I had an incident happen at work today
that angered and upset me...
I am training to be at the desk
just after change of shift at about 0745 a pt called for analgesic, I paged the nurse to that room and thought it was taken care of ....
0800 the pt buzzed again saying she didnt get anything for pain yet and could I please get her nurse. I paged the nurse to the room , stating that the patient needed analgesic and assistance (over the paging system) ..........0850, the pt calls crying saying that her nurse has been ignoring her, I walked down, saw the nurse and told her calmly and nicely that this pt had been calling for a long time and could she give some analgesic, the nurse said she was very busy but that she would give it, i said that she could ask one of us to give it if she is busy and reminded her that pain is very important and no pt should wait for analgesic if at all possible, she said she was aware of that and then said she was going to give the med.
okay fine, bout four hours later the pts son approached me , quite upset feeling that his mothers needs are not being met, I apologized for the fact that she didnt get her analgesic right away and that I would act on his behalf and raise his concerns with my superior, I then went and spoke to the pt, who opened up completely to me, and saying she didnt want to be a bother but this chest pain from her pulmonary embolus and pleural effusion is really bad sometimes and she was feeling desperate (uhhhh yeah that would be pretty freakin painful) we had a good chat, I got her up to the commode, explained that she could always
ask me for help if i was there and that we really do care about her and want her to get better and feel comfortable while with us.
My supervisor approached me asking what happened- she had gotten a voicemail from the son about the whole thing, I explained it and then she brought myself and the nurse involved into her office to discuss the situation.
well this nurse, who is notorious for being busy all the time and not listening to her pts proceeded to lie and say that I never told her which pt needed analgesic and she assumed it wasnt hers that needed anything cuz I didnt come right to her right away
I explained calmly that she was paged 2 times before I approached her and mentioned that as part of your initial assessment of your pts you are to ask them if they are having pain, its that simple
I know we are all busy, I'm not some desk nurse who "doesnt get it" I work at the bedside, I love the care I give, and I am appalled that a pt would have to wait so long for some damn tylenol #3!
after we all talked it out , this nurse went into the lounge and told other ppl that I "made her cry" , Now really, I am one of the nicest ppl, and hate conflict and dont get nasty with my co workers, maybe she cried because she realized that she was wrong and gave crappy nursing care?!??!
I refuse to be blamed for someone crying....
I didnt make her cry, Our supervisor wasnt mean and nasty,we just explained that pain is a priority and analgesics cannot be postponed.
anyway, I fluctuate between being pissed and angry that now the family of the pt thinks less of our nurses and the care we give, and seems anxious about leaving his mother alone....and being sad, that this really nice, non complaining ,pt isnt getting what she needs from us in terms of pain control.
I am also annoyed that The actions of one , or few
are so greatly reflected in the eyes of the public on all of us involved....
dont paint me with the same brush as those ppl
I try to always listen to what my pts are telling me
and wouldnt make them wait for analgesic
if I cant get to it, thats what your team mates are for....
*sigh* I'm finished now, dont think that I'm trying to come off like I think I'm better than anyone, surely I'm not , but I am better than the actions of this nurse on this day
cheers
