laurasc

Thank you! Excellent post! A lot of people here asked why I didn't say something right away. I didn't because as I said earlier, I had other things on my mind and I didn't need the hassle. But even if I wasn't so distressed, I probably would not have said anything right way either. Why? Because I would be afraid of what would have happened to me. I know how nurses can treat nurses and I had no idea how she would react. That's the same reason my friend didn't say anything either and why the ambulance tech advised her to keep her mouth shut. You can deny it all you want, but if you've been around (and I have) you've seen it.

I agree....but at that moment in time I was both terrified I was having a stroke and worried that I was about to pee my pants. At that moment in time I wasn't a nurse, I was a very frightened and uncomfortable patient. Confronting her about her attitude was the last thing on my mind. What's the old saying? "Better late than never"

My husband.

Altra, you're not reading my posts correctly. I've already said this a few times here....my anger and my post is about rude, obnoxious and even abusive nurses. I'm a nursing supervisor in my current place of employment and have held supervisory positions like this one for the last 5 or 6 years. I have never allowed any of the staff I'm responsible for to act like that. I have the clout to control that. But a patient doesn't. Empathy, compassion and caring is the very cornerstone of what nursing is about and the day that a nurse loses that, she or he loses who he or she is. I know it sounds corny and clichéish...but it's the truth. And just because I haven't worked in an ER (and never will) doesn't mean that I am clueless. You have no clue where I've worked and what I've done...but I can tell you this....I have been stung and have burned out. But even at my lowest, I have always treated my patients with respect. Is that really too much to ask from a professional? And yes, I am angry at the medical situation here....you would be too. We are critically short of doctors and nurses. The gov't is cutting funding to all sorts of services, from hospitals to home care. Doctors and nurses are leaving because they are among the least paid in the country and the most legislated. (look up the French test for health care professionals) We are all at the point of breaking. But we are all still professionals. That nurse was wrong treating me the way she did...no question there. And if she did that to me, she did that to her other patients. People who are at a crisis point and vulnerable. It's wrong.....NO excuses.

Wheelchair.

I agree. EMS are allowed to start IVs and perform some medical treatments. Here in Quebec, ambulance technicians are only allowed to give 02, CPR and defib if necessary. There are medical doctors who ride around in doctor's cars for the more "advanced" interventions. It's been an issue here for a long time and Urgences Santé (the organization that runs the ambulance service here) has been trying to change that. Unfortunately the provincial gov't doesn't see it. Sad isn't it?

Would you believe I was not assessed by a nurse at all? After I went to the bathroom I was told to wait in the waiting room in a wheelchair. After about 1/2 hour I was sent to an exam room. I waited there for quite a while and a doctor came in and examined me. He put me back in the waiting room and a while later I was send for a CT. Then back to the waiting room where I waited to be called to another room and was seen by the neurologist then sent home. The only time I saw another nurse was after I told the neuro that I'm a nurse and can monitor my own BP (it was understandably elevated) and he mentioned it to a nurse in the ER. He (the nurse) stuck his head in and said told me to make sure I keep an eye on my BP and follow-up with the neuro in a few weeks. In fact, the last time my BP was taken was when I was lying in the ambulance gurney. The neuro tried to take my BP by the cuff there was too big and he ended up not bothering.

Boy, I wish I had discovered this "Multi-quote earlier! :) EmergencyNrse - You're right, I never worked in ER and I don't want to. But just because I don't work in ER doesn't mean I don't know what triage is all about. As for making sure that patients don't die while waiting...I live in Montreal...do you know how many times that has happened here already? As for what was happening at the time, all I can tell you was that the waiting room was half empty and that I was in and out of the hospital in 4 hours. Again, here in Montreal, 4 hours in an ER is almost unheard of....more often than not you wait at least 8 or more hours to be seen by the doc. Remember, I'm in Canada and our medical system is completely different from what you are familiar with. Besides, I wasn't "armchair quarterbacking" her triaging skills....I was commenting on her basic nursing skills. Actually, strictly speaking they are called Ambulance Technicians (Techniciens Ambulanciers in French). Here in Quebec there are no "Paramedics" as you know them. The ambulance techs can do basic assessments but are very limited in what medical treatment they can perform. Except she didn't assess me. None taken. Look what I wrote about our ambulance attendants above. I wasn't expecting to be treated like a goddess....in fact, once I got past the triage nurse I was treated very well. And I wasn't expecting to be put on a bedpan or shuffled to the bathroom by the triage nurse. I know she has other things to attend to. And just because I have not worked in the ER doesn't mean I don't understand...or at the very least empathize with nurses working there. I think you missed the point of my letter...and maybe I should rewrite it to clarify it. In the grand scheme of things the treatment I got from that triage nurse was nothing compared to what others get. But isn't that just the point? I wrote this letter to the triage nurse, but it could have been any nurse. We've all seen abuse. I wrote the following: I'm writing this to put a voice to this problem. I know I'm not the only patient who's had to go through this or worse. Sadly, this kind of behaviour has become rampant. I see examples of that everywhere. I thank the Lord that those nurses are the exception rather than the rule. Yeah, I'm better but still not normal. I'm following-up with my doctor tomorrow. Thanks for asking.

