When I arrive in a PT's room, at the start of a new shift, it's very annoying for me to find debris in a PT's bed. And not just any PT's... it's usually the severely bed ridden ones that have all kinds of plastic syringe tops and dresing wrappers left in their bed. It really bothers me.
To think that a RN, or DR, or anybody would be so indignant as to pop medical debris onto the floor or bed of a PT because they are so absent-minded not to use the trash can. And again, it's always the very ill PT's (maybe because they feel they can get away with it)
I know RN's and DR's are busy, and rushed, but what does it say about a person's work when they toss debris around? It's slightly demotivating for me to see a PT bed or bedside floor littered with all types of plastic tips and everything else that can come from the hands of a health care provider.
Even if I was super-busy, I would never flip plastic caps or wrappers into a bed, or onto the floor, of a PT. I would put that stuff in the trash...duh.
I ask myself - what impression should I have on the first person I see/catch tossing stuff around after a bedside proceedure in blatent disregard? Can you forgive that stuff? If a DR changed a dressing, and left the PT's room with wrappers all in the covers, or on the floor, what are you supposed to do? Could you forgive an RN who threw an alcohol wipe wrapper, or CBG lancet top, or syringe cap in bed with your grandma or grandpa? What does it say about a person if they would do that? How do you (respectfully) call someone on this behavior/terrible habit? It's not right!!
Aww Peebles, I'm beating it to death on purpose. It's okay to beat to death a topic before it bugs you. i don't get physically perturbed if I come across trashed rooms. Really. I apologize for coming accross as "High Mucky Muck" or something like that. Im not. I just want to add some "shock value" to the topic with my word choice. You know, as well as I do, that it is dispickable (like Daffy Duck would say) to litter on a person, or in their space. I think i have beat this to death. And i really appreciate the comments, yours too.
I forgive all staff who do this, and still welcome "trash flippers" into my heart.
well mario i feel your pain. i always try to make sure my patients are clean. but inevitably an occassional accident happens or something gets over looked. I personally have cleaned up after others many times. where i work it has not been a real problem, so it has not been as issue i felt was worth the trouble. when you become a nurse you need to choose your battles wisely. as there will be to many for you to deal with all alone.
"flipping debris in the patient's beds" Do you really thing nurses are doing this. I, too, like a clean and tidy work space and hate to walk into a patient's room that has temp probe covers in the floor next to the waste basket, bedside table with 5 glasses on it, the floor so sticky that my shoes almost come off. These are real issues. The occaisional alcohol wipe wrapper or plastic cover in the patients bed are oversites for the most part of nurses that probably got called away just as they were finishing up with this patient. Clean it up and go on. If it is a daily problem find a way to get it fixed.
Specializes in Trauma acute surgery, surgical ICU, PACU.
the issue of debris in beds and garbage on the floor in our workplaces is a good discussion topic. lots of risks here as well as potential for pressure ulcers from lying on something hard and plastic like a needle cap, or even getting poked by something sharp.
what is not appreciated is the accusatory tone of this thread by the original poster.
mario, do you lash out at the nurses you work with like this? why or why not? how have you dealt with the reality of this situation, not on a bb on the freaking internet, but in your real practice.....
Not all nurses are slobs and they don't intentionally leave things in patients beds for someone else to clean but things happen like it has been discussed before many times in this thread. But there are more important things that you need to worry about than the rare cap or alcohol swab lying in the bed. Sometimes when I have had an absolute horrible day or night I have left things in a mess...but then two days later the person that I relieve has a bad day and I spend the first two hours of my shift cleaning up the messes. Just let chips fall where they may and I bet you will find something more important to complain about.
It doesn't matter whether you are in housekeeping, or transportantion, an aide, RN, therapist, Dr....there are things you can't do, one being to flip debris into the bed of a sleeping or demented PT. Some will chastize me as not being an RN yet, suggesting it is okay to exhibit this careless behavior once you are an RN. There is no way to justify your rightousness in tossing stuff in bed with a PT. What's the matter with you?
Now I, in all honesty, don't see this happen very much. I have started this to get a feel of how some people might react when I catch someone for the first time in my work setting. I am forever in debt to all who responded for providing me a base.
Addresing another healthcare proffessional about flipping debris into a PT's bed is taboo. When I do see it for the first time, I will pretent not to see it, so as to avoid any "battles" or skirmishes with opposing forces :-)
For Cathy Wilson... "I have never sinned (flipped debris to a PT's bed), therefore, I have every right to cast as many stones as i want. :-) Avowed lover of life. Amen.
