Very Unprofessional....

Nurses Relations

Published

So, last night I get report from a patient in the Unit who was in ETOH protocol. This was the patient's 3rd day withdrawing!!! When I got report from this XY Nurse, she told me that the patient was scoring pretty high. I was surprised because we usually send them to the unit when they score over 12. Anyhow, she tells me a little bit about the patient and says to me "ugh he fell at home due to a seizure and that's why you will see all that nasty stuff on his face". I was like, excuse me? and she was like " well yeah, all that dried blood on his face." I just stayed quiet and continue on with report. When I received the patient, he looked like a total hot mess. Yes, I know he is an alcoholic, but we are not here to judge. I offered a bedbath , ( since he was on seizures precautions/ and on bedrest). We cleaned all the blood off his face. Patients need to have dignity, like every human deserves to have! I do not mean to be so sensitive, BUT WE NURSES , came into the profession to help and be compassionate, or at least be professional in the way we communicate about our patients with other colleagues. Anyways, It felt good, I just love being a Nurse!

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

We don't know a lot about the patients condition, EXCEPT what is described by the receiving nurse.

A new nurse. Who didn't ask questions. Who didn't call back and ask questions. We don't know WHY there was dried blood on the patients face, and there is always a why. Even if it's "I don't know".

I'll withhold judgement on the transferring nurse, since we don't have a complete picture of what happened for three days.

I won't argue that not being bathed for three days, in a hospital, is usually negligent.

I won't argue that the OP did her job well, and was a shining example of the best of nursing. I would just suggest that asking thorough questions about your patient's condition, is also part of your job.

I just can't get past that pesky little "why".

0 Votes
Specializes in kids.
If he was combative during the 3 shifts that he was there and that's the reason why she didn't clean his face, wouldn't she mention that in report? Like "he has nasty stuff on his face. He's been combative so we haven't had a chance to clean him up" then maybe I would give her a pass. But for her to make the comment and move on? Makes me think no one even tried with him.

This!

0 Votes

This happens all the time. Sigh

0 Votes
Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
Perhaps the patient was too combative prior to this to get him cleaned up? Or too combative and when finally not, the nurse had a few other patients acting a hot mess and wasn't able to get in there?

When I come into a mess, I clean it up, assume other matters were more pressing for the nurse I'm following, and move on. I don't spend time judging the person I'm following because I know that I've left the occasional mess that would make me look bad when it was really just a time/situation/whatever issue.

But for three days? In 72 hours, nobody found five minutes to take a warm washcloth to all that blood?

0 Votes

"As RubyVee pointed out... there is a much bigger issue here. Every patient deserves to be treated with respect( in this case it was a simple bed bath.) I

hope you examine your callous response."

I didn't see it as a callous response, but maybe I'm relying too much on my personal experiences. I've worked with nurses who had the cleanest patients, ever. They were outraged if one hair was out of place or one drop of blood was on a top sheet. They also tended to be the ones who "didn't have time" to start a blood transfusion that was ordered eight hours ago, cover a critical potassium, replace a blown IV for a patient on a heparin drip, etc. I guess you could say we were extremely short-staffed (on purpose), and their priorities were not always the same as mine.

It's not that I believe in neglecting patients, but I typically give co-workers the benefit of the doubt when dealing with non-critical issues- especially if they take care of the major issues. I don't mind washing a stable patient, myself. Hope that clarifies things.

0 Votes
Specializes in kiddies.

He must have been in some serious withdrawal if he was still getting scores of 12. I've had my ass kicked a few times by patients with lower scores than that. :nailbiting: Yikes!

0 Votes

So sad to hear to hear about this situation. My dad is a recovering alcoholic and he never been treated in that manner,maybe because I made sure I was by his side. Thank you for stepping up to the plate,I would have reported her,because what else have she done ? Once again thank you :)

0 Votes
Specializes in ICU.

Well call me the odd man out but I feel like this posting has been a little but judgmental. The OP is a new nurse-self admitted. You have no way of knowing what the last 72 hours in that icu may have been like. And don't get me wrong, I'm not defending someone lazy I'm just saying that you need to tone down the criticism of other nurses and focus more on u. Do you want a pat on the back for cleaning a bloody nose? Congrats! Go work a day or four in icu with patients constantly crashing and u have 2-3 very sick patients. Suddenly a bloody nose is waaay down the list of priorities.

