Degrading words from a Nurse

[LeO13]

As you guys don't know already, aside from being a nursing student, I work as a patient transporter at a hospital for 3 years. I get along very well with the majority of the staff at the hospital, once in a while I would get some rude ones. Well today at work, I was assigned to transfer a patient from ICU to a remote tele-room. The sucky thing was that the remote tele-room was located on the west wing and ICU was in the north wing. When we do our transfer's, we can transfer the patient by bed because each units use different beds, by gurney or even by wheelchair if they are ambulatory w/o assistance. Since, I didn't want to walk all the way to the west wing to grab a bed, I decided to use a gurney instead since there was one laying next to ICU. So I go into ICU to where the patient's room, introduced myself and informed that I am here to transfer him to his new room. Seeing how young and mobile he was walking around the room, I asked him if it was okay for me to transfer him to his new room by gurney, which he responded that was perfectly fine. Then right when I was getting the gurney into the ICU room, his nurse comes in and questions me on what am I doing with a gurney inside the room. I told her that he was fine having me transferring him via gurney to his new room. What she said to me afterwards was outright uncalled for and degrading. These were the exact words she said to me in front of the whole ICU staff and family of the patient, "Where's the remote tele-bed? I can't believe you even thought about transferring this critical care patient by gurney, but I don't expect you to know this stuff, afterall you don't have to go to school to be a transporter." Not wanting to make a whole fuss about it, I apologized to her and asked for a delay until I get the bed, in which afterwards she gave me a smirky look. It ****** me off that this nurse had the audacity to question my intelligence based on my occupation.

[MotivatedOne]

I wouldn't sweat it...Just shows how ignorant she is to even speak to you in that manner in front of other people. She showed her true colors and I'm sure lost a lot of respect. I've had Nurses ask where their aide is when I've been working with them for over 3 years as if "their aide" doesn't have a name. I've also had them say that all us NA's do is push around a dinamap. I'd like to see Nurse's survive one day without us uneducated Aide's and Transporters...they wouldn't. What's funny is most of us in the support staff postions have higher levels of education than the nurses. I'm glad I became a NA and have worked and as an NA for the 3.5 years I've been an NA. I now have a greater appreciation and won't take what we do for granted when I become an RN

Good luck in nursing school!!!

[LeO13]

@ MotivatedOne

Yeah it just get's me angry when some people get into the health field to become an RN, PA, or MD/DO for the wrong reasons. Some get carried away and feel that they are high and mighty just because they were bestowed with initials after their name. But I do believe that people like us who are labeled as the bottom of the food chain, are the backbone of the health care system.

Thanks and I hope you succeed also.

[Mike R, ADN, BSN, RN]

I've been transporting at my place for two and a half years. Like you, I get along with virtually everyone there. Luckily, I haven't ran into that sort of thing yet. Though I think I might of excused myself from the patients room and quietly told the nurse to do it herself.

Though before hand, if I do anything out of the norm I usually ask the nurse if it's okay. What if hes on bed rest for DVT and you only saw him walking around the room because he's non compliant? Stuff like that.

Regardless, what she told you was rude and uncalled for.

[CCL RN, RN]

If he was such a critical pt, then he wouldn't be moved out of ICU to tele.

And of she was so worried about it, then she could have transported the pt herself.

Don't become that nurse when you graduate and you'll do just fine

[newRNstudent02]

Oh my goodness, you totally did an amazing job keeping your cool. I would feel angry and embarrassed. I know this is so evil, but I would go out of my way to make her life miserable. Of course, that's not the right thing to do, but hell she kinda deserves it :)