I am a nurse on a med-surg floor in Kentucky. I cant take my job anymore. I dont even know if I want to be a nurse anymore. My best friend (who worked on this floor until a month ago) was there to visit her mom who was a patient. She had been in the ER numerous times and they kept sending her home. They finally admitted her the other night. Well, she coded. When they got the crash cart..... IT WASNT STOCKED! They couldnt get an IV on her and didnt have the supplies to get a deep-line inserted. My friend called me crying because her mom died, I called to ask if I could take off to be with her (I had just left one funeral and had 2 more to go to), they YELLED AT ME. Well, I went to work and sat at the nurses station and cried for an hour before being able to do any work (this pt was like my 2nd mom).
Another occasion....I had a patient who had ascites BADLY. He had a dobhoff with TF and IVF's (total almost 300 ml/hr), plus on a regular diet! He wasnt on a low Na diet or restriced fluids. By the time I came on shift, his lung sounds could be heard all the way down the hall. He was begging me to do something. I checked stomach residual and did NOT put it back in him, was supposed to but he was overloaded. I called the doc approximately 20 times, no kidding. I finally demanded an xray of lungs to check lung status and an xray to determine dobhoff placement and a f/c. I also got some Lasix IV. I turned off TF's and KVO'ed the IVF's (no order for that, but it was my nursing judgement). The doc wouldnt come to floor, the charge nurse wouldnt go with me to see this patient. The doc FINALLY came to floor at the time this pt coded (he ruptured internally and it all came out his nose and mouth). The doc turns and walks out of room! We stabilized him enough to get him to ICU, but they didnt do anything, no tests or anything. He died 30 minutes later.
Another episode... A man had an open appy. He got majorly infected. When he questioned the doc, he had been 30 hours without antibiotics (wasnt my pt, btw).
People come into this hospital with minor health probs and end up DYING! I live in a small community with only 1 other hospital, which is worse than this one. This is the only place to work unless I want to drive 1 1/2 hours one-way to get to a new job. What would you do? I have to work tonight, get off at 7:30 am tomorrow morning and then have to turn around and go back at 3:00 pm. I wont get any sleep. Are all hospitals like this? From what I've seen, I dont ever want to get sick! I need advice BADLY.
