Why do I have to call lab to remind them of timed blood draws being drawn, well, on time?
Why do I have to call dietary to make sure the ordered supplements are on the tray?
Why do I have to call pharmacy to refill the Pyxis?
Why do I have to call supply to tell them that they smooshed two types of IVF together in the supply Pyxis and they need to sort it out?
A STAT imaging call to radiology is our job, but why do I have to follow up 30 minutes later?
Even if I'm busy, I have to check orders every 30 minutes because STAT orders are put in without a courtesy call to the nurse!
I wish, as an orientation exercise, every department of the healthcare team was required to shadow a nurse for a day. I think many eyes would be opened.
I used to be assigned the patients that we wanted to leave AMA. I wasn't mean to them, I just didn't mind signing the AMA forms. Some nurses saw AMA as a failure. I saw it as giving the patient what they wanted, and in most cases, needed.
Or when lab calls and tells me that I didn't screw the cap on tight enough and the urine spilled. Really...? Because it has a LOCK on it so it doesn't spill. Why don't you just admit that you spilt the urine instead of attempting to put the blame on me?? I'm not an idiot.
I cannot stand getting a call from Lab. They probably despise calling me.
They will ask us like "Do you really want a creatinine? One was drawn a few hours ago"....do you think i'm the only one taking care of this patient??? If you REALLY want that question answered, try calling the doctor who ordered it. I didn't order the Cr. so YOU call them if your dying to know the answer to that..
Ok, that is my rant. Thank you for allowing me to do that :)
The lab was the absolute bane of my existence when I worked in NICU. Some of these babies had veins that weren't fit for an 80 year old. Drawing labs was a real challenge. It's not easy to hit a vein the seize of embroidery thread, especially when said vein is worn out and scarred. We drew labs every day at 4am, and around 5am the calls would start. "Your CBC on so-and-so clotted." "Your K on so-and-so was hemolyzed." And then the sticking (and screaming and crying, and that was just from the nurses;)) would start all over again. One morning I got the call from the lab and heard, "I dropped, um, um, I mean, your CBC clotted." Yeah, that's exactly what I thought. You dropped it, and now I'm going to have to put a needle in a baby again because you're too careless!
I was having real issues with lavender microtainers, because they do have a tendency to clot easily, and they need to be prioritized. I tried having the nursing attendants walk the sample over (inverting the whole way) with a note to please prioritize.... They were still calling them back clotted. So now on my tiny people I walk the sample to the lab myself, hand it to a tech and have them confirm that the tube is not clotted, I then inform them that the sample is from an infant and I will not be recollecting so they should go ahead and prioritize it. Funny enough I haven't had a problem since I started doing this.
This wouldn't work if all my patients were babes though, and it is an example of something that should be the tech's responsibility (prioritizing appropriately) becoming mine.
I love how practically every employees' response to a patient issue/complaint is "I'll get your nurse"
I know. Everyone else is useless. I had a RT come get me to go into a precaution room because the patients phone wasn't working. Do you think she could have checked to see that it was not plugged into the phone jack in the wall? She was already in the room gowned up. Another time this same RT said the patient's legs are hanging over the side of the bed. I asked her if she put the patients legs back in the bed. This is common sense and to make it worse this woman was an aide before she became an RT. I am beyond frustrated with the rest of the departments. I would love to get away from this craziness.
Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.
Yes. I cringe when I hear dietary, PT, RT, lab, etc say "I'll get your nurse". Especially if I've already heard about it from all those people and it's non-emergent.
Why do I have to call lab to remind them of timed blood draws being drawn, well, on time?
Why do I have to call dietary to make sure the ordered supplements are on the tray?
Why do I have to call pharmacy to refill the Pyxis?
Why do I have to call supply to tell them that they smooshed two types of IVF together in the supply Pyxis and they need to sort it out?
A STAT imaging call to radiology is our job, but why do I have to follow up 30 minutes later?
Even if I'm busy, I have to check orders every 30 minutes because STAT orders are put in without a courtesy call to the nurse!
I wish, as an orientation exercise, every department of the healthcare team was required to shadow a nurse for a day. I think many eyes would be opened.
And I've called maintenance to ask them to change a ceiling light bulb in the resident's room and I swear to God he replied "The bulbs and the ladder are in the supply closet."
I should have replied "Sure. And as long as we're doing each other's job you can straight cath the guy in 247."
I know. Everyone else is useless. I had a RT come get me to go into a precaution room because the patients phone wasn't working. Do you think she could have checked to see that it was not plugged into the phone jack in the wall? She was already in the room gowned up. Another time this same RT said the patient's legs are hanging over the side of the bed. I asked her if she put the patients legs back in the bed. This is common sense and to make it worse this woman was an aide before she became an RT. I am beyond frustrated with the rest of the departments. I would love to get away from this craziness.
Imagine if you responded, "Oh! I'm sorry. My badge wasn't facing outward! I'm a nurse. I don't work in engineering. Do you need that number?"
What I find really irritating is as soon as you walk in the door some visitor is asking you where something is.
Damned if I know.
Why don't you ask the information desk? That's what it's for.
Or the people that come to the nurse's station and want to know what room someone is in (it's never even on your floor) and then you have to check the computer or call the information desk.
We called a neonatal code while in the OR in a c/s at 3am. The patient was under general anesthesia so the anesthesiologist was obviously busy with his patient. RT comes to our neo codes so they can provide an airway and run our cord ph's, etc. they sent us 2 rts that cant intubate and looked at the anesthesiologist like " cant he do it?" I told them both to get the hell out of my or and find me someone who could intubate a newborn, even if they had to pull a doc from the er. I could not believe their gall.
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LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN
8,429 Posts
^love this!!!