Recently my hospital has been the subject of criticism in the newspapers and internet blogs and subsequently being investigated in the media. All the stories are very one sided, and not all of the facts are correct. While the doctors and administration have been the target of most of the controversy, it's been difficult to read what people think of my hospital. There is so much I want people to know and understand.
For example, we are one of the busiest emergency departments in the whole state, and the busiest in the area. We have opened up extra treatment areas in order to accommodate the steady increase in patients. Recently we have been setting up beds in the hallways, and holding up to 20 admits.
Our doctors often do more for our patients than many other hospitals for several reasons. First, many hospitals refer their patients to us for follow up care and treatment. Second, our patients are very demanding and when they don't receive what they want when they want it, they demand to speak to the charge nurse, start yelling and making a scene, and even call the hospital administrators. Doctors shouldn't give into patient demands, but in this society and culture it happens a lot. We reward people for their bad behavior. They make a scene, they get their narcotics, or their CT scan, or seen faster. They shouldn't but they do. Our doctors should remember that they are the ones who went to medical school and are completing or have completed a residency. They are the ones with the medical knowledge, not the patient.
Complaints have been made and are under investigation about sending patients to the lobby who should be in a bed. The reality is, we don't have enough beds for everyone who needs them at any given time. Sometimes a patient has to wait a few minutes or a few hours before they get a bed. During that time, they are being treated. We will take them to x-ray, to CT, draw blood, give PO meds, do EKGs, put in IVs, give fluids and IV medications. When we are able to shuffle people around, we move them to a more appropriate area.
The acuity of our patients has increased and many times we work in a 3:1 ratio. Stroke patients are 1:1, but often we will have two other patients. I became a nurse to help people, and in between the medication refills and viral illnesses that take up so many of our resources and time, we are able to weed out the sick and provide them with the care they need
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I care for my patients, but I do not have the time to hold their hand and listen for long periods of time and coddle them. I don't have pillows and some nights we don't even have blankets. I try and show them I care in all my interactions no matter how short they are. But yes, I do get short with my patients from time to time. That's because while I'm a nurse, I'm human and a person can only take so much verbal abuse from a patient before getting annoyed. And it's because most nights I don't get to go into the break room and eat my lunch, or drink water, or even pee. Many times I snack while charting, although it's against the rules. I choose to nourish myself so I can think and be patient so my patients remain under the care of a sane and safe nurse. I would take any of my friends and family members to my hospital, and I have. I've driven the 20 miles to go to my ER.
Can we do better? I don't think there is a doctor, nurse or hospital that couldn't use improvement. Should we do better? Yes, and we try and better ourselves through education and change. Are we able to do better? Not always because resources are limited and it takes a lot of creativity and patience to create something out of nothing.
So what is the point of posting this? Because I need to hear that it's going to be ok. I need to know other people have been there. Because I need to hear that we aren't bad nurses just because our rooms aren't spotless and we aren't always bubbly and cheerful. Or maybe I need to be told we are bad, and should be ashamed. And because I needed to know that maybe someone read this and knows how I feel, since us nurses have been caught in the crossfire without regard to the consequences.
If you read this and got this far, thank you for listening.
