I have had some creepy strange pt's before. Since we get the post cardiothoracic surgery pt's, we see many upstanding citizens, many not so upstanding folks (iv drugs leading to valve replacements), etc. we also get the chest pain needs telemetry pts (b/c to bed placement it doesn't matter that we are post surgery floor, if we have open monitored beds.......but thats another post)
i've cared for prisoners.
i've cared for bipolar manic phase elderly ladies (that was scarier than the prisoner)
i've cared for homeless people
i've cared for mean, hateful, cursing people
i've cared for former convicts
etc etc etc. i've never questioned not taking care of a patient for any reason, even if they gave me the heeby jeebies, b/c htey all need nursing care regardless of who they are or why they are here., they all get my best care.
until this one.
the man who sexually molested me 15 years ago came in as a patient. that was the one i absolutely refused to go into his room. he had a cabg, never knew i work there, and i dont even know if he'd recognize me. i was a child then, he has no idea im a nurse and so on. i do still have the same last name as then.
i was completely over it, not still suffering any from it, i hadn't even thought about it in a long time. but still, i could not take care of him. (lethal dose of K+ anyone?)
I'm currently a home health aide and have refused one case so far. I did the case on a fill-in and didn't get much info about them. It was my second visit EVER, and the first had been to a posh house on a golf course. This visit... well..
I walked in and a little old man was sitting in a recliner right behind the front door. He handed me something wrapped in newspapers and said "This here is my wife's dirty depends. She carried it down the stairs earlier. You need to go outside and put it in the trash." So, I did. The man then informed me that someone had come to see his wife in the morning but he wasn't sure if she had been cleaned up. So I took the wife upstairs (she had Alzheimers and was pretty icapacitated, but was ambulatory and followed instructions) into the bathroom. When I helped pull up her nightgown so she could sit on the toilet, her entire back, bottom, and legs were covered in BM. I reached for a washcloth to clean her off but noticed the bathroom sink was stopped up, so I had to use water from the bathtub to get her clean. Then I got some clean clothes for her and got her dressed.
Once she was clean and downstairs, the man informed me that I had to make her some lunch, and he told me their daughter had brought them some food. In the kitchen I found a box of Lee's fried chicken, several candy bars, some bread, and condiments. I was going to make toast, but the toaster was broken. I wound up bringing them the fried chicken, and when I pressed the man as to what they would eat for dinner, he said he didn't know. His daughter took away his driver's license recently and prior to that they would eat Oreo cookies for breakfast and eat lunch and dinner at the Waffle House. But now that his daughter won't let him drive, he's not sure what they will do. It's also worth noting that this man could not get out of his recliner due to major arthritis, so how he is expected to care for his wife is beyond me.
The whole situation was so outrageous I was nearly in tears some of the time, and once I left I made sure to tell my supervisor I was not comfortable there and asked to never be assigned that case ever again. I truly feel adult protective services needed to step in because of the terrible conditions in which they were living and the major lack of actual food. It was awful.
I'm currently a home health aide and have refused one case so far. I did the case on a fill-in and didn't get much info about them. It was my second visit EVER, and the first had been to a posh house on a golf course. This visit... well..
I walked in and a little old man was sitting in a recliner right behind the front door. He handed me something wrapped in newspapers and said "This here is my wife's dirty depends. She carried it down the stairs earlier. You need to go outside and put it in the trash." So, I did. The man then informed me that someone had come to see his wife in the morning but he wasn't sure if she had been cleaned up. So I took the wife upstairs (she had Alzheimers and was pretty icapacitated, but was ambulatory and followed instructions) into the bathroom. When I helped pull up her nightgown so she could sit on the toilet, her entire back, bottom, and legs were covered in BM. I reached for a washcloth to clean her off but noticed the bathroom sink was stopped up, so I had to use water from the bathtub to get her clean. Then I got some clean clothes for her and got her dressed.
Once she was clean and downstairs, the man informed me that I had to make her some lunch, and he told me their daughter had brought them some food. In the kitchen I found a box of Lee's fried chicken, several candy bars, some bread, and condiments. I was going to make toast, but the toaster was broken. I wound up bringing them the fried chicken, and when I pressed the man as to what they would eat for dinner, he said he didn't know. His daughter took away his driver's license recently and prior to that they would eat Oreo cookies for breakfast and eat lunch and dinner at the Waffle House. But now that his daughter won't let him drive, he's not sure what they will do. It's also worth noting that this man could not get out of his recliner due to major arthritis, so how he is expected to care for his wife is beyond me.
The whole situation was so outrageous I was nearly in tears some of the time, and once I left I made sure to tell my supervisor I was not comfortable there and asked to never be assigned that case ever again. I truly feel adult protective services needed to step in because of the terrible conditions in which they were living and the major lack of actual food. It was awful.
I am not sure I understand why you would not want to go back, but I do agree that the social worker needs to get out there and check out this situation. Sounds like there needs to be care giver in the home. Apparently the husband is no longer able to fill that role himself. I don't think you needed to quit going there, there just needs to be an intervention on their behalf.
In home health, you see alot of desperate situations. As an NA, you need to keep the nurses and social workers alerted to needs. Advocate for the patient. Elderly patients, especially when dementia is in the home, can be overwhelmed and unable to express their needs. You, as an nursing assistant, will get the real picture, as you did on this visit. Thank goodness you were there to clean her up that day, and to alert the nurse to the urgency of their needs.