Naw, you're not going to get blasted. :) I have been asked that question a few times. To be honest, that was the last thing on my mind. At the time I was experiencing right sided numbness, weakness, dizziness and muscle spasms. I was terrified...the nurse in me coming up with all sorts of reasons including stroke, tumor, etc, etc, etc. But that's the whole point of it....I was in absolute crisis. Had it not been for my friend being there and for those wonderful ambulance attendants, I would have been in hysterics. My friend bit her tongue as well...not because she was afraid to say something...she's not that kind of person....but because she was afraid of retribution and that I would be the one to take the heat. Maybe I should have said something...but at that point in time I was in no position to do so. But I am now.

I wrote this letter to a Triage nurse. I don't know her name as she did not introduce herself to me. I haven't decided what I am going to do with it...but I figured I would post it here to start. It's an interesting experience being on the other side of the gurney for a change. Let me know what you think. ************************************************************************************* I write this letter to the ER triage nurse who was on duty May 11, 2011 at a local hospital. On that day I was taken to the ER by ambulance. I had experienced sudden neurological symptoms, was having trouble standing and walking and was very frightened even though I was trying very hard to stay calm. Anyone who's been in that situation knows how awful it is and how your mind races thinking up the worst case scenarios. I had chosen your hospital because I had been there in the past and know it to be an excellent hospital. When you called me in (the ambulance attendants had to take a number and wait to be called) you sat down in front of your computer and started to take the report from one of the ambulance attendants. You barely looked away from your computer screen, and from my perspective didn't make eye contact with the ambulance attendant. You did not look at me or acknowledge me. When you were done, I asked you if it was possible for me to go to the bathroom. You waved past the triage room towards the waiting room and said, "There's a bathroom over there, you can walk there." My friend, who had accompanied me, responded, "But she's having trouble walking." You responded, "That's not my problem. I can't go to the bathroom for her. There are wheelchairs all over the place." The ambulance attendants helped me into a wheelchair and my friend took me to the bathroom. You didn't know this at the time, but I will tell you this now....I am a Registered Nurse and have been for 26 years. I know what it is to be overwhelmed, overworked, undervalued, underpaid and frustrated. I know what it is to be stressed and I know how it feels to burn out. I've been there, done that and have the t-shirt so to speak. I truly understand that your job can be difficult at best, But let me ask you something....how is all that my fault? What did I, as your patient, do to deserve to be treated so rudely? Do you think I wanted to be there strapped to that ambulance gurney? Do you think I timed having my bladder being so full it was painful right for that moment? How much would it have cost you to turn to me and actually look at me? A nursing assessment consists of at the very least looking at your patient and not just relying on the report of the ambulance attendants. How difficult would it have been to simply tell me that you would get me a wheelchair once you were done? (There was one right next to my gurney) How difficult would it have been to crack a little smile? I wasn't asking anything complicated, all I wanted was to pee. Remember, I am one of you. I too have been on your side of the bed and I too have felt the sting of the profession we chose. So I think it is safe for me to say, with some authority borne from experience that there is never an excuse for a nurse to treat his or her patient the way you treated me. I'm writing this to put a voice to this problem. I know I'm not the only patient who's had to go through this or worse. Sadly, this kind of behaviour has become rampant. I see examples of that everywhere. Our current health care system with all its problems has put our profession is in crisis. The lack of funding, lack of resources and lack of staffing means that nurses are shouldering a huge burden. I get that! But our patients are in crisis as well and we are the professionals who are caring for them. That's why we are nurses, to care for people. Caring means kindness, not rudeness. My friend, who is not a nurse, was aghast. She later told me that while we were in the triage room she witnessed another nurse yelling at a very elderly woman and dragging her down the hall by the hand. My friend was going to say something but was told by the ambulance attendant not to say anything because the nurse would "make a spectacle of her." That is a sad statement considering we are talking about a profession known for caring. Have some of us really forgotten who and what we are and why we are doing what we do? Maybe we should all spend some time on "the other side of the gurney" for a change. I do have to add one thing however, the ambulance attendants were phenomenal. They were caring, gentle, patient and knowledgeable...literally everything a health care professional should be and more.

Thank you for your replies. I didn't realize that I needed a lawyer involved. I spoke with the VP of the agency I work for and she said that we don't have any lawyers on staff. But she did say she would send me a copy of something similar to a release form for me to use as a template. Hopefully I can come up with something that is appropriate. Thanks again for your replies.

I'm in the process of setting up private flu shot clinics. Because of the risk of anaphylaxis, we require participants to wait in the clinic for 15 minutes post vaccine. In my experience most people have no problem waiting the 15 minutes, but there are a few who will not. We've decided to put together a release of liability form for them to sign should they decide to leave right away. IMO a lot of people would rather wait the 15 minutes rather than sign a form like that. I've looked around the net but can't find a good template or example that I could use to write the letter. Does anyone know where I can find one? Much appreciated.

THANK YOU!! I've been racking my brain trying to figure out why someone would even bother with a tourniquet. I feel better now. Laura

Tell me something....if someone is having an anaphylactic reaction after receiving the flu shot (or any other immunization) do you or do you not apply a tourniquet above the injection site??? I'm going to be organizing and running a whole bunch of flu shot clinics this year and have been researching anaphylactic reaction protocols. The Immunization Protocols for Quebec (Canada) make no mention of using a tourniquet but I have read others that do. I'm going to follow my provincial recommendations but am wondering if anyone here does use a tourniquet and what the rationale is. By the time an anaphylactic reaction has started, the immunization is already systemic...wouldn't applying a tourniquet be a bit of a moot point by then? Especially since you have to release it for one minute every three minutes. Thanks in advance! Laura