preparing to be one of them????????????

fronkey bean · Feb 1, 2008

I agree. It can be very confusing when you to a hospital or office and everyone is in scrubs. I have been to offices where everyone from the receptionist to the doctor had scrubs on. I would like to see staff wear different colors so patients knew who was who.

We have different colors for nurses, techs, housekeeping, etc. and people still can't tell. Any one who comes in the room in scrubs of any color is a nurse and if you come in in street clothes you're a doc.

suanna · Feb 1, 2008

Most units- even step down units have central monitoring. Your grandmothers heart rate, BP,O2 sat were most likely sent to the nurses desk.(I could be wrong about this) After a stay in the E.R. the nurses may have been just trying to let her have a little break- if her VS were unchanged. Getting a bit of rest is critical for COPD patients with poor reserve.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2008

not once did anyone come in to even look in on either one of the patients in the room.

1. Did you, your grandmother, or the other patient ever utilize the call bell as a means to get nursing staff into the room?

2. Did you, your grandmother, or the other patient ever yell out for nursing staff to come into the room?

3. Did you ever once approach the crowded nurses station to request to speak to your grandmother's nurse about entering the patient rooms?

The fact that no one came into your grandmother's room during that time frame is a strong indication that she was not critically ill. Please don't judge too harshly, because things are not always as they appear at the surface. If there was a drastic change in your grandmother's condition that her nurse needed to attend to immediately, you or your grandmother really needed to alert them.

It's simpler for people to complain about their present situation, rather than seizing control and actively changing what they dislike about their circumstances. Next time, please be proactive and speak up if you feel your family member requires more attention and much more frequent nursing rounds.

I hope your grandmother is doing well.

Wildwood Flower · Feb 1, 2008

I agree. It can be very confusing when you to a hospital or office and everyone is in scrubs. I have been to offices where everyone from the receptionist to the doctor had scrubs on. I would like to see staff wear different colors so patients knew who was who.

I agree, the other day I overheard one family member telling another that our PCT was an RN. It proves a point that patients families{who are under a lot of stress do not read tags.

Wildwood Flower · Feb 1, 2008

It's difficult to fight against a society that does not look or distinguish between staff even when staff have badges on, i.e., the other day I overheard one family member telling another our PCT was an RN. Trust that when it comesto important things, a nurse makes sure the pt is cared for!:angryfire

EmmaG, RN · Feb 1, 2008

I agree, the other day I overheard one family member telling another that our PCT was an RN. It proves a point that patients families{who are under a lot of stress do not read tags.

That's not my problem. I introduce myself as their nurse. I'm listed on the board as a nurse. My ID tag states I'm an RN. If all that doesn't sink in, they're going to continue to consider every employee who enter their rooms (esp if female) a "nurse".

For all that the general public thinks they are so well informed about healthcare, demanding the latest and greatest treatments and cures they've read about on the interwebs or seen on [insert name of ridiculous medical drama], this is one area where they are almost uniformly ignorant.

SDS_RN, RN · Feb 1, 2008

Some times it would be at least 3-4 hours before I would get in to see a patient when I worked on surg & peds floor (out to floor @ 1930). Sometimes your whole noc just falls apart and their's really nothing you can do about it or you are working short staffed. If i would get a real sick kid in at start of shift sometimes it takes 1.5-2 hours alone to get IV's going esp if difficult start, do a LP w/ the doc, get the meds given, get all the respiratory equip set up, get paper work filled out, then to come out and find that another patients IV is infilitrating and you need to get their next to change it, or you have a patient who is going down hill and requires a lot time and attention getting lab work, CXR done, getting orders from the doc. You can not predict how your noc is going to be sometimes. When we would have 6 patients for the entire floor some of those were my busiest nocs. I 'm not saying that it took me 4 hours to get in to see my patients every noc but yes sometimes it would happen. For the most part I would see and assess my patients within a few hours. The nurses on my floor were very good about helping out so they would peek in on a pt if they needed something during my busy time but sometimes assessments & meds were not completed until mdnoc.

You have to prioritize and I always see the most time consuming fresh post-op patient first and then on down the line to the most stable patients who I know will be fine until I can get to them. In the mean time my staff assistant goes around every noc and helps people get ready for bed. If their is something critical that I need to attend to immediatly she will let me know otherwise she will inform the patient that I will be their as soon as i can. I don't like it when that happens and I feel terrible and I apologize to my patients and most of them are very understanding.

Ms Kylee · Feb 1, 2008

Happens in my hospital all of the time... I go in to do vitals and patient is on the phone telling whoever called "The nurse is in here, I have to go". Never mind, I've introduced myself earlier in the shift as "I'm Kylee, you're nursing assistant. XYZ is your nurse". We're color coded.. RN's are in white, LPN's in other colors, PCT's in another and NA's in another. Still, it doesn't matter. Patients and families still see a set of scrubs and still think whoever comes in is their nurse. Can't tell you how many times I've had to correct and let them know (again) that I'm the nursing assistant.

trmr · Feb 1, 2008

You know I agree with all those previous posts. I worked a 3-11 shift yesterday and here was my dilemma: I get out of report and I am immediately informed that I am required to stop in at the staff meeting for about 5 minutes. This coming from my supervisor. So I went and than I was called out to the floor again after about 3 minutes for a patient wanting a pain pill. On my way down the hall to give the pain pill I am informed another patient has something wrong with her mouth. So I give the pain pill, go to check out the mouth, and I am informed that I am getting a pediatric patient.

