The Kind of Nurse I Don't Want to Be!

[Jen2]

Hi All!

As most of you know, I am currently working in a hospital as a phlebotomist while I am attending nursing school. Anyways, a few days ago I had to go into a room to draw blood on one particular patient. When I went into the room I noticed the young gentlemen had mottled hands and didn't appear to be breathing. I left the room and went to the nurses station and told the first nurse I saw, "Could you please come look at the guy in bed 12". Her response to me was "Thats not my patient, you need to find HIS nurse". I said "Who is his nurse"? The reply I got was "I don't know, I don't do assignments, nor do I babysit all of my co-workers." Then I said (no other nurses in site), "well who's ever patient that is I'm pretty sure he's dead".

Talk about lighting a fire under her rear. She ran into the room and called a code. Sadly they were not able to save this gentleman. I understand about sticking with your own patients and everything, but geesh this was an emergency and all she wanted to do was argue with me. I then made the vow that this is the kind of nurse I don't want to be!

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

There is nothing or should be nothing wrong with a phlebotomist calling for immediate help by pressing the buzzer three times or whatever and it is better to start a code and have to stop for a DNR order than to not start. This is why DNR's are an "opt out" clause. It would not be the first time a code has been started and then stopped because no-one knew of the DNR when the button was pushed.

A bit of embarrassment about being wrong if a patient were not dead is better than the patient dying. CPR has been started on patients who are living (geroff me! I ain't dead yet!) in fact it is the reason why the "shake and shout" step was introduced in the first place.

Twice in the last two days I "ordered" the consultant to go to a patient in another bed area:rolleyes: I apologised after for my abrupt tone but in both cases we had a patient falling rapidly into a heap who needed a consultant stat!! At lot has to do with the tone of voice "excuse me but could you see the guy in 12" WILL get you a different reaction to "Quick the guy in 12 looks real bad and I think it is very serious"

I am not saying the RN was not rude or that I would have reacted as she did BUT you do know know what ELSE she was handling at that time. I have people remark that "it looks quiet and you are sitting down" while I had 1 pt with severe chest pain I have just finished first line managment on while another had an out of control BSL and the reason I am sitting down now is so I can find the !@#@ Doctor's phone number to contact him about his patient and get further orders before the chest pain becomes an MI.

All too often I have heard hasty and ill founded judgements passed on nurses. Please, put yourself in her shoes and think about how to make the next time go the way you would like.

[delta32]

"If this were to happen again, I would just give the D50W stat, and not bother with getting a glucometer reading first."

please don't do that if the patients having a CVA you would have just made a grave mistake.If the patient has a hemorage or "bleed" in the brain it kills tissue..not a good thing. its like giving it threw a infatrated IV line where the person would loose there arm.

Jamie

[CarVsTree]

I left the room and went to the nurses station and told the first nurse I saw, "Could you please come look at the guy in bed 12". Her response to me was "Thats not my patient, you need to find HIS nurse". I said "Who is his nurse"? The reply I got was "I don't know, I don't do assignments, nor do I babysit all of my co-workers." Then I said (no other nurses in site), "well who's ever patient that is I'm pretty sure he's dead".

I don't see where the nurse did anything wrong. I didn't see why there was even a conversation about who his nurse is/was. If he was coding, I don't understand why you didn't yell that pt. was not breathing. Also, aren't you supposed to start CPR and call a code as a healthcare worker? In the hospital where I work, anyone that finds a pt. not breathing is supposed to call a code, don't have to be a nurse for this.

[angel337, MSN, RN]

believe me, i understand what you are saying, but saying "come look at the guy in bed 12" is not enough reason for a nurse to break her neck to see what is wrong. when you become a nurse you will understand that. i agree that her response was rude, but overall she did react appropriately. i am a new nurse in the ED and i was a tech a long time before i became the "nurse" and my perspective is ALOT different than what it was when i was a tech. i love my job and don't regret it, but nurses have too many roles to play on a daily basis and you have to know who and what to prioritize. if you don't you will never get your work done and above all you could lose that precious license that you worked so hard far.

[BabyRN2Be]

I don't see where the nurse did anything wrong. I didn't see why there was even a conversation about who his nurse is/was. If he was coding, I don't understand why you didn't yell that pt. was not breathing. Also, aren't you supposed to start CPR and call a code as a healthcare worker? In the hospital where I work, anyone that finds a pt. not breathing is supposed to call a code, don't have to be a nurse for this.

I highly agree with this... you don't have to be a "healthcare worker" in order to call a code. In our hospital where I'm a volunteer doula, we are encouraged to call a code if someone isn't breathing, is blue, etc. They feel that it's better to be safe than sorry. Codes can be called off.

[nursesrocks]

I think the nurse should have responded in a more "professional manner" I know I know she's only human but if i was her and I am not just about to get off my butt and service other patients, I'm gonna track down the nurse of that poor guy and have her check on him, I will try not to talk rudely to the phelbotomist and air all the dirty laundry about nursing. All my complaints about my work load should be reported to management and not be announced to the whole floor. Maybe by that time, the phelbotomist who watches me not get off my butt will finally feel the urgency of the matter, and finally scare me by saying I think the guy is dead. Of course, I'll get off my ass and check him out then. I'm just saying, nurses needs to learn to hold their tounge just like everybody in the business whether its healthcare or businessworld.

[amh]

does anyone have any views caring verses curing

[unknown99, BSN, RN]

Hi All!

Her response to me was "Thats not my patient, you need to find HIS nurse". I said "Who is his nurse"? The reply I got was "I don't know, I don't do assignments, nor do I babysit all of my co-workers."

Whoa!!! If I ever heard one of my coworkers say "That is not my patient", they would be wrote up so fast, they wouldn't have time to get the words finished!!!! Once a nurse is on the clock, no matter if that patient is on her assignment, the patient is also her's (or his ) to help take care of!!! That is what team nursing is, and what being a nurse is!!!!

I do not tolerate that!!!!

[Energizer Bunny]

I think telling her it was an emergency first thing would have been a good thing to do, but I also think that her attitude towards you could have been better in any case.