Would you File a Complaint?

Nurses Professionalism

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My dad was recently in a bad fall. The ambulance picked him up without placing him on a backboard or in a neck brace. Then when at the hospital, they didn't either. Nor did they listen to me when I said he has a head injury and can't move his arm. They didn't do a neurochecks or given him a sling when I asked for one. One particular Nurse was very rude and told me "you don't work here you just can't run the show" because it was at the hospital where I used to work. She then kept kicking us out of the trauma bay, and wouldn't let us in for hours. (ME, my sister and my Mom.) I asked for another nurse to take care of my dad and she ended up calling security on me after cursing at me. My question is - would you file a complaint with the state board of nursing? I have already filed a complaint with the hospital and have heard nothing after 3 months!

Thanks for your opinions.

Why in Heaven's name would you file a complaint with the BON? If in fact this nurse cursed at you it should be brought up with the hospital who is not required to let you know what actions they took in the matter.

Otherwise what you describe was inappropriate behavior on your part. I get that you were worried about your loved one, but your actions were impeding the assessment and care the nurse was trying to perform. It is not uncommon in these cases for family members who are getting in the way to be banished to the waiting area until assessments are done and the patient is determined to be stable or not stable.

I'm not sure what kind of nursing you do but imagine yourself in this same situation where you are trying to render care and a family member is in your face telling you how to do your job. I'm not trying to make you feel bad because emotions run high in these situations but I encourage you to look on this with a bit of perspective.

I read nothing in your original post that would be actionable by the BON. You would likely be wasting your time filing a complaint. You do have a right to ask the hospital what the outcome of your complaint was but they are under no obligation to tell you.

Most hospital's will only respond with something like "We are sorry this happened and we are taking measures to make sure it doesn't happen to someone else."

At the end of the day if no additional harm came to your dad in the ER then you need to put this to rest. Otherwise your anger will be like the old proverb ; "Holding on to anger is like grabbing hot coals and expecting the person you're angry at to get burned."

Hppy

what, specifically, was inappropriate action on the part of the OP.?

1 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
what, specifically, was inappropriate action on the part of the OP.?

What I read and the op admitted to was badger inch the ER nurse to the extent that she and other relatives were asked to go to the waiting area so that the ER staff could do her job.

In my specialty (Psych) we don't even have relatives included in the assessment unless the patient specifically wants them there.

I have been in the ER twice in the past 60 days and had to send my husband home because he was such a pest to the nurses. I am a very hard IV stick and he accused them of not knowing how to do their jobs.

Hppy

2 Votes
Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

I agree with others that this is not a BON complaint, but it may be a lawsuit. There is a lot of confusion about what the BON does. The BON does not investigate whether or not the hospital, nurse, doctor practiced poorly (malpractice). The BON investigates whether a nurse has the qualifications to hold a license, which is a different issue.

It sounds like you have a malpractice case.

Consult with a malpractice lawyer.

I agree with others that this is not a BON complaint, but it may be a lawsuit. There is a lot of confusion about what the BON does. The BON does not investigate whether or not the hospital, nurse, doctor practiced poorly (malpractice). The BON investigates whether a nurse has the qualifications to hold a license, which is a different issue.

It sounds like you have a malpractice case.

Consult with a malpractice lawyer.

Huh? The BON does investigate and make determinations about whether licensed nurses violated the standards, rules, and regs under which they practice, and disciplines people for violations as appropriate. There is a lot more to regulating the practice of nursing in a state, which is what BONs do, than simply determining "whether a nurse has the qualifications to hold a license." That's just one piece of their role.

what, specifically, was inappropriate action on the part of the OP.?

Although I wasn't there I can tell you from my experience working in the ED and in ICU's it takes a lot of bad behavior to get a family banished to the waiting room and even more to have security called. We took a metric butt ton of crap before we resorted to that and usually only implemented it when the behavior was impacting our ability to care for the patient properly. I'm pretty sure, being human, that if I was the one behaving badly I'd do a bang up job of whitewashing my story in the retelling.