I guess I am more old school here. We were taught to never judge a patient. We deal with the problem at hand, not our personal feelings. I will never accept abuse from a patient, but I will choose to define the line between my personal issues and the patients issues.
I guess I am more old school here. We were taught to never judge a patient. We deal with the problem at hand, not our personal feelings. I will never accept abuse from a patient, but I will choose to define the line between my personal issues and the patients issues.
Actually, I agree with you 100%, but I also think the original poster had a unique situation.
I have found myself in situations where patients are being "traded" by nurses. You know, "I'll give you my schizophrenic and take your CBI tonight". I just find that in poor taste and cringe when this is said outloud at the nurses station. But yes I agree that the nurse has the obligation to speak up and make clear ANY conflict of interest that might exist. I have refused only a few patients and welcomed many on to my caseload that were not in the original plan.
I am not sure I understand why you would not want to go back, but I do agree that the social worker needs to get out there and check out this situation. Sounds like there needs to be care giver in the home. Apparently the husband is no longer able to fill that role himself. I don't think you needed to quit going there, there just needs to be an intervention on their behalf.
In home health, you see alot of desperate situations. As an NA, you need to keep the nurses and social workers alerted to needs. Advocate for the patient. Elderly patients, especially when dementia is in the home, can be overwhelmed and unable to express their needs. You, as an nursing assistant, will get the real picture, as you did on this visit. Thank goodness you were there to clean her up that day, and to alert the nurse to the urgency of their needs.
I agree;I don't think this was a good reason to refuse an assignment. I had a pt. assault me, and to me, that was a good reason to say "no" to taking care of him again. But, having worked in home care, I can attest that sometimes you walk into terrible situations of neglect. That's precisely what home care nurses and aides are there for...to care for those who can't care for themselves.
Clearly, a nurse or any healthcare worker should approach each patient without prejudice, detached from personal issues, with the aim to give the most excellent care possible. If hesitancy is based my character issue, I need to grow up; if my reluctance is based on bias, I need to rebuke my ignorance.
But, if in reality, I am incapable of giving the care that the patient deserves, and their needs merit, I would be a better person to admit that and provide an alternative.
Sorry, this is really a big issue in my life. I tried to exchange one patient one time, only one time in 12 years, and it had a real impact on my future in healthcare.
So, guess I am saying, don't play some kind of refuse the patient game, but give someone the benefit of the doubt if it is a very rare thing.
I guess I am more old school here. We were taught to never judge a patient. We deal with the problem at hand, not our personal feelings. I will never accept abuse from a patient, but I will choose to define the line between my personal issues and the patients issues.
This is a good philosophy when dealing with moral values and personal preferences. But nurses are not appliances. Try as we might to "rise above" certain circumstances, there are times when it's to everyone's advantage to recognize internal limitations and look for alternatives. Past sexual assault is certainly one of those circumstances.
In the OP's situation, she needed to opt out of caring for the patient that had formerly abused her, as a judge would recuse herself from dealing with a person where there might be a perceived conflict of interest. This person harmed her! Anything questionable about his care, however minuscule, could be viewed with that in mind and called against HER. Even if no one else knows, she doesn't need the turmoil and distraction.
It's one thing to avoid caring for someone because you don't agree with their life choices or their hygiene or their habits. It's another altogether to opt out of trying to care for someone who has physically assaulted you. That only makes sense.
To the OP: Was this man ever called to account for what he did to you? I'm so sorry you were hurt, but I'm glad you went on to make a good life for yourself.
Megsd, BSN, RN
723 Posts
I'm currently a home health aide and have refused one case so far. I did the case on a fill-in and didn't get much info about them. It was my second visit EVER, and the first had been to a posh house on a golf course. This visit... well..
I walked in and a little old man was sitting in a recliner right behind the front door. He handed me something wrapped in newspapers and said "This here is my wife's dirty depends. She carried it down the stairs earlier. You need to go outside and put it in the trash." So, I did. The man then informed me that someone had come to see his wife in the morning but he wasn't sure if she had been cleaned up. So I took the wife upstairs (she had Alzheimers and was pretty icapacitated, but was ambulatory and followed instructions) into the bathroom. When I helped pull up her nightgown so she could sit on the toilet, her entire back, bottom, and legs were covered in BM. I reached for a washcloth to clean her off but noticed the bathroom sink was stopped up, so I had to use water from the bathtub to get her clean. Then I got some clean clothes for her and got her dressed.
Once she was clean and downstairs, the man informed me that I had to make her some lunch, and he told me their daughter had brought them some food. In the kitchen I found a box of Lee's fried chicken, several candy bars, some bread, and condiments. I was going to make toast, but the toaster was broken. I wound up bringing them the fried chicken, and when I pressed the man as to what they would eat for dinner, he said he didn't know. His daughter took away his driver's license recently and prior to that they would eat Oreo cookies for breakfast and eat lunch and dinner at the Waffle House. But now that his daughter won't let him drive, he's not sure what they will do. It's also worth noting that this man could not get out of his recliner due to major arthritis, so how he is expected to care for his wife is beyond me.
The whole situation was so outrageous I was nearly in tears some of the time, and once I left I made sure to tell my supervisor I was not comfortable there and asked to never be assigned that case ever again. I truly feel adult protective services needed to step in because of the terrible conditions in which they were living and the major lack of actual food. It was awful.