Meantime I have to call the MD for the nasty looking mouth. I also have 5 people needing blood sugars done pronto and insulins to give. In my facility the aides do not do them, we do. Along comes my new admission, who is a 6 year old who needs an IV, has a G-tube, and a multitude of other problems. I try to start on the admission, which mother acts like she doesn't know anything about the kid and thought it to be more important to talk on the phone than to answer my questions. While she chit chats, I go get some behind blood sugars done and guess what, I have to call the MD on almost all of them. I also squeezed in some time to look at my EMAR so I would know what meds I am going to give. I gave the new insulin orders too.

Finally mom gets off the phone and I start the kids IV. At this point already 2 and a half hours have gone by and I have seen all my patients only one time, some not for very long. The guy in 113 was there for his HTN, which was controlled, and so far I had only had time to say hi I'm your nurse and I'll be back. That's it. I had another lady with GTube feeds, another patient with a bad IV, 6:00 meds were due, I had not charted on anyone but the new admit, and my night just kept on going like that. I hated it that my STABLE patients didn't really see me much. But I prioritized. The sickest patients got my attention first. The insulins got my attention next. The lady in 109 with daughter at the bedside, I felt was being cared for, by her daughter. I gave her meds and changed her dressing, and said hello, but yes daughter could put the lotion on her back, daughter could rub her feet, daughter could give her a drink of water, and daughter could even put a cloth on her head for her sweating. I don't think that is expecting too much from family. I have also been on the other end when my very sick brother in law, who eventually died , had barely been given any attention by critical care nurses. I still believe his death was due to a lot of neglect from his doctors, all the way down to the many nurses that never checked on him. He was only 38. There is always two sides to consider.

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2008

hello,
i just want to express my frustration after visiting my grandma in the hospital tonight. i am a pre-nursing student just waiting to be called for the program and after my experience tonight i'm both scared and confused about my future occupation. my grandma was admitted this morning with pneumonia. she is 82 yrs old and has copd. it seemed like there were an abundance of employees, more than i usually see (and believe me i've spent plenty of time in hospitals) but not once did anyone come in to even look in on either one of the patients in the room. she is on a step down ccu and i guess i just expected more. i realize that there is a nursing shortage and on top of that, the nurses are responsible for numerous patients at one time.
i can't imagine not being able to give each one of my patients the care they derserve and should be entitled too. i don't know how i will feel about it once i begin working in the field and i'm afraid i'll have a hard time dealing with it. (many seasoned nurses feel this way daily. i know i do).
i guess i was just looking for a little insight from someone who actually has real life experience. do you ever feel like you aren't doing your job? do you feel like you are being set up for failure? (yes. often). i realize that with every profession, there will be those who slack and those that exceed what is expected of them.
is that just the case with what i encountered this evening, were the nurses slacking or is this the norm? ( some nurses are tired of struggling against the odds to give the care their pts deserve. many do become burned out and develop a "to hell with it" attitude).i want to be able to help people but if i felt like i was neglecting my patients every day because of no fault of my own, i'm not sure how long i could take it!

it is hard to take.

v. salva

bollweevil · Feb 1, 2008

Not all hospitals require their nurses to do hourly checks on patients. If you grandmother didn't have any meds or vitals scheduled between 6pm and 8pm and she didn't hit the call light, then it is entirely possible for two hours to go by without seeing a nurse. I'm sure that shift change had something to do with it as well. Most nurses certainly will make sure that their patients are settled and reasonably comfortable before they sign off to the oncoming nurse.
Family members can and should attend to the needs of their relatives when they visit. Meaning that it is perfectly acceptable and maybe even expected for you to bring her a washcloth for her head or go to get her a fresh glass of water. Nothing drives me crazy more than a family that calls me for every little thing that they could do perfectly well themselves. (This is especially true when it comes to parents who don't do feedings or diaper changes on babies while they are in the hospital, but that is a separate issue).
Good luck in nursing school- your concern for your grandmother and other patients is an indication of your compassion.

Some family members might not know that they are welcome and even expected to be giving care. And not every patient is allowed to have water. And maybe family does not feel free to go into the linen room, which is locked in some facilities. If parents are expected to change diapers and feed their babies, has someone informed them of that?

bollweevil · Feb 1, 2008

If it was the middle of shift change the out going staff was trying to get caught up on their charting so they could go home and the oncoming staff was trying to get organized so they wouldn't forget something that they needed to do during their shift. I'm sure that any one of them would have been happy to have provided your Grandmother w/ a cool rag if they had been asked but why would they need to since you were there?
I'm not trying to say that family members should have to take vitals or pass meds but why do people assume that when a loved one is in the hospital they can no longer do anything for them? If you were at home you would give her a cool rag, why not in the hosp.?
In many countries families are expected to feed and bathe their loved ones while they are in the hosp. The staff is to monitor their health and treat them.

I've worked with nurses who were insulted if family did anything for their patients. They felt family was saying the nurses' care was inadequate. People can react very differently to the same situation.