Rapheal

I agree with the previous poster. The policy is there for a reason. One patient goes bad and you will be out of a job and risk your license. The hospital will not back you up because you went against policy. Don't worry about the negative feedback you have been receiving from other nurses. It is your license you need to protect.

During nursing school I remember a very similiar situation with a young mother. She was not expecting the c-section and was very sick from the general anestheisa and was experiencing a lot of pain. She was bewildered by the fact that she was in so much pain. Her family (mom, dad, boyfriend) expected her to be up and about. We did some teaching about the surgery and the pain and healing of abdominal surgery. Her family was surprised that she was having pain because the originally thought that having a c-section was not painful. The poor girl broke down in tears because she felt so lousy and thought nobody understood. After all the crying was done and the family was more supportive the mom took more interest in the baby. I think the main problem in this case was the unexpected surgery and the knowledge deficit of what to expect after the surgery.

There are only about 2 nasty ICU nurses where I work. They have that holier than thou attitude. The rest are great. Some even will start IV meds off the transfer order for you, or make sure the patient is bathed before transfer. :)

Why would people want to make the nursing staff nervous, or on edge when taking care of their family members? Do they think they will get better care by intimidating the staff? :uhoh21: If my family member is in the hospital and receiving an NG tube or even an IV for that matter the last thing I would want to do is stress out the person putting it in. Makes that person more prone to error IMHO. Some family members are just power tripping with no concern for the person being treated.

What you did would be a really huge big deal where I work as well. Seems your damned if you do and damned if you don't. Good luck. You did the right thing of course. Too bad we don't have our own board to fight for nurses like the BON protects consumers. One with a 24 hour hotline staffed by lawyers who will start the lawsuit by phone. lol , giggles Sorry- I must be giddy this evening.

I don't think it would be a good idea for the RN to be the aide. You can never work under the level of your license so you could be held responsible for changes in vitals or conditions. For example if you do vitals on a patient and they have a really low BP or sugar then you must get the nurse and inform them. But what if she/he does not properly intervene? You go on to finish vitals and a patient who you reported to the nurse goes downhill or codes. Then what? Not a situation I would like to be in.

Sorry this happened to you. I would be livid if it happened to me and I got no support from my employer. Maybe time to find an employer who cares about your safety.

What inspires loyalty in me is a truly flexible schedule or agreed upon hours, not being nitpicked to death over whatever is the new charting policy of the week, and having enough NA's. Being expected to do almost all the NA work while being responsible for meds, labs, treatments, and documentation has burnt me out. We all hear about prioritizing in nursing, but no matter what is going on a patient who needs the bedpan or BSC will expect you immediately. I am also tired of being yelled at for not having grandma bathed by 3 pm or complaints about not getting fresh ice water. Seems nobody cares that I am busy with a patient with SOB. An employer who employs enough aides to help me accomplish my nursing tasks will find me a very loyal employee.

I think nursing teaches us to quickly assess not only a patients' physical needs, but also their mental and emotional needs. Nurses need to quickly make an assessment about how to handle a patient. I say handle for lack of a better word. But each patient is different. It is using this acquired people skill that will help build a trusting relationship. You don't have time to do 20 minute 1:1 interactions with patients to evaluate their emotional state. As a nurse you need to develop a quick sense of what is needed to help the client participate with their plan of care. That is the art of nursing to me.

It depends on what they are complaining about. It it is little nit-picky stuff I apologize and ask them what can I do for them now or what can I do to make them feel better. Usually that is all it takes to settle them down. If it is a serious issue, then I inform the nursing supervisor and let her talk to the family.

Some of the nurses use the f-word when describing their day or their assignment. I have never heard any use this language in front of a patient or family. I really don't care if they do- but I don't. Usually I think they are just blowing off some steam. I think the more people cuss the easier it is to let it slip out. So they should be careful.

I am very sorry about your loss. She sounds like she was a very special person.

If your patient has a complaint such as pain or a change in assesment then you will want to get the intern or resident. Usually they will communicate with the patient's primary physician or the doctor they were admitted under in determining what should be done or just to inform them of what they the intern had ordered. But when a doc writes an order and you want to change that order or it needs clarified then it is okay to page that doctor. I might have grabbed an intern to change that order. But you didn't do anything wrong. Just an FYI. A sarcastic doctor who needs to inform you of their high status is usually a pain in the butt. Don't take it personal.

JacelRN I am sorry this happened to you. Last time we had an abusive patient the supervisor lectured us on being compassionate because the abusive patient had unresolved grief issues. :angryfire The hospital I did clinicals at as a student had a really great policy. When an A&O patient became verbally or physically abusive they called EVERYONE in to the patients room. Security, extra nurses, doctors. They called it a show of force. The patient was politely informed the behavior was not acceptable and they would be discharged if it happened again. Very effective.

Not a crush- I just secretly want to be her. :rotfl: