NeurosciencesRN

Recording "type of seizure" is technically and medically not advisable unless you have an EEG reading to correlate the patients movements, behaviors, etc with their EEG reading which an Epilepsy Neurologist should be reading. As an RN on an Epilepsy unit we record what we see ie "LLE movement noted with fast back and forth plantar and dorsiflexion lasting approx 5 seconds, without putting a label to it.

I am so sorry you are stuck with this dilemma. Sounds like you did the right thing by approaching your supervisor in a situation like this. To ensure something like this does not happens again (MD not available/ not answering pages over the weekend) and to encourage change I would write a letter to your Nursing home administration including giving a copy to your supervisor. This letter should also highlight the importance of patients getting the care they need and deserve (ultimately why we became nurses :). Yes, family can be called and they can hopefully make an informed decision but their loved one is in a nursing home and they are depending on a system that clearly needs a little work. In this letter I would mention : Details of the incidence from your point of view. Just state the facts here. Offer suggestions to solve the problem. Ie. "maybe we should re-think having admissions over the weekend when MD staff is not available to approve a medication list." Instate a policy that if the doctor cannot be reached within x amount of time the patient will be sent back to the hospital where a physician IS available. Ask for a back-up physician for weekends. Give thanks for your position in the facility and make you intent clear which is to "continue providing my patients with the care they need and deserve." Good Luck