NEED ADVICE

[Julie Setzer, ADN]

Hey all. Need some advice. I work NOCS. Had a s/p BKA POD#1 who asked for an ice pack around 3 AM. I provided pack and instructed patient about "10 on/ 20 off" over intact surgical dressing. Dressing and knee brace were still intact when I gave report to oncoming RN. 13 hours later, I received a phone call at home from the Day Shift Charge Nurse. Apparently, sometime btwn the time I had left work and MD saw pt. later that AM, the pt. had removed knee brace and dressing and applied ice pack directly to incision. Charge Nurse stated that pt. told MD they had done this themselves but MD says he doesn't believe pt. and insists that I must have done it myself. No mention is being made about the oncoming RN who I gave report to. What, if anything, should I do?

[JKL33]

I've only encountered this type of thing rarely. Do NOT bend over backward to defend yourself or succumb to verbal diarrhea. Be very assertive and concise. "NOPE. The ice pack was placed over dressing and he was instructed appropriately. Please refer to my documentation, I don't have anything else to add and I don't appreciate the unfounded accusation."

 

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

" sometime btwn the time I had left work and MD saw pt. later that AM, the pt. had removed knee brace and dressing and applied ice pack". You weren't even THERE when the patient did that. Can't imagine why a night shift nurse is responsible for something that happened on day shift. 

I am wondering what else maybe going on.... and  if there is someone  looking to throw you under a bus.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

On 7/29/2022 at 11:31 PM, Julie Setzer said:

Charge Nurse stated that pt. told MD they had done this themselves but MD says he doesn't believe pt. and insists that I must have done it myself. No mention is being made about the oncoming RN who I gave report to. What, if anything, should I do?

What the ever loving heck? Do you have a history of some kind of conflict with this MD? I don't get why on earth the MD would continue to place the blame on you when the pt told the MD they did it themselves plus you were long gone. Makes about zero sense.

If JKL33's advice doesn't work and the MD continues to push the issue definitely defend yourself, with a union rep present if you are in a union hospital. If the MD decided to continue to push this narrative it could cause trouble for you. After all the MD's are the income generators and the nurses are overhead costs so odds are if it came to anything it would be the MD the hospital will back no matter what the actual truth is.