maelstrom143

If you have nursing insurance, call them and let them know. Either way, get a lawyer and don't say anything until you and your lawyer are on the same page. Once that is done, discuss a possible libel lawsuit against the woman who did this to you. She is a malicious scumbag and so is your (hopefully) soon-to-be ex-spouse. Never post your private woes online. Never post bad things online. As nurses, we are one of the largest group of the healthcare team and the most common face the public sees. It is too easy to attack us if we give others an opening. Always gather information that will support you and protect you from others like your spouse and his girlfriend. I wish you the best possible outcome.

This whole interlude has been rather strange. I just hope it is over soon for all involved. I feel awful for everyone involved. It sounds like an absolute nightmare. I am not sure I would be up to the fight. Studies show that a number of nurses caught in issues where a patient is harmed or dies eventually end up committing suicide due to the guilt and issues that continue to arise long after the incident has happened. I cannot imagine what this nurse's life will be like after this is all over. I do know as a teen I met a former nurse who was working as a cashier/stocker in a pharmacy with me and it made me wonder what she had done to be reduced in circumstances because I could not imagine going from being an RN to being just a blue collar in some obscure pharmacy retail job as she was doing and I was just an older teen at the time, so I assume a lot of people will look askance at someone who was once a nurse and no longer is one ?

And then people wonder why I get irritable when they keep interrupting me when I am pulling meds ? It is not ok to keep harassing nurses with phone calls and interruptions while they are pulling narcotics and wasting meds, but it happens. It is up to us to tell people to back off and step down and we will get back to them when appropriate because otherwise accidents can happen, as in this case. Sorry, but this case is one thing on top of another in such a manner that one has to do contortions in order to make allowances for the number of missteps that led to the patient's death. You make a valid point. I should look into my own insurance coverage. This should be a wakeup call to all, though, that we cannot allow ourselves to become overly complaisant with our protocols, procedures, and medications, but must always review and READ what we pull out of our machines because I have, in the past, pulled the wrong med out of a bin that said it should be another medication. Had I not been paying attention, a patient might have received the right dosage, but wrong medication. However, I read the med when pulled and noted the discrepancy, called pharmacy and alerted them. They were then able to come and review/fix the error, which was not a nursing error, but a stocking error caught before it hit the bedside. When we get too comfortable, that is when accidents are most likely to happen ?

This is the reason I always tell my patients that no, I will not hurry. I will take my time and ensure I know what I am doing. I will review meds I do not know, and educate them. If I get your pancakes wrong, you will live. If I get your meds wrong, there's always the chance of catastrophic failure. Don't hurry me. If you do, I'll slow down even more because I did not wake up planning to kill anyone this morning and it is too easy to make a mistake due to being pressured. My heart goes out to everyone involved. This is a perfect storm and the ones who should be penalized for not having safety protocols in place, the facility, will not be and that is beyond wrong.

Case management consult for possible child protective services. Huge liability to have unsupervised children in the hospital.

Despicable human.

Your reminiscence made my chest hurt

I seriously have no words for this...it is really easy to ask questions when one does not know. Seriously :/

Thanks Tex. Have a good one :)

Bahahahaha!!! OMG. Priceless. Very cool :)

I am usually rather reclusive when not at work. Today, I spent all day long out at the school with the kids, then stores, in crowded conditions interacting. Exhausted, wanting to sleep, yet unable to do so due to being so wired from the day (intense headache I'd had all day eased up once I was able to retreat to my room, but still not right). Then, lo and behold, I find this thread. It is now 0315h and I finally feel comfortable, tired, and hysterically amused. Thank you so much for sharing. Good lord...what does it say about me that I need to come here to read about things related to work to relax from a day spent in a way most people would find fun?

Me:

Thank you for sharing the these resources. I look forward to reviewing them.

Thank you CountrMomma, for such an excellent article and for sharing what is a tragic experience for a family. I do not have words to tell you how very sad I am for your loss or how strong I think you are for sharing your perspective so that others may learn and benefit from it. We can, at times, come across as insensitive due to sometimes not really knowing what to say or do in a given situation or even because sometimes we see it so often that we may allow ourselves to become desensitized, thereby causing grief without meaning to do so. It is good to periodically stop and look around and realize that, while this may be our umpteenth loss for the month, umpteenth birth, death, whatever, it is often the first for our patient or his/her family. I have been a nurse for a wee bit, but I still remember losing my cool and letting the nurse in the PR hospital know that, although I was sure she had babies every day, this was my first and I did not appreciate her blase attitude (over 19 years ago now, but still remember it and try to not treat my patients in the same way). I am very glad that you spoke with your doctor afterwards. It seems that, with your input, some positive changes did take place so that others would not go through what you did.

OMG...I just about spit out my tea on this one...and I thought the finger painting lady was out there!