I've been moved to a new hall and there is a patient who rolls herself in her wc and sits behind the nurse's station. This is a particularly nasty woman and had cursed me out earlier that evening. Naturally, I wasn't exactly thrilled to have her company. Aside from that, I thought it was generally against the rules for patients or nonstaff to hang around behind the nurse's station. I've not dealt with this issue before.
I firmly (but not impolitely) told the woman patients were not allowed behind the station and she needed to roll back out in the hall. She told me she could sit anywhere she wanted. Then, went in her room and called her husband (who refers to her as his "princess") and told him I was jerking her around and cursing her and being mean. This woman is known to embellish and lie to get sympathy from her husband, who is worse than she is.
Anyway, I wasn't in error when I told her patients could not be behind the nurse's station, was I? Furthermore, pharmacy had just made a delivery and there were meds back there I was trying to put away.
It's unanimous then. Just tell her that all the nurses at your discussion forum agree that it's a big no no and against federal, state, and local regulations...
Specializes in Cardiac, Adolescent/Child Mental Health.
We have computerized charting and there have been a couple of times when I've turned around and been startled by a patient or family member standing right over my shoulder looking at a chart. They usually respond to polite (but firm) redirection.
Our nurses' stations are very well delineated and there's no way someone could just "accidentally" just wander behind them.
Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
You are in LTC,aren't you? My favorite social worker has a saying that I love-she says "You are only as strong as your weakest link" In issues like this that is so true.You are correct-residents are not permitted behind the nurs'es station nor should they be close by and able to overhear medical info.Document every time you have to redirect this resident-and get the team to unite.Residents like that can cause a lot of trouble...,
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
Whether the other nurses decide to unite on this issue or not, I would at least document her behavior so that it shows you did inform the patient how inappropriate this really is. And, to be honest, I would document it two or three times, discuss it with the powers that be a few times just to be able to say I did this, and from there, see what happens.
What I am wondering is this; who is this woman? Does she have family members that are politicians or work at this place? Maybe who she knows is making her so presumptous. People who have a sense of entitlement really, really irk my nerves.
MM, I think you were so right to stand your corner here! The Nurses Station is just that...for the NURSES not the patients! All thats been said re confidentiality etc are great reasons why she should not have been there. (another reason is that she was a mean old so & so and that may be the one place you could get away from her "Princess " attitude!)
You stick to your guns babe..you were so right to call this as you did!
I was let behind it once. I was 5, and had been on the ward about a month before. It was now christmas and I wanted to give one of the nurses that I LOVED a present, and well, they brought me back to put it in her cubby myself.
tatgirl
150 Posts
I too let my patients behind the nurses station! But they are disabled children. However, when I worked with adults, it was a no-no.
Wendy
LPN