ER Experience

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hello all, I accidently posted this in the polls...dur hur. Anyway here it is my experience.

I just got of the hospital this morning. I had a great stay in the hospital but the ER was a total nightmare!

I got violently ill on Tuesday. During this time I passed out and my husband freaked out and had the ambulance take me to the ER. I get there and end of passing out again in the ER lobby. They get me in the ER and the ER Dr gives me 2 zofran for my vomiting...why do they give you pills when you've been barfing? I'll never understand that one. Anyway, I'm still sick and they discharge me from the ER. I walked over to my Dr's office which is about a block away and he takes one look at me and has a car from the hospital pick me up and take me back to the ER to have me admitted to the hospital. The people in the ER put me out in the lobby to wait and while I was waiting I had to go to the restroom and while I was going back to the lobby I freakin' passed out again!! :o The ER DR comes out with a nurse and helps me into a wheelchair and push me back into the ER to wait for a room.

Ok, here's the kicker...As this nurse was pushing me into the ER she mumbles under her breath, "If you faint again you can just lay there till you can get up on your own, this to complete bulls@#$." I was stunned and too sick to say anything. I couldn't believe it! What a heifer! I wasn't passing out on purpose! FFS I was sick. Come to find out I have a cyst on the ovary left over from my hysterectomy and the ovary itself is twisted. I'm going to have to go in later to have it removed.

Anyway, it wasn't like they had to literally pick me up out of the floor! They just had to steady me when I got up. The more I thought about it while I was in the hospital the more it made me mad:angryfire I was just wondering what should I have done? I figured it really wasn't worth saying anything about but I hope she doesn't treat other patients that way. That was totally out of line and down right rude! What would you have done?

The rest of my hospital stay was great. The nurses and aides were awesome and very sweet:redpinkhe I really appreciated them and everything they did. I left a review of my stay and commended them for being so helpful and compassionate. That ER nurse sure could learn some bedside manners from the nurses on the floor I was on:madface:

Specializes in Geriatrics, Cath Lab, Cardiology,Neuro.

First of all, when someone is ill like that, they shouldnt have to wait, then be seen, only to be discharged because if something worse happens it could fall back on the doctor! Second that nurse obviously has an attitude problem! People like that either have no bedside manner or they are on the brink of burn out. Another reason is displaced frustration.

I hate to be the one to say this ... and I'm going to dodge the flaming posts coming my way.

However, some nurses weather they be male or female can just be a *#&$* I would have NEVER told a pt to get up on their own. In fact, we would rather you NOT try to get up on your own.

I am an ER nurse, the only thing I can say, is maybe this nurse was having a bad night, I'm not going to defend her, but sometimes things can just get CRAZY and totally out of control. I know its NOT an excuse, and I'm sorry this happened.

Specializes in ICU.

It might be a good idea to send a letter to the CEO of the hospital, including details of what the ER nurse said. If she pulls stuff like this with you, she'll certainly do it with other patients.

I was wondering if I should bring it to the attention of someone. Thanks for the replies. Should I send it to the CEO or the Head of Nursing?

Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
I was wondering if I should bring it to the attention of someone. Thanks for the replies. Should I send it to the CEO or the Head of Nursing?

The CEO, Head of Nurisng, and the Director of the ED. Some people should not work in acute care.

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

I'm sorry to hear about your ER incident. I had one like it too, and I'm an ER nurse. I had to be seen in the ER about 8 hours into my 12 hour shift working extra on a med surg floor one day. I was also given the po Zofran, and the ER nurse told me "to just suck it up and not be a ___ baby. Surely you're puked at work before."

So my dh who is also a nurse, took me home at d/c, and I think I puked 9 or 10 times in the 10 miles home. I mean, in my lab coat pocket, my purse even. I was desperate, and no emesis basin of course.

After we had to return, the same nurse got "stuck with" me as she put it to me, and to my hubbie who was the nursing supervisor that day. Her manager was not happy - to say the least. And I wasn't a happy camper to get her, but even puking I was more pleasant than she was.

Anne

Definetly write both about it!

OMG!!:angryfire

You have got to report this. There is no way this "nurse" should get away with that. Can you imagine, so now we can all have bad days and this is some excuse for that type of terribly offensive behavior? Absolutely NOT! Report it, if not for you, do it for your fellow man.

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I think its a really good idea to write a letter (make sure to include the nurses name, date of the occurrence and all of the details) but if I were you I wouldn't mention or allude to any details about being a nursing student yourself. Unfortunately, this may lead to someone who reads your letter taking you a little less seriously then they would a regular member of the public (I'm not sure why but this has been the case before.) I would make sure to include your positive experiences when you were a patient on the floors as well as mentioning your bad experiences in the ER.

!Chris :specs:

Thank you all for the great advice. I was so stunned and ill that I couldn't respond. I should've puked all over her shoes!:barf02:I will certainly report this. I don't want anyone else to be treated by this woman. I would hate to think that she would treat an elderly person or even a child in this manner. She should have just followed the old rule...If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all. I really wish I had puked on her shoes though:devil:

Specializes in ER/Trauma.

Me thinks that ED nurse confused a frequent flier with a genuine patient.

Sorry you had such a sucky experience in the ED.

Feel better soon.

- Roy

I think you should write to the nurse herself. Discuss things like the Golden Rule (do to others as you want them to do to you). Tell her how her anger and her cruel words really added to your distress and how, instead of her giving you encouragement and comfort, succor and relaxation, she just added to your upset, fear, worry, and so on.

Send a copy to the ER manager, DON, Risk Management, and the appropriate administrator (by name).

I hope you are feeling better.

+ Add a Comment