I think I'm gonna get my first write up

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in NA, Stepdown, L&D, Trauma ICU, ER.

This turned out to be a lot longer than I'd planned, but I'm a little freaked out.

Our unit (L&D) has a 5 visitor policy, but it's 'up to the nurse's discretion'. Fine, I can come on shift, be the *mean nurse* and clear out the 6 extra people in my room. When they policy was made, we were told to ask them once and then call security instead of getting into a war of the wills. For safety and privacy of other patients, family members are not allowed to be hanging out in the hallway waiting to hear baby cry. They've either got to be in the room with mom or in the waiting room.

So, the other night at work the room next to mine had 3-6 people hanging in the hall all night. They'd been asked to leave at least twice, but came right back. I had to *excuse me* through the crowd to get into my room with heart tones down, as did the other 3 nurses who came in to help. After everything was good, the others were leaving and I could still hear the party going on in the hall, I lost my patience and called security. I told the dispatcher they were hanging out in the hallway, had been asked to leave but came right back and could the guard just ask them to go to the waiting room.... thinking that he could just walk down to the room, explain to them the policy and have them head out to the waiting area. Soooooooo not what happened. He walked back and forth between the nurses stations a couple times (down the hall right in front of the group) and was still there when I had to push my way through the crowd to get to the desk. He was a little testy, all "what do you want me to do?" I said clear the hall, they've been asked to leave and keep congregating outside the room. They either need to be in the room or out in the waiting room because it's a safety issue (in case we have to run a bed back for a crash c/s) and a HUGE privacy violation (because they were all in the hall and got a front row seat to my patient in hands & knees with her bum in the air when doc walked in and left the door wide open) I don't know what he said, but they all left.

That patient had been pushing for a long while, and was taken back for a c/s for arrest of descent. The family wasn't notified, so when one of them came back to check on her progress and she wasn't in the room... the crap hit the fan. Understandably, and I feel bad they weren't made aware of the situation. I would be really upset too. So, after they find out she's in the OR, and get the scoop that it wasn't a stat case, they come back to the desk, ask to speak to me and my coworker (who had cleared them the first 2 times) and read us the riot act. I know *KNOW* there's gonna be a complaint letter written. And now, that I don't have heart tones down and I can look back, I screwed up. I know it. I didn't call my charge before security (not that we have to, but I'm sure that'll be the issue) because she's pretty passive when it comes to visitors, and they weren't listening to us lowly nurses anyway. And what makes it better? One of the visitors is a nurse, in our building...:banghead:

Any suggestions for getting through the "you messed up" meeting? I've never been called to the principals office before and I just know I'm gonna:uhoh3:

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I wouldn't even worry about it.....

It's not your job to give the family updates.....infact I think it would be a HIPPA violation to do so. If it wasn't a stat case then the husband/SO/FOB could have gone and told the family what the deal was.

Also.....you don't need to call the supervisor prior to calling security. If you told the family once to leave the hallway and they didn't......then make security deal with it.....that's their job.

I am so sick of running into a room and telling the family to leave and they all just stare at you like your an alien.....if I have an emergency....I say "if you don't want to see too much....leave now"

then I do what I have to do...

I care more about oxygenating my baby then if the patient's father-in-law sees all her business.....

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IN ADDITION!!!!

Babies come out the lady parts!!!

If you don't want to see a lady parts!!!!

Then don't come into the room titled "labor and delivery"!!!

If you ever find your self standing in a room titled "labor and delivery" and a nurse asks you to leave and you don't......don't be supprised if you see a lady parts!

my 2 cents

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Specializes in Adult Stem Cell/Oncology.

Ugh, I'm sorry you have to deal with this! Do these friends and family members not care about the health and safety of the mom and her unborn child? Do they not understand that blocking the hallway is not only dangerous but also distracting to the nurses and doctors, etc... Do they not understand that they are keeping you from doing your job, which is to keep mom and baby safe? Some people have no common sense!

