I could have strung up my teammate yesterday

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Normally she and I work very well together and can have fun in a crazy shift. Yesterday I got a woman in with a hx of CA and taking chemo. She did not have a port so her veins were almost shot. I was blessed enough to get a line in on the first try, and after I hung the bag the doc gave her permission to go outside for a smoke. I am asthmatic and my teammate is a smoker, so I asked B to take the pt outside for me. B helped the lady into a W/C. Afterwards the pt elected to stay sitting up for a while.

About an hour later I suddenly realized I didn't see an IV line or bag. The bag was laying in the pt's lap, underneath the blanket, and.........you guessed it.....the line was firmly clotted off. B had gone to lunch and it was a good thing, because I was stomping around cursing her name!!!! She came back just as I was restarting the line, and she asked me, "What happened, did you lose the line?"

Me: "No, you did!"

Her name was Mud for several hours!

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ER.

ARGH!!! And the poor pt had to be restuck. What a shame.

on your behalf of course. On the upside, if you grumbled enough to her, bet she doesnt do it again. Heh.

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Don't that just fry your fritter! Been there, done that, and always feel sorry for the patient that has to be restuck. Hope your day is a better one.

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Specializes in ICU/PCU/Infusion.

I'm sorry you had to deal with that, Tazzi. Things like that really interupt our flow, not to mention the pain to the pt. in having to re-start the line. I hope you have better days ahead with this "teammate".

:hug:

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ARGH!!!

on your behalf of course. On the upside, if you grumbled enough to her, bet she doesnt do it again. Heh.

Noooo, I don't think she will! I told her she was lucky she had been gone when I found it, 'cause I was cursing a blue streak and every other word was her name!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geri, Ortho, Telemetry, Psych.

I don't understand what you are saying. Are you saying that the other nurse left the IV bag on the patients lap when they went out to smoke and never put it back on the pole when they came back in?

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No, she laid the bag on the pt's lap and found out the pt didn't have a cigarette. The pt wanted to stay in the chair rather than go back to the gurney, so she said "Okay" and walked away without hanging the bag back up. She told me the pt wanted to stay in the chair but I assumed she had hung the bag back up. By the time I found it the line was filled with a solid clot of blood.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geri, Ortho, Telemetry, Psych.

Oh, I see. Yeah, that really sucks.:devil:

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dingbat

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Gosh where I work patients are not even allowed to smoke anywhere. Neither are the employees or visitors for that matter.

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We have a designated smoking area on the other side of the building from the ER, but nobody follows it. People just go right outside the ER and light up. I would not have given the pt permission, but the doc had already told her it was okay.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Tazzi,

Is your friend a nurse ? She should have known and not taken the chance.

I might want to be a little leary of her capabilities if this is how she helps out. :uhoh3: :uhoh3: :uhoh3: :uhoh3: :uhoh3: :uhoh3: :uhoh3: :uhoh3:

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