No more visitors EVER!

[canoehead]

Well I had a hell of a night in OB, a sullen rude labor patient even after the epidural, and whining about keeping the moniter belts on- yes they HAVE to be there. Her SO pissed and moaned about it taking so long ("when do you think this will be over?") I offered to get him the stuff for a shower and some slippers so her could get more comfortable. So I do all that and he leaves soggy towels on the floor and asks for a pillow- wjich I get- and no thank you or kiss my ass.

So meanwhile she's stopped dilating, ctx are irregular, FHR baseling is up 20 from what it was, no accels, intermittent decels of all types, and variability sometimes not so hot...hmmm. And I'm keeping track of all this, plus her whining, plus the 6-7 people going in and out, and WAKING her, after complainging that she's been up for days. And the OB says "just 2 people in the room" as we've been saying all day. So a couple of them come in and quiz me up about just HOW LONG will this take, as they have been here all day.

Well I say, if we could start pushing now, 1h pushing, and possibly as long as 1h stitching and clean up before the whole clan will be OK to come in. WHY she asks, arguing the pt doesn't care if we see her splayed out to the world (well I do!) And I don't need 6-7 visitors to trip over while I resuscitate this kid, and it's for mom's safety etc. Well sh'e not buying it- "Can't I just peek in???"

All OB nurses know where that road leads, esp with 5 others in the hall just wanting a "quick peek" too. Get the cameras and videotape...

So I explain we just need that time to get everything settled, and then the free for all will be open. (not good enough for her) She goes down the hall and I hear her mimicking me, esp the part where I say she's welcome to spend as much time as she wants now supporting mom. (They want to see the good stuff)

So anyway, mom delivers by Csection, bleeds out and the HCT is 10 points lower than baseline, baby has Apgars of 2,3,5 and 8. And the family follows us like puppys staring in windows, craning their necks past drawn blinds, and FOB jumps in the bed bedside mom's and goes to sleep, without coming in to see babe, or waiting for the transport team. Oh yeah- when I go in to get a consent to transport he requests...a pillow. And there they are, three pillows, right on the chair at the foot of the bed.

And we have NO security, I am the labor, and NICU nurse and my fellow RN is OR gofer, 2nd baby resuscitator and postpartum nurse. Supervisor comes to help but has to cover the house in addition so we have to move fairly fast.

IAM NOT YOUR MAID! I AM ACTUALLY MAKING DECISIONS THAT WILL AFFECT THE LIFE AND HEALTH OF THIS MOM AND BABY!

And if we need less than a posse in the labor room to allow us to think straight for just an hour-jeez is that too much to ask? I am ready to put huge deadbolts on all the labor room doors- once you go out- that's it baby.

Sorry about the rant, and thanks for listening.

Canoe

Not to mention the doc who wants to put in a UV- has never done it before in the 7 years I've worked at this hospital. Arghhh.

[SmilingBluEyes]

*sigh* yep i can relate canoe......it is the hardest part about OB is dealing w/the entitled visitors and the primadonna doctors. it gets harder all the time. really disgusting, if you think about it.

[Tookie]

Its the stories like above that makes you really wonder why we love this job at all

Admire you all for tolerating this - no wonder there is a nurse shortage.

Tookie

[Flo1216]

You know what they teach us in school? That we should call patients CLIENTS. I totally disagree with that. The patients are constantly complaining that someone was rude to them or mistreated them and of course they exaggerate tenfold. I had a lady tell me the other day, " The service here is terrible, " I told her, "That's because you're in a busy hospital...not a hotel. There are people here who are a lot sicker than you and we need to attend to them first so they don't DIE," That shut her up. I also had a lady once who rang the call light to tell me, " I will have my pillow fluffed now," I said, " Would you like a mint on it as well"? I felt like fluffing the pillow with her face. Don't even get me started. I just got home from work and all the pts and their families sucked ass tonight. When they're good...they're really, really good. But when they're bad, they are HORRID.

[EricaCCRN]

I could go on & on & on about this, my favorite ***** topic!!! When I first started woking in ICU, I had my first visitors encounter when my patient's ventilator was alarming. I entered the room to find the patient's daughter (with about 15 onlookers) turning knobs on the vent. When I flipped out, she grinned & said, "Oh don't wory, I'm an EMT!" I wanted to croak right on the spot. In fact I think my exact words were "take me Lord, I have seen it all!" Anyway, whoever said management has created an entitlment atmosphere couldn't have said it better. These people truly think they are there to be waited on & *****/moan about the dippiest things. These complaints (in my experience) are stupid & vague but boy does management jump on it right away! You'd think someone lit a fire under their azzes. They'll haul you in for a ream out faster than you can spit. But if you want to discuss something relevant to patient care, take a number & expect to wait. They honestly don't give a crap. I agree that letting the suits spend time with "open visitation" would change a few minds. Oh well, I can dream can't I?

[mark_LD_RN]

i love the line that one hospital i worked at insist we tell our patients." do you need anything I have the time." since when do we have the time i think the CEO needs to come down out of his tower and see the real world!

