What do these people really have to do with nursing??? Let me list a few complaints~they didn't all happen to me, but the sheer nerve of people...
1. I work Coumadin clinic sometimes to relieve the other nurse for lunch. One nurse in there does everything...the CoaguCheck to check PT and INR, may have to draw blood, schedules appointments, patient teaching, liason between provider and visiting nurse services, calls from Tele and Med-Surg to schedule patients, to name a few...with no help. When the PA wants a patient to be seen in the Medical Clinic, I have to take the patient over to the triage RN, or to the manager to have them open a visit there. Also, after taking the fingersticks or blood, walk the charts to the PA (just next door). When the PA is finished, he sends the patients back to our room for us to discharge them home with new appointments and teaching. The patients are so rude that they walk in even while you have someone in the room (HIPPA violation as far as I am concerned), and PLENTY of times, I am in the middle of trying to find a workable vein on a scared little old lady who is tired of being pricked, and then, I plenty of times, because of these people barging in, I make the mistake out of being startled by scraping the poor patient and having to start again. We are told that when we leave the room, we must shut the door so that patients are not encouraged to just walk in, see other medical records and get curious.
One day, I am asked to refer a patient to medical for pain meds, and when I finish making her appointment, I escort her out and have a whole bunch of patients surrounding the door like roaches. I closed the door behind me and took the patient to where she had to go and returned. I had an orientee with me and she was sitting with a patient, a huge woman, who says "I don't appreciate the way you slammed the door in my face! You are rude, inconsiderate and don't belong in health care...(called me a few (b)witches along the way)" I tell her that I didn't slam the door in her face, I closed the door behind me (I can see if I were behind the door and slammed it in her face, but it didn't happen that way). She continued to rant and rave like a lunatic and meanwhile, the phone is ringing, others are literally kicking the door in and it is a madhouse. I just walked away from her, because it was plain to see that she just wanted to start trouble. She then goes to our manager (not a nurse) and complains about me. Bimbo manager walks over, asks what happened and I told her. She says that the woman is crying her eyes out and wants me to come and clarify. When I get there, this woman is bawling like a 3 year old saying how I humiliated her, how rude I was, how afraid she is, that she doesn't want an appointment scheduled by me, because she is so devastated and shocked. My manager starts hugging her, caressing her face and telling her how much we need her, if it weren't for her, we would not be here, and she is then staring at me to say something. I am ******, because, while I know that customer service is important, this demon was rude, belligerent and arrogant, but is now acting like a punk!! I was so angry and my heart wouldn't let me apologize because I just know she wished to start trouble and use it to her advantage. I felt that the manager should have just handled this on her own, rather than draw me into a confrontation.
2. Triage nurse gets a call from pharmacy and they tell her that a patient received two medications from a doctor that together would render a negative cumulative effect. Nurse tells doctor involved, because she doesn't know off hand why it was prescribed (this is one of our few great doctors who prides in patient care). Patient speaks Haitian Creole, so, the doctor got one of the PCAs to translate a phone message to the patient directions on the medication. Bimbo manager then drags the PCA to the triage nurse and tells her that she has to write a note on the conversation between the PCA and the patient. Nurse says "I was not told by the doctor to do this, she initiated this action for the PCA to speak to the patient, and since I was not present, nor did I ask the PCA to do this, I will not write a note based on what you are telling me. How do I know this is true?? The doctor should document on what occurred, because SHE was present and requested this. I didn't even know that this happened". Bimbo tells her that "If you don't do it, then, I will tell the nursing administrator". (Now) Angry nurse tells her "Do what you want. You are NOT a nurse, and YOU do NOT rule my license".
3. Nursing administrator is a manipulative user who chooses to attack people and use others (such as Mr. Boy Toy who wore sneakers openly while I had to get a note for mine). She has something against the RN that was in charge for the day. We were mandated to attend an inservice this morning. When we do this, they will have a few agency RNs run the floor while we are gone. This is not a bad morning, because we have no clinic on Wednesday mornings. I walk in and see an LPN in the triage room, and at first, didn't think anything of it...I thought she was getting meds (fridge is there as well). I keep seeing her there. It is a known fact that LPNs cannot run triage-that is an RN function because we can't assess. Later, I see the charge nurse and asked her of this agency woman is a PN or RN, and she tells me that she is an LPN, but our ADN called and said that she is to assign the LPN to run triage while we are at inservice. RN tells her "I will not be responsible to inappropriately delegate this, because this is illegal". ADN then asked to speak to another RN who followed this order. How disrespectful! If something had happened to this LPN, she would have told WHO delegated this to her...and I would not have accepted this assignment as an LPN who knows better. But this agency chick wants more hours, wants to get hired, and eventually go to school for her RN on our tab, so she is trying to kiss the rears of those in power.