2 Votes
It sounds like you have a malpractice case.

Consult with a malpractice lawyer.

What is missing from this account is any suggestion of proximate cause and damages. I assume important details like that would've been included as priority information if they existed. Instead, this is a critique of everyone who cared for the patient (likely based on at least some degree of knowledge deficit based on what is written here) and a spat with employees in one's former workplace. And probable disruption of care. As told, the lawyers wouldn't even need to send this for medical review.

What I read and the op admitted to was badger inch the ER nurse to the extent that she and other relatives were asked to go to the waiting area so that the ER staff could do her job.

In my specialty (Psych) we don't even have relatives included in the assessment unless the patient specifically wants them there.

I have been in the ER twice in the past 60 days and had to send my husband home because he was such a pest to the nurses. I am a very hard IV stick and he accused them of not knowing how to do their jobs.

Hppy[/QUOTe

hppy, you do know the meaning of assume, yes.? because that is what you are doing.

Although I wasn't there I can tell you from my experience working in the ED and in ICU's it takes a lot of bad behavior to get a family banished to the waiting room and even more to have security called. We took a metric butt ton of crap before we resorted to that and usually only implemented it when the behavior was impacting our ability to care for the patient properly. I'm pretty sure, being human, that if I was the one behaving badly I'd do a bang up job of whitewashing my story in the retelling.

again, you are assuming.

Oh I get that. And of course I think using profanity in this manner (and possibly some of the other described behavior) is egregious.

Reporting to a BON for something like that is egregious in its own right; it is upping the ante significantly. It, too, is unprofessional. It is nothing more than, "You have offended me and I will be *sure* to make you pay."

I have seen at least a couple of posts lately where there was interpersonal difficulty and BON reporting was being considered. Neither post mentioned any harm to a patient whatsoever.

This is not okay. Is there nothing out of bounds any more? I just can't wrap my mind around such a disturbing reaction. My opinion is that completely losing sight of any bigger picture and becoming hell-bent on a vindictive action involves serious emotional instability.

cursing would go to the morals clause of the nurse practice act.

Why in Heaven's name would you file a complaint with the BON? If in fact this nurse cursed at you it should be brought up with the hospital who is not required to let you know what actions they took in the matter.

Otherwise what you describe was inappropriate behavior on your part. I get that you were worried about your loved one, but your actions were impeding the assessment and care the nurse was trying to perform. It is not uncommon in these cases for family members who are getting in the way to be banished to the waiting area until assessments are done and the patient is determined to be stable or not stable.

I'm not sure what kind of nursing you do but imagine yourself in this same situation where you are trying to render care and a family member is in your face telling you how to do your job. I'm not trying to make you feel bad because emotions run high in these situations but I encourage you to look on this with a bit of perspective.

I read nothing in your original post that would be actionable by the BON. You would likely be wasting your time filing a complaint. You do have a right to ask the hospital what the outcome of your complaint was but they are under no obligation to tell you.

Most hospital's will only respond with something like "We are sorry this happened and we are taking measures to make sure it doesn't happen to someone else."

At the end of the day if no additional harm came to your dad in the ER then you need to put this to rest. Otherwise your anger will be like the old proverb ; "Holding on to anger is like grabbing hot coals and expecting the person you're angry at to get burned."

Hppy

what inappropriate action did the OP take?

What I read and the op admitted to was badger inch the ER nurse to the extent that she and other relatives were asked to go to the waiting area so that the ER staff could do her job.

In my specialty (Psych) we don't even have relatives included in the assessment unless the patient specifically wants them there.

I have been in the ER twice in the past 60 days and had to send my husband home because he was such a pest to the nurses. I am a very hard IV stick and he accused them of not knowing how to do their jobs.

Hppy

the OP made no such admission.

cursing would go to the morals clause of the nurse practice act.

Yes. Lots and lots and infinitely lots of things could be said to be related to the morals clause of a nurse practice act according to someone's perceptions. And, in reality, anyone can report whatever they want in order to play avenger and try to make sure others get their due comeuppance.

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