StevenRN

I found this article. Reckon it's true. Probably happened even in the USA! I've seen a few housekeepers who could've easily killed a few! South African Health - Pelonomi Hospital Date: 26 July 1996 10:08 "For several months, our nurses have been baffled to find a dead patient in the same bed every Friday morning" a spokeswoman for the Pelonomi Hospital (Free State, South Africa) told reporters. "There was no apparent cause for any of the deaths, and extensive checks on the air conditioning system, and a search for possible bacterial infection, failed to reveal any clues." "However, further inquiries have now revealed the cause of these deaths. It seems that every Friday morning a cleaner would enter the ward, remove the plug that powered the patient's life support system, plug her floor polisher into the vacant socket, then go about her business. When she had finished her chores, she would plug the life support machine back in and leave, unaware that the patient was now dead. She could not, after all, hear the screams and eventual death rattle over the whirring of her polisher. "We are sorry, and have sent a strong letter to the cleaner in question. Further, the Free State Health and Welfare Department is arranging for an electrician to fit an extra socket, so there should be no repetition of this incident. The enquiry is now closed." from (Cape Times, 6/13/96) BTW, the headline of the newspaper story was, "Cleaner Polishes Off Patients."

It's a matter of public relations. When physician's screw up, nobody knows. When nurses do the same, it's all over the news and the grapevine. I've been a nurse for over 35 years and I've seen my share of idiotic nurses. They give us all a bad name. But I've also seen nurses who are far superior in actions and knowledge than physicians. You rarely hear about them! Why? Because they make the decisions and the physician gets the credit. Nurses, for whatever reason, do not stand by one another. Physicians do! Nursing organizations do NOT stand by grass roots nurses. Physician organizations back them to the hilt! The only way we can beat this is: 1) Stop the back biting 2) Rid ourselves of incompetent nurses 3) Support one another 4) and organize outside of the bureaucracy

True Story: An 8 bed ICU in a small hospital... Three codes.. Three nurses.. One physician. Code #1: A 90 year old woman with pneumonia... This lady was supposed to have died 2 weeks ago. The funeral home even had a room reserved for her! Code #2: A 52 year old man; just admitted.. post infarct.. stable (yeah right!) Code #3: A 19 year old female. Post drug overdose... Awake, alert, and talking just 10 minutes prior. Total surprise! Everyone runs into the elderly woman's room. Why? Because her family is in the room. I go to the 19 year old's room and tell the respiratory therapist to intubate her. "No way"; she responds. "Give me the d--mned tube." I tubed her. Then told the therapist to bag her. The supervisor is taking notes in the 90 year old's room. One nurse is running back and fro.. Doin a lot of moving but not much more. I grab her by the shoulder and ask: "Are you being shot at?" (I'm an ex Vietnam medic). She just stares at me. Finally; I stand in the middle of the unit and shout; "Anyone here interested in this gentleman in room 5? People just look at me like I'm an idiot. I go into his room and defibrillate him. Luckily, he comes back to life; but in complete heart block. External pacemaker keeps him under control. Three codes. The only one who died was the 90 year old lady with pneumonia. Crap! She got all of the attention. What's wrong with this picture? Two nurses who didn't know their b--ts from a hole in the ground, a physician who was more interested in supporting a dying woman's family, and a nursing supervisor who just didn't give a hoot! The moral to this story: Know what you're doing and DO IT! There are a lot of terrific nurses out there. It's the one's who aren't worth a crap who give the rest of us a bad name.

True Story: An 8 bed ICU in a small hospital... Three codes.. Three nurses.. One physician. Code #1: A 90 year old woman with pneumonia... This lady was supposed to have died 2 weeks ago. The funeral home even had a room reserved for her! Code #2: A 52 year old man; just admitted.. post infarct.. stable (yeah right!) Code #3: A 19 year old female. Post drug overdose... Awake, alert, and talking just 10 minutes prior. Total surprise! Everyone runs into the elderly woman's room. Why? Because her family is in the room. I go to the 19 year old's room and tell the respiratory therapist to intubate her. "No way"; she responds. "Give me the d--mned tube." I tubed her. Then told the therapist to bag her. The supervisor is taking notes in the 90 year old's room. One nurse is running back and fro.. Doin a lot of moving but not much more. I grab her by the shoulder and ask: "Are you being shot at?" (I'm an ex Vietnam medic). She just stares at me. Finally; I stand in the middle of the unit and shout; "Anyone here interested in this gentleman in room 5? People just look at me like I'm an idiot. I go into his room and defibrillate him. Luckily, he comes back to life; but in complete heart block. External pacemaker keeps him under control. Three codes. The only one who died was the 90 year old lady with pneumonia. Crap! She got all of the attention. What's wrong with this picture? Two nurses who didn't know their b--ts from a hole in the ground, a physician who was more interested in supporting a dying woman's family, and a nursing supervisor who just didn't give a hoot! The moral to this story: Know what you're doing and DO IT! There are a lot of terrific nurses out there. It's the one's who aren't worth a crap who give the rest of us a bad name.

The show definitely could not be in the General Hospital format! It would have to depict the real life tragedies and triumphs of nursing... Real nurses playing the parts of nurses. There are a lot of talented acting nurses in this country (unfortunately, I'm not one of them). No steamy sex scenes with docs; just true to life frustrations in dealing with the politics of nursing and the absolute joy of having made a difference in someone's life. MAN.. WHAT A HIT!

