I'm a little upset about something I read on Facebook tonight. Let me start by saying, I usually take things with a grain of salt when it comes to Facebook, but something about this has rubbed me the wrong way. This post comes from an "experienced" nurse and self-proclaimed DON. My issue is not with the care the pts loved one received, but how this nurse vented her feelings towards all new nurses.
Let's all save ourselves the aggravation and debate and agree that what happened to the patient is wrong, and does not work in a culture where Zero Harm should be the goal; however, to say "New nurses are coming out with an insufferable, know-it-all attitude, and overconfident in their skills. New nurses, you're pissing this veteran off". Wait what did just read??? Surely ALL new nurses do not fit this mold, and to assume all new nurses are this way is just wrong.
She also goes on to say "You're the reason I won't hire a nurse with less than three years in the field. I would have fired you for this, and the two nurses before you for patient negligence. I've fired people over less. I hold my nurses to my personal standard, and that bar is set high, ladies and gentlemen. Shame on this nurse. I am embarrassed to call her a member of my noble profession. "
I get it, she's upset, her family member was hurt, but to say that she won't hire new nurses and that these three nurses should be embarrassed to nurses is WRONG. She has forgotten what it is like to go to work everyday terrified that because she is a new nurse she might kill someone. WE ARE ALL HUMAN, mistakes will be made; however, we need the experienced nurses to teach, and to guide and mentor the next generation. Maybe that is what is wrong with that ICU unit is that there isn't a good training program. This is not what I want the public to think about nurses. We should be team members, build each other up, because if one of us falls we all should. Shame on her... I am embarrassed to call her a member of my noble profession.
this type of hullabaloo is what makes me (sometimes) anxious about my job. I have intentionally cultivated very good habits that reduce the possibility of errors or breaches in protocols. However, I am far from perfect, and I don't know everything. If I'm in doubt, I ask. That doesn't mean I am or will ever be error-free. Often, being error-free doesn't matter if the patient or family member is exceptionally mistrustful or anxious.
What gets me about this whole thing is how I often feel that every move I make is being watched. It's a bit unnerving. Our work is scrutinized...BY EACH OTHER. Nurses are their own worst enemies. Medicine rarely takes issue with us or feels the need to report us, even if they are unhappy with us.
I've witnessed differences in how errors in nursing and medicine are handled. Errors in medicine are often pooh-poohed. I have heard doctors telling patients, "We gave you too much fluids, so now we have to give you a diuretic." "Yeah, the residents hurt your kidneys because they didn't discontinue X med soon enough, but we can fix that." I even had a senior resident say to me, "This patient has been medically mismanaged, so I'm taking over." I personally refused to carry out an order that would kill a patient. (I'm not exaggerating; it was blatantly inappropriate for the patient.) The end result was a talk between the attending who put in the order and the medical director....a slap on the wrist.
I'm not saying that errors--in either medicine or nursing--should always be met with a shoulder-shrug. But nursing is full of write ups and "Why didn't you..." We see it all the time here and in real life. The nursing culture is *****. We all need to help each other, educate each other, support each other to change our culture and to improve patient outcomes.
Do some nurses still carry their own bandage scissors? I used to in the 80's, but infection control research showed that even after disinfecting the scissors they still harboured bacteria and it became infection control policy not to use scissors between patients. I have been using disposable scissors for individual patients for for over twenty years.
On the West Jefferson Medical Center FaceBook page there is this:
As you may know, West Jefferson Medical Center is the subject of a negative Facebook post regarding ICU care. We take these statements very seriously and have made numerous attempts to gather additional information from the poster. We have been in contact with the patient's family, who did not consent to the Facebook post and has shared the statement below. The family has asked that their names and images not be used, and we are committed to respecting their privacy.
There's little more to the story about the bruising than we knew at the time. Apparently, this was not caused by nursing staff, but by my daughter. She pulled the IV out when she got up for a walk.. She didn't know what she was doing at the time and she didn't know it for a couple of days. She has gotten really good care at West Jefferson. We have no complaints about the nurses responding to her. The doctors have treated her well.â€
There are two sides to everything. Apparently the woman who posted the rant did not have permission to post about it. I sure hope she gets reported to her BON. Maybe having that scare would keep her from acting so arrogant, or, maybe not.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Try to find out where she works and send screenshots of the posts to the director of nurses.
Not really the role of Nurse Doe to do that. However, considering the amount of attention the post has gotten from both the facility posting on behalf of the family and in responses and repostings on other sites, it is likely that her employer is already aware. Facilities do employ people whose sole job is scanning social media sites for things posted by employees.
According to the facebook poster she is the DON at her workplace, at least she was when she posted, but she may not be for long, cannot imagine an employer keeping a DON who publicly violated HIPAA.
According to the facebook poster she is the DON at her workplace, at least she was when she posted, but she may not be for long, cannot imagine an employer keeping a DON who publicly violated HIPAA.
She isn't violating HIPAA. She is posting as a patient family member, ranting about care that family member received. Hopefully the hospital got permission to post their response, though.
She isn't violating HIPAA. She is posting as a patient family member, ranting about care that family member received. Hopefully the hospital got permission to post their response, though.
That's what I thought! She was talking about a family member's treatment.
Not HIPAA-related.
I did actually see this before this thread started; just didn't recognize it from the comments and thanks to the person who pm'd me the link. That photo made me remember the story.
She isn't violating HIPAA. She is posting as a patient family member, ranting about care that family member received. Hopefully the hospital got permission to post their response, though.
See post #63, the patient did not consent to the facebook post or picture being posted, the poster's name is on her facebook account and she gave her relationship to the patient, she provided the patient's location, the nature of the illness and a picture.
Do some nurses still carry their own bandage scissors? I used to in the 80's, but infection control research showed that even after disinfecting the scissors they still harboured bacteria and it became infection control policy not to use scissors between patients. I have been using disposable scissors for individual patients for for over twenty years.
In my area of expertise (dialysis) it is an infection control violation to use anything carried in your pocket for patient care ie., tape, bandages, gauze, alcohol preps. Cross contamination and all!
dudette10, MSN, RN
3,530 Posts
I found the FB post, and I read the whole thing.
this type of hullabaloo is what makes me (sometimes) anxious about my job. I have intentionally cultivated very good habits that reduce the possibility of errors or breaches in protocols. However, I am far from perfect, and I don't know everything. If I'm in doubt, I ask. That doesn't mean I am or will ever be error-free. Often, being error-free doesn't matter if the patient or family member is exceptionally mistrustful or anxious.
What gets me about this whole thing is how I often feel that every move I make is being watched. It's a bit unnerving. Our work is scrutinized...BY EACH OTHER. Nurses are their own worst enemies. Medicine rarely takes issue with us or feels the need to report us, even if they are unhappy with us.
I've witnessed differences in how errors in nursing and medicine are handled. Errors in medicine are often pooh-poohed. I have heard doctors telling patients, "We gave you too much fluids, so now we have to give you a diuretic." "Yeah, the residents hurt your kidneys because they didn't discontinue X med soon enough, but we can fix that." I even had a senior resident say to me, "This patient has been medically mismanaged, so I'm taking over." I personally refused to carry out an order that would kill a patient. (I'm not exaggerating; it was blatantly inappropriate for the patient.) The end result was a talk between the attending who put in the order and the medical director....a slap on the wrist.
I'm not saying that errors--in either medicine or nursing--should always be met with a shoulder-shrug. But nursing is full of write ups and "Why didn't you..." We see it all the time here and in real life. The nursing culture is *****. We all need to help each other, educate each other, support each other to change our culture and to improve patient outcomes.