[SmilingBluEyes]

scripts rear their ugly heads again? no one is ever gonna make me read from a script in doing patient care. if they do, i am outa there. ugh! and, canoehead, you have my heartfelt sympathy and understanding. this seems to be the "norm" in OB anymore. It makes you NUTS!

[AIS52]

After dealing with the biggest PIA son all day, the pt's husband (and PIA's father) shows up and says (and I quote) "Has my pain in the a$$ son been bothering you? Just tell him to shut up and kick him out of here. I'm serious!"

My only question was- could you put that in writing please?

[SharkLPN]

Oh, boy! My faaaavorite work-related gripe!

My hospital *used* to announce on the overhead paging system when visiting hours were up. That sometimes did the trick to flush out the spectators, but there were the occasional twits who were selectively deaf when it came to the announcement. Funny that they hear the code, trauma, and team pages and quiz us about them, but they seemed to miss the one telling them to beat it.

Turns out that the suits (the nursing big-wigs included) decided awhile back that this practice was not in the best interest of our patients, and not very customer friendly. But having to entertain guests at all hours while they're sick is better for them?

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the other downside in regards to lax visitation rules - the abundance of unrully children on our units. UGH! Had one the other night running about barefoot , and picking her toes while watching the TV (which she'd turned the volume waaaaay up on) in our waiting area. Excuse me, but this isn't home. And where are her parents? Little ones crawling all over the floors, not only in the patient rooms, but on the carpeted hallways (imagine the microbes in that carpet, and we wonder why our little ones get sick). People bringing in coughing kids during cold and flu season to visit gamma, who happens to be in with a nasty case of pneumonia, nevermind that BIG sign posted in numerous spots in the hospital (front door, by the elevators, etc.) telling them to leave anyone under14 at home. Children belonging to the MRSA of multiple wounds pt contantly running in and out of the isolation room and helping themselves to the pop in the patient refrigerator... The pt, ironically enough, was a nurse herself. you'd *think* she'd know better.

I could go on and on....

* falls off soapbox, readjusts tiara *

[CEN35]

hey? i didnt even read the whole thing, or anybodys reply.........but my heart has hardened for more than one reason....i agree screw em all........they can sit and rot, what did anybody do for me or you?

me

[hogan4736, BSN, RN]

my favorite is when 11 family members set up shop in the (average) living room size waiting room all day (you know, bringing pillows, books, etc...), and just take the place over...

it's all about me!!!!!!

**invented soapbox, threw away the tiara years ago...now it's the crown!**

[MQ Edna]

We have Planetree in our hospital and in case you haven't heard of it, it basically means wait on pts and families hand and foot. We have NO visiting hours whatsoever. People can come and go as they please. And in case anyone wonders, Planetree was started by a PT, not a healthcare worker.

Now, I'm all for pt's having visitors, especially if it means they will do the little errands I don't really have time for, like water pitchers. And I have seen people get better when they have visitors. I've also seen them suddenly take a downhill slide and become "so sick" for no apparent reason. And when I have to wade through 15 people to get to the bedside to do my pt care, well, we all know about that.

One night, after I stayed over because we were busy, it was my 3rd 12 in a row, I had a very nice pt with a very rude visitor. I had to change out the IV pump, which of course was in the corner behind the BSC and next to the bedstand. After much pulling and tugging and rearranging, I finally pulled the first one out and got the second one in. THEN I had to play with all the IV tubing (IVF and heparin, plus an ATB). All this with the visitors standing there staring at me, and I could definitely smell ETOH on someone's breath. Then, the visitor with the smelly breath said "Do you even know what you are doing?" I turned around and looked at him and said "EXCUSE ME????" Usually this will cut nasty remarks right off at the pass. But no, eldrunko repeated himself. "Do you know what you're doing?" I put all three tubings down on the bed and turned to him and said. "I am back here trying to manuever large pieced of equipment in a space less then 2 feet wide. Would YOU like to come back here and do it?" Suddenly, big mouth didn't have anything to say. I felt sorry for the pt as she was obviously embarrasses, and I just talked to her right along as though nothing had happened.

If I had followed Planetree protocol, I would have said "It seems as though something about your loved one's care is concerning you. Would you like to talk about it?" Yeah RIGHT!!!

Laura

[Fgr8Out]

Originally posted by mark_LD_RN

i love the line that one hospital i worked at insist we tell our patients." do you need anything I have the time." since when do we have the time i think the CEO needs to come down out of his tower and see the real world!

It's a conspiracy!!!! TPTB must have hired the same consulting firm for our Hospital as well... because we've been told the same thing... heck, it's POSTED around our Unit on lil flyers..."is there anything else you need? I have time."

I have time when *I* think I have time... not when some stuffed shirt, lounging on his boat up at the LAKE tells me I have time. This does not mean I don't try to be cordial and helpful with everyone... but when I DON'T have time... I sure as heck don't want to be told I'm to say it anyway... :: hmph ::