bwhiddon74

I understand what you're talking about. I've been an ER nurse for ten years and I can't stand to see my co-workers having bad attitudes. Whether we believe the pt is sick or not is not our job. If the pt is in the ER, then treat them. If you (nurse, docs, etc) don't believe they have a valid reason to be there then tell them respectfully. For instance, I've heard doctors tell the pt that " in the future, this is something you may consider going to your doctor about." Or I've even told pts, "We can treat you tonight, but your doctor will be able to give you what you need better because he will keep close eyes on you and your health." The point is that we (nurses, docs, etc) are not judges, but caregivers. And if we don't care then we should be in another line of work.

I always like to put apple juice in a urine specimen container and ask "who's urine is this?" The. I smell of it and drink it and say "oh, that's room 12's!" It always gets some good laughs:)

Sounds like you're right on track:) What you're experiencing is called professionalism. It's where you revisit your steps and critique yourself so that you're continuously improving. You're setting the bar higher for yourself than you're used to going, so don't stop:) Good job!

Sounds like taking care of him would be a conflict of interest since you had him arrested. Taking him on as a pt would be detrimental to your career if something bad happened to him while under your care (even though you wouldn't have caused it). So, I say the law would override the charge nurse on this one.