In September 1999, I lived (and still do) in Jacksonville, Fl. All of North Florida was evacuated 1 day prior to the projected hurricane landfall ( which, thank God, never happened). Thousands of people were stranded in their cars. There was no place for them to go. My wife and I realized 2 days prior, that evacuating millions from the Florida coast would totally clog the highway system. So; we left with our children 2 days prior to the evacuation order. We were safe and sound while so many of our friends were left stranded on the highways. Governor Bush and the state of Florida learned a hard lesson from that experience. IF A HURRICANE's COMING... LEAVE AND LEAVE QUICKLY! If it doesn't hit, then great! If it does, you may have saved you family. SO PEOPLE PLEASE.. DON'T WAIT UNTIL 1-2 DAYS BEFORE! If your employer fires you, so be it. If it's a Category 1, I'll ride it out. Category 2; I'll move inland a little ways... category 3 or higher .... BYE!

That is absolutely INSANE! I've been through three hurricanes.. the worst a category 2 and it's no fun. The hospital I was working for at the time kept patients and staff there. EVERYONE (including the administrator) afterward said that would never happen again. Nurses, doctors, housekeepers are all people too. Personally; I'd get the h_ _ _ out of dodge! Especially if you have family.

I was thinking this morning (somewhat of an accomplishment in itself). I'm closing in on my 55th birthday and have been in health care since I was 18 years old. In 1969, I was a Navy Corpsman (medic) with the Marines in Vietnam (try starting IV's while you're being shot at!). After service, I was an EMT then a paramedic. Then came nursing. I almost quit the profession until I became involved in pediatrics. My entire life changed. Now as a pediatric home infusion RN, I absolutely love what I'm doing. The hours are horrible. Fighting traffic gives me headaches (and increases my vocabulary somewhat). And I rarely have an entire weekend off. But I wouldn't do anything else. WHY AM I DOIN THIS (I ask myself)? The answer is simple.. The kids. I have been the grandfather of hundreds of kids. Parents of kids I saw years ago still send me Christmas cards. When I've had bad days and wanted to say bye to it all, I've walked into the office to a bouquet of thank you flowers. That's why I keep going. WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO?

pediatric home health axioms to weigh a male infant; first calibrate the scales, then calculate the angle and stand clear of the aim. if an infant thinks it is hungry, it doesn't matter what you think. always place a towel on your shoulder prior to hugging an infant. the child with a runny nose is always the one who kisses you on the lips. if you've just caused a toddler pain and he wants to hug you, don't forget that he has teeth! to calculate the number of visits a child will require; multiply the distance to the home by the travel time. always be sure the infant's diaper is secure. never tell a pre-schooler that it will only hurt for a minute. she will watch the clock; figure out that a minute is a very long time; then run. if you tell a child that the prick is like a bee sting, that will be the child who had to make a trip to the er due to a bee sting! the chance of venous access device complications is directly proportional to the importance of maintaining the access device. never try to reason with children. they are all smarter than you. always note the look on childrens faces when you smile. they know you're up to something. never give a child a sticker before the venipuncture. that's like eating cake before the meal. if a mother is feeding a toddler squash, be sure that you're beyond the calculated distance of propulsion. don't sit the toddler on your lap until after you ask mom if he has diarrhea. you may ask a child if you can leave. never ask if you may return. the answer will always be "no". never tell an anxious parent the child has great veins. the number of attempts is directly proportional to the diameter of the vein. if the mother is home do not allow the father to assist. he will faint! have extra supplies on hand. a child who wishes to help will always wipe her nose with her hand before handling the syringe. a complete study in pediatrics includes the following: sponge bob, sesame street, blue's clues, and bob the builder. know your material prior to the visit. personal protective equipment includes items similar to those football players wear. if you don't like to roll around on the floor, take care of adults.

Did you know these laws actually exist: Hunting camels is prohibited in Arizona. In Florida: You are not allowed to break more than three dishes per day, or chip the edges of more than four cups or saucers. (My kids are crooks!) It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit. (I am a crook!) Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal (God forbid there are any lawbreakers here!) In Georgia: Donkeys may not be kept in bathtubs. In Idaho: Illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box of candy weighing less than fifty pounds (wonder how much the sweetheart weighs?) In North Carolina: If a man and a woman who aren't married go to a motel and register themselves as married they are then legally married. In New Jersey: It is illegal to delay or detain a homing pigeon. In Colorado: It is illegal to ride a horse while under the influence. In Alabama: Putting salt on a railraod track may be punishable by death. In South Carolina: It is a capital offense to accidently kill someone while committing suicide (this law has been enforced 100% of the time). In Montana: It is a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail (any chance Florida would adopt this one?) Tennessee: You cannot hunt for any game other than whales from a moving automobile (poor Moby Dick!). Sounds like our lawmakers have way too much time on their hands! :rotfl:

i was thinking this morning (somewhat of an accomplishment in itself). i'm closing in on my 55th birthday and have been in health care since i was 18 years old. in 1969, i was a navy corpsman (medic) with the marines in vietnam (try starting iv's while you're being shot at!). after service, i was an emt then a paramedic. then came nursing. i almost quit the profession until i became involved in pediatrics. my entire life changed. now as a pediatric home infusion rn, i absolutely love what i'm doing. the hours are horrible. fighting traffic gives me headaches (and increases my vocabulary somewhat). and i rarely have an entire weekend off. but i wouldn't do anything else. why am i doin this (i ask myself)? the answer is simple.. the kids. i have been the grandfather of hundreds of kids. parents of kids i saw years ago still send me christmas cards. when i've had bad days and wanted to say bye to it all, i've walked into the office to a bouquet of thank you flowers. that's why i keep going. why do you keep doing what you do? :balloons:

Pediatric Home Infusions in the U.S. .. RN for 30 years +.. Yes.. I said 30 years +! I would be in a different career if it wasn't for the kids. I luv it.