If memory serves "heavens to Mergatroy" is something Mr. Magoo said when he was astonished by something. He also said, "I just don't know anymore."
What makes America great is that we have workers who think it's okay to be slobs. America the beautiful, it makes me proud.
I don't think I've ever thought someone intentionally left trash behind out of an air of superiority...but, go ahead, Don Quixote, keep tilting at those windmills if you must.
I was all prepared to make some brilliant comment about this topic, saying how I can understand many of the views and opinions posted here but after working 2 nights in a row short staffed with only four RN's on the ward I can hardly move....
so if my patients are all alive, and medicated, and comfortable then I'm calling it a success
if I've left a couple alcohol swabs, needle caps, syringe wrappers along my way I'm truly sorry.
I dont know what kind of pigs some of you work with for this to be such a hot button issue, it happens wehre i work but its certainly not common and it doesnt happen on a daily basis to a person enough to cause them hideous bedsore action......
I'm not sloppy, My work area is tidy, but I'm not perfect either, some days are write offs, yes habitual slobs exist even in nursing,doesnt make them a bad nurse , just makes them a slob.
I'm pondering if the nurse that fusses over cleaning his/her medcart and tidying everything up before she is even in to asses their patients is any better than a nurse who is actually in with his/her patient doing a procedure and leaves a little reminder behind by accident...
tough call
just when I thought I had lost all faith in some of my co workers it turns out I should thank them, for the most part I find our environment pretty tidy.....
Mario my buddy my pal I'm sure you have nothing but the purest of hearts and best intentions for all your patients and it shows......
I'm the same breath, speaking from my terrible write off of a shift , I say let he who has not left behind an alcohol swab or syringe wrapper cast the first stone....
I dont believe in excusing sloppy behaviour if its a frequent occurance but if anyone stopped me today to tell me about a syringe cap in one of my patients room (one of my 13 acute med/surg patients) then I would promptly tell them where they could shove said syringe cap :)
I'm just kidding, I think I made a point here somewhere .......maybe.....
the issue of debris in beds and garbage on the floor in our workplaces is a good discussion topic. lots of risks here as well as potential for pressure ulcers from lying on something hard and plastic like a needle cap, or even getting poked by something sharp.
what is not appreciated is the accusatory tone of this thread by the original poster.
mario, do you lash out at the nurses you work with like this? why or why not? how have you dealt with the reality of this situation, not on a bb on the freaking internet, but in your real practice.....
is it my imagination, or do i seem to be following you around lately telling you how brilliant your posts are?
Just scanned through the path this thread has been taking and a coupole thigns hit me in the face. The mess issue is the kind of things people in professions/jobs outside of healthcare focus on all the time, probably because they have no perspective as to what really is a life and death issue. Now, as nurses we know the difference between life and death, and we still focus on this sort of "little" thing. I think it's because we are one of the few professions where one of the things we routinely do is think about the well being and comfort of someone other than ourselves.
So a thread I thought was getting a bit silly, really is more significant than it appears on the surface.
We've all heard of the proverbal 'Sponge left in the Pt's abdomen by mistake', or the cases where the wrong appendages were amputated, or the folks who were chemoed and radiated when they didn't have cancer. It's uncool.
If I was a nurse, and very rushed, there would be two ways to go. One would be to start losing awareness and the other would be to remain aware. Being aware of what you are doing is fun. For me, always being aware comes natural, which is why becoming a nurse, and providing care, will be my pleasure. It's what some refer to as "spiritual."
Please don't anyone attempt to draw conclusions from any comments on this thread about me. I'm not claiming to be a robot. This is a an example of making a mountain out of a mole hill. I certainly wouldn't go to battle with someone who dropped stuff at some bedside proceedure into the PT's bed, and I would really be too embarrassed to bring it up to them. It would be more easier to just pick up afer them, and consider it an anomily. And thats the truth: It would be easier to absorb the situation, rather than repel it.
The old man side of me thinks it might be worth burning on someone about it. But in reality, if a person does this, I certainly will not change them at that point.
And for the record, i can only remember seeing this situation maybe 3x in 4 months, which is not bad. As remarked already, this will happen from time to time. Thats why its called a nursing team.
micro, RN
1,173 Posts
Keep on postin' Mario.....
keep us smilin' and ..........................
didn't know you talked daffy duck..............