I was doing a 1:1 observation with an elderly confused woman who tends to wander. So I was in the room with her and the 19 year old unit clerk came in with a piece of paper that said " My name is !#@*. If found please return me to Unit @*!$. she then stuck the paper on the lady's back with a piece of tape. I waited until she left and I removed it because I think that is totally degrading and if someone did that to my mom I would knock them out. So later the lady and I were walking down the hall and the unit clerk goes, ' Where is her sign"? I said, "she took it off,"(even though i am the one who took it off) so then the clerk goes and gets the sign and sticks it back on her back and I was like, " come on, don't put a sign on her back, ' and she gets all nasty and goes, " well everyone else does it, " I said, " well if she is supervised like she is supposed to be and has hospital ID like she is supposed to, then she shouldn't need a sign, " Not to mention the fact that it is altogether tacky and mean. I find it the equivalent of putting a KICK ME sign on someone's back. So then the clerk grabbed the paper and ripped it up in little pieces and and stomped away like a 2 year old. The sad thing is that she just started nursing school. What does everyone else think of this? Am I overreacting?
no one should be treated that way. The clerk should at least have some dressing down about the issue. How else would she learn? If the issue isn't addressed now, she may go thru school and life thinking it's ok to humiliate someone who doesn't know any better
I completely agree with you and I do not think that you are overreacting. Just because she is a confused woman does not mean that she should be treated as thought she is a nusiance and as if she is an object.
I'll put your scenario into my post-conference discussion line-up for my students, if you don't mind. If ever one of them tried anything near like that, they'd be out of the BSN program for lack of professional conduct and disrespectful behavior.
Don't worry, this chick will never make it thru nursing school!
unfortunately they do.....and they end up getting set lose on a unsuspecting public. and unfortunately these are the ones that the public usually ends up remembering since the experience with them was so traumatic....seems as if noone ever remembers, the ones who spent hours ,caring for her/him , teaching her and simply comforting her/him!
and as for this unit clerk.....we put tags on out luggage and equipment, but certainly not a HUMAN being.....who has been a bright contributing member of society before this pip was even thought of!
I agree with the poster who said that this girl obviously learned that from someone else, so I don't hold her totally responsible, but at the same time she should know better. What is even worse was that this patient tends to be sexually preoccupied and one of the RNS said to the doctor, " Maybe you should get together with #$!@. She's horny," That was the charge nurse.
I stated her age because she acts as though she knows everything there is to know about being a nurse, even though she just started nursing school 2 weeks ago.
Corrin...I would LOVE that. PLEASE address this. Please tell your students that while it can be a good experience working in a hospital while in nursing school, it is important not to pick up bad habits or follow bad examples.Just because it is done, doesn't make it right. It takes more than a license to make a good nurse.
Many people talk about how they would lash out at this person who commits a haneous act as to make fun of a sick person. Remember: this is America nad our citizens are FREE to commit such acts w/o having to fear violence from others. Maybe in Singapore this person would be canned publically, but in America, you need to leave this kind of thing alone and just ignore it. I could say many things, but I choose to say this. I'm sorry :-(
not so MARIO, this may be America but everone here has rights and she had no right to treat an ill person with such disrespect. it is reportable,disgusting heinious and any other term you could think off. May be the clerk needs a little sign put on her back. such as I am an idiot, or Jackass. which ever fits best and see how she likes it.
i hope she never makes it out of nursing school the sad fact is she has a good chance of making it and then many people can learn her bad habits.JMO
No Excuse! (whether or not she 'saw' someone else do it!) Scary thought there are more than one out there,,, I know it and it does scare me!!!!!
Abuse!!!
Loss of Dignity!!!! (no matter if confused or not!)
Violations of her rights!
Age is not issue!
Pray she gets very seasoned smart intrusrutors,,, & makes it no further than two months in school! Believe me if she had my instructors,,, she would not!!!!
Wheter or not geratrics was first choice in nursing,,, it is my forte now,,, If someone atttempted to do anything like that to one of them,,,, She would be told by me!,,,, Reported to who ever I could & I assure you she wouldn't be working with us again,,,!!!
(Wow,,,, only was going to say ditto to everyones comments,,,!)
At one of the LTC facilities I used to work at I asked about a resident's clothing... he had his name written in very large lettering all over everything he owned. I was told that the state said this is improper when they did their surveys, the facility got dinged every time the surveyors saw this. The staff would remove the clothing and spoke to this man's family. But they always replaced everything and continued to do this. They insisted that by ruining his clothing, nobody else would steal it and they didn't care what anybody else thought about this practice. We all thought it was awful.
mario....we should just "leave it alone" ? How would you feel if someone did that to YOUR mother? Or to you for that matter if you ever became mentally compromised? A hospital employee does NOT have the right to take away a pt's dignity. Remember PATIENTS have rights, too. Perhaps you and this unit clerk should get together and have lunch. The reason why people continue to get away with things such as this is because people like you think we should " leave it alone".
and unfortunately these are the ones that the public usually ends up remembering since the experience with them was so traumatic....seems as if noone ever remembers, the ones who spent hours ,caring for her/him , teaching her and simply comforting her/him!
NurseDianne, ADN
264 Posts
HEINOUS!!!!!