Terror in the OR- please advise !!!

[jd494]

Help, we as RN's are scared!! I work in a small rural hospital and our anesthesia doc falls asleep all the time (during cases.) We've reported it to administration..and he gets slaps on his hands..then is back at work. It is almost as if it is a joke to the surgeons.. they don't seem to care (or they at least turn their head.) We've had it with waiting on admin to do something.

We need to know if we are liable if we work in the OR or even the hospital and don't report him to his medical board? Or do we report to the state. We are scared of getting fired, :angryfire but SOMEONE has to stand up and be a patient advocate.

What do we DO?????

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Report this to your supervisor, keep going up the chain of command. Take it to the medical board if you have to.

[jd494]

We've actually reported it all the way up the chain;from Risk Mngt to CCO, CEO to Medical Board, who welcomed him back after 30 days(stating....well he does pay his dues...)

We agree with all of you as far as telling them how horrible our concerns are, still to no avail. Can we be sued if something happens (God forbid)in the meantime before calling? Who do we call? The state or the medical board?

[gr8rnpjt, RN]

this is dangerous. He may be using, or if an older gentleman, he just may be getting old and tired. It may be time for him to retire. Have any of you spoken to him directly?

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

The local newspaper's been pretty good about lighting a fire under our problems lol.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

Document your concerns, where you've been with them, and what response you get. Keep this at home! Everyone who has been a part of this effort needs to keep copies of everything.

If something bad does happen, you are covered- and everyone else can't claim ignorance ("the nurses never told us this was a problem...").

The hospital and other doctors are putting themselves at a lot of risk!

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

this is dangerous. He may be using, or if an older gentleman, he just may be getting old and tired. It may be time for him to retire. Have any of you spoken to him directly?

For that matter, he could have medical issues himself- high or low blood sugar, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, etc. He needs to do himself, as well as everyone else, a favor and see if there are things he needs to be treated for.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Or if it's anyhing like our docs, they were on call all night and up all night.

[PDXSN]

Well I always find that putting an argument in a way that can be fully understood is always effective. That is argue the matter from the point of view of money. If sleeping beauty kills someone or severely hurts someone then the hospital will be sued (costing money), the press will get a hold of the story and business will probably decline (costing money). Sometimes points like these need to be approached from managements view. Take what makes them tick or gets them excited and use it to argue your point.

And by all means keep good records of your complaint process outside of the hospital.

[jd494]

Not an old timer, and yes spoken to many times.He is able to hide behind the "Grand CLOAK of the MD Big BOYS CLUB... "He and no one else at high levels seems to care.....what is wrong with these people????

[MedSurgeMess]

I'd contact the state medical board with all proof. You can do it anonymously. I would think that you could be sued right along with him. If you can get sued for simply being on the floor when another nurse has issues that results in a suit, then believe me, the blood-sucking lawyers would probably find a reason to come after you too. Go to the state ASAP since you have already pursued it through your facility. Good luck, I work in a small facility and see how sometimes the good ol' boy system works....

[BSNtobe2009]

Not to mention the surgeon that is in the OR with him will probably be held just as liable. If I was a surgeon, I would refuse to work with the guy.

I can see the papers now, "Patient dies at area hospital...Anesthesiologist falls asleep during surgery.....previous complaints reported for months by nurses were ignored by hospital administration and licensing board...."

Yeah, some lawyer is going to have a field day with that one.

[buildingmyfaith57]

o man talking about a huge lawsuit for this hospital. if anything were to go wrong.