Exorcising the Demon (rant)

Specialties MICU

Published

Specializes in Cath Lab, EP.

I must vent, to exorcise the demons and release the negative energy that almost caused Monique to punch someone in the throat:

The wound care team (1 masters level nurse specializing in wound care, 1 RN, 1 derm attending, and 2 med students) was rounding on my neuro patient with a healing stage II on his coccyx while I transferred my other patient to the floor. I had JUST removed his moon boots because he was running a temp, he was agitated, I was planning on doing a bed bath, and I was waiting for the tyelenol that I had just given to take affect. They went in the room right after I left and started freaking out about the boots being off-criticizing me in front of the patient's family member and so forth. They even went to my charge nurse who intercepted me before I went in the room to let me know they were on a rampage. They were finishing up with my patient and the patient's wife says "I'm so sorry, I tried to tell them you were coming right back." They were being such a**holes that my pt's poor wife felt like she had to defend me! Then the wound care nurses ask me in this accusatory tone: "And WHY were the patient's boots off???" In front of the whole team....And then Monique (my alter ego) came out to tell them ALL about themselves...I'll spare you the details...it was not pretty. :angryfire

1) Last time I checked, we were all professionals and it was definitely UNCOOL to criticize your colleagues in front of patients and their family members.

2) Maybe, instead of assuming the worst about our cohorts we should wait to hear their side of the story before we start pointing fingers????

3) Sometimes in the ICU we worry about other things BESIDES skin care. Not that its not important, but boots being off for 30 minutes (when the patient is moving both legs frequently) will not cause a pressure ulcer. I understand their concern, but I am not a janitor, I'm an ICU nurse-I know why I'm using the G.D. boots!

Amen. I feel better now.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Sounds like it's time for someone to be contacted higher up, maybe your manager, to have a little pow-wow with the wound care team. That is extremely unacceptable. They always tell us, no matter how much someone else messes up or appears to have messed up, never criticize them in front of a family member or the patient.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Telemetry & PCU.

I would really like to know what Monique said!!! :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

Right on Monique!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cath Lab, EP.

There was a lot of head bobbing...something to the effect of: "If I want to take boots off MY febrile patient for 30 minutes that's my prerogative....I don't appreciated being treated like a nursing home CNA....Why don't you try setting a more professional example for these med students..." I might have dropped an F. bomb in there somewhere which is never a good thing...but I was REALLY upset.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

3) Sometimes in the ICU we worry about other things BESIDES skin care. Not that its not important, but boots being off for 30 minutes (when the patient is moving both legs frequently) will not cause a pressure ulcer. I understand their concern, but I am not a janitor, I'm an ICU nurse-I know why I'm using the G.D. boots!

For real. How is that stage II gonna heal w/o a blood pressure!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/PACU.

Report whoever criticized you in front of the pt & family. Completely unprofessional & unacceptable. Reminds me of this rude wound care nurse we have where I work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU/CVU/ICU.

A little off the mark... but the wound-care nurses i work with are a good and humble bunch...

However, i can see why a wound nurse may eventually become a resentful, defensive, angry person. What with 90% of their job entailing looking/caring for butts and nuts and ostomies and sore folds and cracks and...etc. And to get a masters degree in it to boot... I'd could see myself becoming resentful and having issues...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU-my whole life!!.
I would really like to know what Monique said!!! :D

Me too! I do not take that kind of crap! Got any video?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
A little off the mark... but the wound-care nurses i work with are a good and humble bunch...

However, i can see why a wound nurse may eventually become a resentful, defensive, angry person. What with 90% of their job entailing looking/caring for butts and nuts and ostomies and sore folds and cracks and...etc. And to get a masters degree in it to boot... I'd could see myself becoming resentful and having issues...

Hey, a little respect here! I am a certified wound and ostomy nurse. And guess what? We see the whole person, not just the butts and nuts etc... wounds, which, by the way, can make the patient miserable. Wound and Ostomy nursing is a lot about rehabilitation and prevention, so that whatever the patient has, they can continue to live a full life. We're not so bad when that ileostomy is leaking all over the place, eh?

However, that being said, I'm amazed a wound care team is rounding on stage 2 pressure ulcers, the RNs are quite capable of handling these. In our facility, we created a quick reference guide so that the floor and ICU nurses could treat these on their own. I personally don't make a big stink about little things in the ICUs, because there are obviously much bigger fish to fry in these units. My problem is that the ICU and CCU nurses keep consulting me on these little things.

My pet peeve is when nobody has bothered to look at a wound, take off a stinky dressing, etc., because they wanted to "wait for me". Yeah. Right. Our ICU nurses are actually the worst at this. I have had to soak off 3 day dressings on post-surgical wounds because they wanted to "wait for me".

Okay, end of rant. Just a little respect, please. But your wound team sounds like they are a bunch of ... (oops, can't say it here!)

Cheers,

Oldiebutgoodie

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment