Bang2

Last month, at our Emergency Room, we had a triple code. 3 patients were intubated successively. One Adult CRF patient, One Teenage COPD and one neonate with neonatal sepsis. Each ER nurse had to attend to each patient. The ER was in chaos as patients kept flooding in and a Vehicular Accident patient came in with several lacerations and a broken bone. Imagine this with only 2 Residents and 3 NOD While doing cardiac massage to the CRF patient, a family member of one of our patient came to me and ask "When will we be forwarded to our room? We have been waiting for 30 mins already, my patient has a headache and fever!" Everybody including the Residents paused and looked at her. My senior told her "if your patient will be like this, I will attend to you immediately but for the meantime, please SIT down"

That's funny.... I also get so many rants and ridiculous requests from our patients. From wifi connection to the taste of the food down to the why it takes so long for the lab results to come out.

When I cross trained to our hospital's ICU, I felt EXACTLY the same. Like I was the lowest life form in the ICU food chain, even though i had 2 yrs of experience in our Med-Surg ward. what did I do when I was in that situation? I simply became receptive. I took all their insults, comments and even condescending lectures. I took it to myself to prove to them that I am more than some newbie. I bought books and read and read. I even learned how to read the ECG rhythms by myself, I just kept on observing and asking questions to Cardiologists who have time for some questions. after sometime, I got competent enough that they began to appreciate what I do. Sad thing is that, during that time, I was already accepted in our Emergency Department.

yeah. That same doctor is notorious for denying orders made and telephone orders. When she is giving telephone orders, I see to it that I have a tape recorder beside me and that I document the Date, Time and the flow of our conversation. One unlucky dude was kicked out of our hospital because he administered a medicine which she ordered but soon denied after the patient exhibited adverse reactions. poor guy, he doesn't have any evidence to support him that time. that's why charting is OUR protection from these types of doctors.

Indeed, a reply email could not and should not hurt you. It is very professional of you to express your appreciation and with that same level of kindness, it will jumpstart a good professional relationship for both of you.

I was also saved once because of my charting. I am an ER nurse and a terminally ill patient came in our department requesting to be admitted. We catered to her immediate needs. the Resident on Duty finished managing the said patient and needed to contact her attending physician to give an update regarding her status. Unfortunately, the attending physician's mobile, landline and clinic phone were all not responding. We even tried calling her mobile for 8x but were being cut off. the ROD assumed that maybe the AP was busy or were driving. Feeling the urge to document these, i wrote down on my notes all our efforts of informing her (AP). When I endorsed the patient to the nurse on duty incharge for the patient, I informed him of our efforts of informing the attending physician. Fast forward, the patient went into cardiac arrest and died after all efforts were made. while the code blue team, including me, were doing post mortem care, the resident on duty updated the attending physician regarding the management of the patient and what were done. The attending physician went furious over the phone because she WAS NOT informed that she had an admission that day. She denied receiving calls and SMS. She immediately went to our Nursing Supervisors and Medical Director insisting that this was our laps and that the patient could've been alive if she knew of the admission. I presented my notes and the exact time where we made the calls, including the records in the operator of our calls made. Even the sent items of the SMS were saved. The management sided with my evidence and the attending physician was given a reprimand by the hospital for denying facts and not attending to newly admitted patients.