Just got home from another CRAZY shift and just feel the need to talk about it. I worked the evening shift, started with 5 patients, discharged 2, admitted 1 and accepted 1 transfer.
Don't you just love the needy patient that whines and claims they can't do anything for themselves? Call bell after call bell "I need someone to clean me, I soiled myself!" ...yet 100% capable of walking to the bathroom. This patient was also complaining all night that she didn't want to be discharged tomorrow...I don't know how many times I had to explain she wasn't going anywhere. Unfortunately not an uncommon patient, but still not my favorite to deal with.
Next we have the patient that's 100% independent...should be a breeze! But ah in fact she's a talker, beware if you enter the room you will never leave. She complained to me for about an hour about one of our LPNs who was late giving her meds yesterday and how it's CRUCIAL she has all her inhalers exactly at a specific time to a tee...luckily I was able to deliver she meds on time. On top of that her port-a-cath is clotted and we are now onto our second dose of alteplase since the heparin flush and first alteplase dose didn't work. Not a crazy complicated procedure but definitely time consuming and frustrating and of course still no blood return after all of that! I try towards the end of the shift to get a blood return when she's now laying flat with her arm behind her head and wala! Blood return! Thank god
Onto pneumonia and an altered mental status. Pt found to have mild hypoxia on 4L...doc says it okay since they've decided she needs a thoracentesis...after initiating IVF...stupid mistake on my part initiating them in the first place but just a total mess of a situation that easily could've been avoided. On top of this the pt arrived from an acute care facility where the paperwork got "lost" in travel so everyone was unaware of the MRSA history and exposed for the first hour or so...yay for spreading infectious disease around!
Thankfully my two discharges were simple.
And my transfer...a retired nurse! Haha watching your every move. Typically she came with about 45 minutes left of my shift so I had to pass most of her transfer work onto the next nurse...I hate that but after the night I had there was no way to avoid it unfortunately.
So lesson learned? 8 hour shifts are rarely enough time to finish your work but what can you do! How was your shift?
... the families who place coffee orders like we're starbucks. Ugh. Can't wait to get to nights.
You know how many times I've felt that I should be working for jetBlue instead? :D lol ... seriously, how much coffee, tea and ice can I freaking serve? Sometimes more so than actual meds! And of course it's always when the CNAs are on their fakebreaks!!
I shouldn't complain tho, I get paid well for this :)
BTW, nights is awesome! I don't think I'll ever go to days again ...
PacoUSA, BSN, RN
3,450 Posts
You know how many times I've felt that I should be working for jetBlue instead?
:D lol ... seriously, how much coffee, tea and ice can I freaking serve? Sometimes more so than actual meds! And of course it's always when the CNAs are on their fakebreaks!!
I shouldn't complain tho, I get paid well for this :)
BTW, nights is awesome! I don't think I'll ever go to days again ...
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