I'm currently working in a hospital as a patient sitter (let my license lapse in this state) and I've recently observed some real problems and I'm not sure if I should say something or just keep my mouth shut because of my current "lowly" position.
What I saw:
1. Phlebotomist recently came in and drew blood on a patient WITHOUT using gloves - and didn't wash/clean hands before leaving the room. This was a new admit from the ER so diagnosis was not yet updated and just before the Phlebotomist came in the patient told the nurse he had Hep C. I would have said Oh can I get you some gloves but didn't realize what he was doing until after the fact as he was drawing on the other side of the patient from where I was sitting. The policy for Phlebs at our hospital is gloves ALWAYS.
2. Time and again I'm seeing Techs not using proper protection or cleaning equipment before leaving the room, BP cuffs not cleaned, even though there are isolation signs posted at the door, handling patients without gloves/gowns as indicated by isolation signs at door, not washing/cleaning hands. Just plain **** poor or non-existant technique.
As a sitter I'm not supposed to "touch a patient" only observe and the requirements for our job are a high school diploma - no medical knowledge/background necessary. I've been at this job for 5 months now and it's the first one I could get after being unemployed for 3 1/2 years so I'm very very hesitant to say anything to anyone. We work all over the hospital so we don't make a lot of contact with the "locals" - we show up and sit in the room. I have better rapor with the hospital shift supers who we get our assignments from. I don't want to become a "tattle tail" but yeesh, some of the stuff I see is down right scary. Sooooooo do I just keep my yap shut, I'm so far down the food chain, often I'm ignored when staff comes and goes and I soooo need this job and have hopes of getting a full time job at the hospital in some capacity - like unit secretary but my concern is if I rat someone out now (and they'd know it was me) my chances of getting full time work would go down the drain.
You know nothing about my practice. You know about my responses to arrogant nursing students who know it all with no experience of the real world of floor nursing. Who feel qualified to criticize someone who is not in a position to tilt at windmills and lose her job.
But please, critique me. I am waiting with bated breath to hear your words of wisdom.
Squatch, we may be sisters from different misters.
keep in the back of your mind (newbies, students) that "reporting" anyone...
whether you are being a patient advocate or are having troubles with a coworker...
can often come back and bite you in the butt.
nurses have lost their jobs, and the 'bad guys' have remained...heck, even promoted.
nursing isn't always the merciful and just profession you've learned it to be.
fair warning.
leslie
No doubt!! It can come back and bite you, even if you have someone's best interests at heart.
Leslie, u are right - there is a vast diffeence between the "ideal" or textbook world and the "real" world. I know 20 yrs ago when I graduated nursing school, I had no idea that things like that went on - as far as "retaliation" after something is brought to a supervisor, ect.
Wow I go off to work and this thread is still going, sadly I didn't get a full shift in as my patient was discharged to a psyc facility. As Sue and others have pointed out, since I'm the only one in the room with said offenders, no matter how anonymous I try to be they will track it back to me. If I'm vague enough it becomes pretty pointless as there are hand washing screen savers on every computer and signs about gloves and hand washing all over the hospital.
I've already posted I will not be reporting anyone, as Sue has pointed out and she knows me quite well and my situation I need this job very very badly. Is it dropping the ball, well yes it is, however, I need this job, so I will suck it up and keep my mouth shut. There are soooo many threads on this forum about how the whistleblowers get targeted and loose their jobs and most of them are in a much better position than me to get another job.
I vote for silence, based on years of seeing nitpicking wars started this way. If you report the lab do you plan on reporting everyone that comes into the room and doesn't wash their hands? This could get very messy, in more ways than one.
I agree---keep silent. Report anonymously. Chances are if you don't, you will be retaliated against.
I reported a HIPAA violation years ago; the RN to whom I reported flapped his gums(gathered his shift together the next day and spread the word that I reported the violation); for the next 8 months I was given the silent treatment by him and his LPN buddy; neither would count narcs with me or speak to me(very childish for 60+ yr old nurses in my opinion)......yeah I AM still INTENSELY ANGRY over it---I did the right thing but got treated as though I were the one who'd done something wrong!!!! Yep we have rules at our hospital that we are all "mandatory reporters" but doubt seriously that many ever do....often the reporter's vehicle is keyed or worse, etc....
Wow I go off to work and this thread is still going, sadly I didn't get a full shift in as my patient was discharged to a psyc facility. As Sue and others have pointed out, since I'm the only one in the room with said offenders, no matter how anonymous I try to be they will track it back to me. If I'm vague enough it becomes pretty pointless as there are hand washing screen savers on every computer and signs about gloves and hand washing all over the hospital.
I've already posted I will not be reporting anyone, as Sue has pointed out and she knows me quite well and my situation I need this job very very badly. Is it dropping the ball, well yes it is, however, I need this job, so I will suck it up and keep my mouth shut. There are soooo many threads on this forum about how the whistleblowers get targeted and loose their jobs and most of them are in a much better position than me to get another job.
I've followed your story from way back and was so happy to hear that you are working.
and didn't wash/clean hands before leaving the room. This was a new admit from the ER so diagnosis was not yet updated and just before the Phlebotomist came in the patient told the nurse he had Hep C. I would have said Oh can I get you some gloves but didn't realize what he was doing until after the fact as he was drawing on the other side of the patient from where I was sitting. The policy for Phlebs at our hospital is gloves ALWAYS.
traumaRUs, MSN, APRN
87 Articles; 21,287 Posts
Great topic. However we would like the TOPIC to be debated not the POSTER.
Thanks much