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.
I hope this nurse never needs another job. Companies check Facebook and other social media sites when hiring to see if there is anything concerning. With her post spreading all over Facebook due to her open access, it will haunt her in years to come. And, due to such a response, Google her name. You are bound to see her post.
On the plus side, in the future when educators teach students that posting a vitriolic, obscenity laced rant on Facebook can kill a career, they will have an excellent example.
I guess I'll give my $.02, since everyone else is.
A bunch of RNs I know shared this post on FB.
It struck me as an angry rant, which is exactly what the poster called it. Usually, posting angry rants on FB is ill-advised.
I am a fairly new nurse, and I agree we don't have enough intensive clinical experience when we hit the floor. I was scared a lot during my first year as a new nurse, and counting on support and mentoring from more experienced colleagues. Thank God it was available! I feel bad for the new nurses out there trying to learn without any mentoring or support.
If I were the poster, I would be upset by seeing that situation, and I would be upset by people's "nonchalant" attitude in response to my worry and concern - that would just make me madder, and it seems like that's the response the poster had.
However, there's a deep flaw in the poster's logic which others have already pointed out - just because this bad situation happened and it involved a lack of a detailed assessment and a "gloaty" new nurse does not mean that new nurses are the problem! Gloating is a problem, lack of assessment is a BIG problem, and not enough resources in medical care? The biggest problem of all.
Those of us who put our licenses on the line day after day to try to care for the sick deserve better than the working conditions most of us have - and our patients deserve better too. It would be nice if patients, families and nurses could be on the same side, since none of us have chosen the current profit-driven healthcare model.
I bless the day that any of my youthful indiscretions were hear say at best. I am thankful social media is on the tail end of my career and I partake little of it...
I confess that I am very disappointed in the level of credence that is being given to this supposed DON's claims. Tell me, what exactly is a 'smirk' and how do you know someone is doing it? What if I define your smile as my smirk? What if the DON-diva isn't really related to the patient? What if the supposed smirker was not actually the patient's nurse? What if the whole 'polling the unit' and borrowing a pair of scissors from another unit isn't true?
What is true is that she violated a patient's privacy. (You know, that whole HIPAA thing.) What is true is that she, by her own admission, interfered with a patient's care without hauling the attending nurse into the room if the situation was truly that bad. (Also, on my worse day I can take a cobain wrap off without a pair of scissors. Why couldn't said 'veteran' do the same?)
Didn't the DON-goddess say that the patient was admitted with a neuro bleed? What caused the bleed? What did the patient's coag profile look like? Was she prone to bruising? What if the timeline that Ms. DON-expert got from the patient wasn't correct? Is it possible a neuro patient is confused?
Every one of you who gave any support to this extremely unprofessional 'DON' is guilty of not adequately assessing the situation. All you know is what this person wrote. How many of us have had patient's or families or friends get details so incorrect that they appear to be outright lies?
And how can you support someone who professes to 'love reporting nurses to the board, especially new ones.' That would be one of the hardest things I could ever do in my life.
I saw this post this morning, it's wrong on so many levels.
First off, it's a one sided story. We don't know anything about the patient or situation beyond what this one person is saying. Actually, if you read through the comments a couple posts claim to know the family and deny the story this nurse puts forth. An alternative story is the iv was traumatically pulled when the patient was getting out of bed. You know if you have an iv in an AC that gets pulled, without pressure applied (family doesn't know better maybe) it's going to bruise. We don't know if blood thinners, or other conditions played a part, we don't know anything about the no cuff other than the family members claim. I, for one, am not going to crucify the nurses at this hospital for substandard care when the reality is we have no idea of the care this person received.
Again, as far as the submissive attitude of the nurses, one sided. How many times have you been understaffed and over worked, and approached by a family member with a very aggressive nasty attitude? Are you likely to be nice as pie to them when you haven't eaten in 12 hours, or peed, or attended any other personal needs? If someone is instantly accusing you of things in a very aggressive tone are you going to put up walls? If you can honestly say no you are a better person than me! And the scissors, for goodness sake this woman harps on and on and on about the nurse not having bandage scissors! Do you know how many pairs of bandage scissors I purchased, that grew feet! Get over it already.
This woman's high opinion of herself grates on me. Her post is a complete attention grabber, she wants attention for her own "I'm so wonderful" platform. She goes on and on about how she would never do this, and she would fire you for this, and she is so gosh darn wonderful and amazing that she gets to be a DON and she can fire you for this. Puke. Grow up. She comments multiple times on her own thread, screen shotting private messages she is getting, arguing with the hospital staff who ask her repetedly to contact them or respond to contact attempts. She seems to think she is "fighting the man" and deserves the back pats from all those wonderful people she is saving from sure death at the hands of this hospital. She is exactly what is wrong with nursing.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
What is true is that she violated a patient's privacy. (You know, that whole HIPAA thing.)
While it may be true that she violated her sister-in-law's privacy, HIPAA does not come into play here. She posted as a family member, not as a health care provider/professional. It's no different than me going out and telling people my mother has breast cancer. Because I learned that directly from her as a daughter and not her chart as a nurse, I am not bound in any way by HIPAA. Please don't assume that HIPAA relates to a health care professional at any time a patient is involved- it only applies if the person learns the information as part of the job (or as unauthorized access on the job). Family members are free to share whatever with whoever.
As nurses, I believe we are held to the standards of our licensure. But I could be wrong. It will be interesting to see what the state board has to say. If the board agrees with you, I will stand corrected.
While it may be true that she violated her sister-in-law's privacy, HIPAA does not come into play here. She posted as a family member, not as a health care provider/professional. It's no different than me going out and telling people my mother has breast cancer. Because I learned that directly from her as a daughter and not her chart as a nurse, I am not bound in any way by HIPAA. Please don't assume that HIPAA relates to a health care professional at any time a patient is involved- it only applies if the person learns the information as part of the job (or as unauthorized access on the job). Family members are free to share whatever with whoever.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
As nurses, I believe we are held to the standards of our licensure. But I could be wrong. It will be interesting to see what the state board has to say. If the board agrees with you, I will stand corrected.
We are held to the standards of our license when providing nursing care. There is no nursing care relationship between the person who posted the Facebook rant and her sister-in-law, the patient whose care is involved in the Facebook post. Again, there is absolutely no involvement of HIPAA in this situation and no reason to involve the BON. She is not acting as a nursing professional; she is acting as a family member. At most, the effects may involve her job. The only way I can see the BON becoming involved is if her facility terminates her employment and she works in a state where termination must be reported to the board. Sounds like you could use some information on HIPAA and when it is in effect and what constitutes a covered entity. A family member is most certainly not a covered entity.
Does the person, business,or agency furnish, bill orreceive payment for, healthcare in the normal course ofbusiness (1)? ---> No ---> STOP! The person,business, oragency is NOT acovered healthcare provider
Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.
I've worked with the type of new grad she speaks of, but in my experience that has not been the majority by far. I made the change to acute care from a LTC and home health background, and I work with several nurses with one year or less of experience and they have been a godsend. They may be rookies, but they know more about this area of nursing than I do. Also, several of the skills I was taught are being taught differenly as new research emerges and evidence based practice has changed in some things. If not for the new grads being trained recently I'd still be Chevron taping a PIV. So yeah, some have an attitude problem, but a lot are going to be an incredible asset to nursing.
dishes, BSN, RN
3,950 Posts
On the plus side, in the future when educators teach students that posting a vitriolic, obscenity laced rant on Facebook can kill a career, they will have an excellent example.