I hope that the baby was delivered safely and that mom and baby are both doing well!

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Specializes in LTC.

you didn't do anything wrong so if your superiors try to write you up, stand your ground..

1. if a complaint is filed by the family that was in the waiting room, just keep saying hippa hippa hippa...not only was it not your job to inform the family of the status change, technically you weren't at liberty....there is no way you could be wrote up on those grounds..

2. you asked the family to clear. they didn't. you called security. they cleared the family for you. per the floors rules and regs. open shut. if your supervisors have a problem with how you dealt with the issue, then they need to change their rules. period..

sounds to me like you did everything just like you should have and good for you for standing up to the family!! :yeah:

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Specializes in NA, Stepdown, L&D, Trauma ICU, ER.
Ugh, I'm sorry you have to deal with this! Do these friends and family members not care about the health and safety of the mom and her unborn child? Do they not understand that blocking the hallway is not only dangerous but also distracting to the nurses and doctors, etc... Do they not understand that they are keeping you from doing your job, which is to keep mom and baby safe? Some people have no common sense!

I hope that the baby was delivered safely and that mom and baby are both doing well!

What makes it even better is that the nurse in the group works in NICU. Who better to understand that things can go very bad, very fast in our world???? Of all people she shoulda been the one policing the group

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You didn't do anything wrong. I wouldn't sign a thing.

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you didn't do anything wrong so if your superiors try to write you up, stand your ground..

1. if a complaint is filed by the family that was in the waiting room, just keep saying hippa hippa hippa...not only was it not your job to inform the family of the status change, technically you weren't at liberty....there is no way you could be wrote up on those grounds..

2. you asked the family to clear. they didn't. you called security. they cleared the family for you. per the floors rules and regs. open shut. if your supervisors have a problem with how you dealt with the issue, then they need to change their rules. period..

sounds to me like you did everything just like you should have and good for you for standing up to the family!! :yeah:

perfectly stated. i'd be damned if i would sign a write here. you did nothing wrong. your followed hospital policy and hippa. if they don't like it tell them to chance policy and hippa guidelines and you will comply in the future.

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Specializes in LTC.

It seems like you prioritized wisely. Your responsibility is to the patient and not the ancillary family and friends gathered for the birth. Good job! I agree that you knew who you were really responsible for--the patient(s). :up:

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and whatever happens in that meeting, do not present yourself as if you're the one who messed up.

remain calm, cool and righteous.

do not be apologetic.

it's important that you know you acted appropriately and would do the same thing again.

btw phried, great job.

leslie

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It sounds like that wasn't even your pt - so why would it have been your responsibility to inform the family of what was going on? You did nothing wrong, and as a nurse who is contanstanly dealing with obtrusive (and obstructive!) visitors, thank you for standing your ground! Too bad the guard was so grouchy - he should have been on your side.

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Do they not understand that blocking the hallway is not only dangerous but also distracting to the nurses and doctors, etc... Do they not understand that they are keeping you from doing your job, which is to keep mom and baby safe? Some people have no common sense!

Of course not. Very few of them do. We are always read the riot act by our bosses to do "great customer service!" - please. I am all for being nice and pleasant and respectful, but I expect the same back from them! If I ask them to leave, then they need to do it. We are constantly told to "remember what a stressful time this is for them" - fine, I do understand that. Having a sick loved one really bites. But that's not an excuse for the verbal abuse and stalking we deal with every single day. If one more person chases me into another pt's room, I think I'm gonna scream! Uh, hello? YOU CAN'T COME IN HERE! Sheesh! And what about our stress level? Do they care that wrangling visitors takes away from what we can do for the pt? Nope!

So my position on the whole visitors thing is that they can stay as long as they are not causing a problem and there aren't too many of them there. Of course, now that we work in hotels instead of hospitals, it's a lot harder to enforce. PT CARE IS NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND STRESSING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ASPECT OF IT TAKES AWAY FROM PT CARE.

My :twocents:.

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