0 Votes

I Been a nurse for one year and very proud of it . I was also a nursing assistant for a few years and a nurse extern. Never intended to criticize the nurse . That's how you learn in this field as a fairly new nurse by looking at your colleagues behavior and working style .being a new nurse is not an excuse to adapt to other nurse's negative behavior . I grasp and pick up what works for me and like from other nurses because that's how you learn . I am learning every single day and I love it. As a matter of fact , I learned that night not to address my self towards patients in such way because whether you are busy or not , it is so unprofessional , period . I am very lucky to work with a group of strong nurses and nursing staff who I can ask questions and rely on without feeling afraid . I can't expect every single nurse to be compassionate , professional , patient centered and ethical .... I know . I guess every nurse has a different set of mind when it comes to priorities . In my book , if I can do anything even as small as cleaning your bloody nose , I would. Why not ? It is not like I had a patient in respiratory distress next door . Really We are nurses. Let's look at the whole picture sometimes. Yes we are here to save lifes, but let's also remember we are dealing with humans like us. Preserving some dignity can also save a heart ;) .

0 Votes
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I Been a nurse for one year and very proud of it . I was also a nursing assistant for a few years and a nurse extern. Never intended to criticize the nurse . That's how you learn in this field as a fairly new nurse by looking at your colleagues behavior and working style .being a new nurse is not an excuse to adapt to other nurse's negative behavior . I grasp and pick up what works for me and like from other nurses because that's how you learn . I am learning every single day and I love it. As a matter of fact , I learned that night not to address my self towards patients in such way because whether you are busy or not , it is so unprofessional , period . I am very lucky to work with a group of strong nurses and nursing staff who I can ask questions and rely on without feeling afraid . I can't expect every single nurse to be compassionate , professional , patient centered and ethical .... I know .

I wasn't focussed so much on what the other nurses didn't do but what you did do. Nobody else that has posted here was there and heard the tone the reporting nurse used, which seems to be the crux of your issue with her. I know I am grateful from the standpoint of a daughter, not a nurse.

Anyway congrats on making it through one year of what some call the hell of med-surg with a good attitude to boot!

0 Votes
In my book , if I can do anything even as small as cleaning your bloody nose , I would. Why not ? It is not like I had a patient in respiratory distress next door .

It's not like YOU had a patient in respiratory distress next door. You don't know what the previous nurses had in their other rooms. You don't know how the patient was behaving in the previous 72 hours.

Pat yourself on the back for doing a good job on your shift. But none of us, INCLUDING YOU, were there in the previous shifts to know what was going on. Without that knowledge, I'm reserving judgment, and I'd advise you to do the same. Because eventually you WILL leave a shift, and the oncoming nurse will find something you didn't do, that they will find "Very Unprofessional." And they just might bring their self-righteous self here to allnurses and all these same fingers are going to be pointing at YOU.

0 Votes
It's not like YOU had a patient in respiratory distress next door. You don't know what the previous nurses had in their other rooms. You don't know how the patient was behaving in the previous 72 hours.

Pat yourself on the back for doing a good job on your shift. But none of us, INCLUDING YOU, were there in the previous shifts to know what was going on. Without that knowledge, I'm reserving judgment, and I'd advise you to do the same. Because eventually you WILL leave a shift, and the oncoming nurse will find something you didn't do, that they will find "Very Unprofessional." And they just might bring their self-righteous self here to allnurses and all these same fingers are going to be pointing at YOU.

And is ok, I'm not perfect-- Allnurses is a wonderful website to exchange thoughts and opinions , so all are welcomed . I understand that 100% -- however , I would never say this patient is nasty or looks nasty or whatever derogatory comment especially IN REPORT to an unknown nurse. Not critizing the fact that she didn't clean his nose, that doesn't make her unprofessional , of course !!!! However, Unprofessional was the comment she made , absolutely .

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment