here and make unsubstantiated allegations. But instead of seeing real live nurses and physicians speaking up, all we see are some anonymous posts about it on various forums and social media.

I think there’s a political agenda.

If you believe this is true and that the alleged felony assaults of patients rightfully upsets a nurse, why do you think they choose to only come here and post about it instead of ACTUALLY PROTECTING THEIR PATIENTS? 

Calm down and check your grammar. 

You are assuming people would make complaints.

But you don't know the culture in CardiTeleRN's hospital, everyone may be afraid. 

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