Recently, I had a 5 day vacation at one of the local hospitals. I went to the unit that I previously worked and the staff was aware that I was a nurse who had worked their. Also, I was a personal friend of the nurse manager. The admission day was a Thursday evening. Orders were that I was to use meds as at home with a few other things such as tests and labs. The first night there was an agency nurse and I did not recieve the correct hs meds and she decided to debate the situation. I thought the customer was always right. I was to have neuro checks every four hours. Well in three days they were done that many times. I had to ask for the int to be flushed and that was done every 24. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't asked. Most of the testing was done on Friday. My primary was off the weekend and "Super doc" the A______H_____. decided since two other docs made recommendations in their progress notes that he would take it on himself to do it. Well, the docs who wrote the progress note didn't do anything about what they wrote. On Sat. am he asked me if I wanted to be dc'd and before I could answer he said maybe you should stay till Monday when your doc gets back. The patient in the other bed had been an OB nurse centuries ago and was quite pleasant to hear of some of her experiences. She was visually impaired and many times the cover wasn't taken off her tray unless I or one of my visitors did it. She was able to eat as she remember using a clock to tell where items were on the tray. She was scheduled to have Nulightly and the staff only came in about every 45 min. If I hadn't sat with her she never would have gotten it.
Every night but Sunday I didn't get hs meds. Believe me I could write a book at this time. They said they didn't give it as I was catnapping. Well, they signed it as given. I did have my faculties. On Sunday, I had a bs of 169 with a scale starting at 160. I said I was refusing the insulin as I had just had some fruit. This I think happens a lot as patients save things and then the bs is up requiring unnecessary insulin. I was told the doc ordered it and I was to get it once again I told the nurse to circle it and put refused. I have had a gi problem for about 16 years and have been on various antispasmotics. Well "Super doc" told me that Bentyl does not slow peristalsis. Well, it can cause a paralytic ileus so I guess it can. All he did was argue. On Sat. he changed my hs meds and they had to send a maintenance person into the next county to get the med which is quite common. Many of the old standbys are no longer used as they are too costly. I had to have several of mine brought in as they were no longer formulary. One was Nexium.
The entire weekend my bps were 80s/40s and I was ambulating so that no one could say that I stayed in bed all day. They never called super doc for a bolus of fluid. On Sunday, I asked literally 8 times for a particular med. Each time I asked I gave it the corresponding no of asking. Finally, the charge was in the hall at the med cart and told me the nurse was then calling the doc. Why I asked. This had started at 11am and at 3pm the nurse put in the call. Well, it was one of my meds as at home and was in the med drawer. Stupidity none the less.
On Monday, when my primary came in I told him of the fiascos and his warm and perfect bedside colleague. I don't think the man had been practicing that long. I said the next time that if he was on and I needed to be in the hospital I would stay at home and die if necessary before having him. Well, I got my release papers and I couldn't get out fast enough.
I did keep a running list of the errors and things that I saw. Such as someone sitting in an isolation room with no mask or whatever protection tha was needed. The supplies were sitting outside the door and there was a sign to stop at nurse's station. There was a used mask hanging from a med cart.
I plan on sending a letter to the Vice President of Nursing Services as well as my friend the nurse manager. If this happened to me what would happen to people like my roomate who couldn't question anything.
So one in all, if you or a special person to you is hospitalized then make sure you keep your eyes, ears, and a PDR handy. Rarely, did I see hands washed.
I don't think I ever want to be an inpatient anywhere again
