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?"
Yes, she's a nurse and normally a very good one. That's why this ticked me off so bad, she knew better. I have never ever transported a pt with the bag in the lap......if no pole I have even resorted to holding the bag over my shoulder or even in my teeth.
TazziRN, RN
6,487 Posts
Yes, she's a nurse and normally a very good one. That's why this ticked me off so bad, she knew better. I have never ever transported a pt with the bag in the lap......if no pole I have even resorted to holding the bag over my shoulder or even in my teeth.