bananas1

I do not live in the US and we don't have HIPAA here, but obviously all access to patient's medical records are logged and auditable and we are not allowed to look in charts of patients that we aren't caring for. I read a lot of posts about nurses being caught 'snooping' in other patients charts. And them being fired for doing so. My question is, how is this even discovered? Do people do this and get away with it? I can only imagine a hospital log of 'access to charts' would be updated a million times a minute. How does someone physically look and know that Nurse A was not looking after patient B at that time? I don't know if we are just less strict here, but I have known people to look up their own blood test results for example. On multiple occasions. Never been caught. Recently, I was searching for my patient's parent (to get their ID for neonatal blood sample) got some part wrong and up popped some complete random person. I actually got such a fright I shut it off before the page loaded - but I've been wondering if it will ever come back to me? I'm not worried because I didn't actually look at anything, like I would have only opened the demographics page for literally 2secs - but what would this look like to someone looking at the logs? How would it be flagged..? Are the access logs only ever scrutinised if there is an issue or suspected issue with a nurse doing so? Are audits only carried out over set periods of time? Because I am sure that so many people must do this and just don't get caught? I never hear of cases going through the courts - unless a nurse has been really snooping like accessing their family members and telling other people etc. P.S I am literally not condoning doing something because you won't get caught. I'm just curious of how it's even monitored?

This is so true, and why I like doing a mix ?

Thanks for updating!!!!! That is insane the conditions you used to have, so pleased its improved for you!

I hope you got a position!!!! NICU is amazing!

Where I live everyone does rotating rosters, either eight hour mornings/afternoons/nights or 12 hour days/nights. I can't imagine only doing one type of shift. I feel like you'd miss out on a lot if you only did nights, but only doing days would suck because nights are quite enjoyable.

Ahahaa no way! Seriously.. that's crazy!

Question... what is a pyxis!? We do not have these!

I don't know much about morphine but I am guessing it was probably 4mg/ml.. so by taking 1ml out you would have your 4mg. Why it went in saline I don't know ?

Not quite the same because my patients don't talk, I'm in the NICU and sometimes that happens to our babies. A puffy arm is really obvious in the really little bubs, but the chubby term ones with a large amount of fluid (like.. 10 ml/hr) can puff up really quickly and we don't see it. These babies cry when we take their temperature!!! I'd think they'd be screaming with an extravasation.. but nope, they don't!

I am really shocked at these responses.. I have no other words. I absolutely disagree with you all.

Trust me my post didn't come out as nearly as rude as I had intended. We're supposed to be nurses, encouraging and enabling people to achieve what they want. I know a med-surg nurse with anaphylactic reactions to latex, I know another nurse with severe anaphylaxis to friggen everything, both carry epipens on them. I know another nurse with type 1 diabetes who actually has a service dog sitting in the hallway for her because it is that unpredictable. I have friends who absolutely hate bedside nursing, and went into public health or primary healthcare. I didn't get into bedside nursing at first either though I wanted to, I am now in NICU. You are never just stuck in one area, many skills are transferrable and I was certainly given this job out of keenness, nothing to do with experience

That's so rude and I totally disagree. 1 - so many people go into nursing but do NOT want to be bedside nurses. Anyone going into primary health/public health or school nursing. That's a huge number of people not wanting to work bedside. AND 2 - you can't research how demanding bedside nursing is omg... I can't believe I just read that. Where can you find information on how physically demanding a certain floor of a certain hospital is!!! How ridiculous! This person has a condition which will make her incredibly understanding of other people's pain and chronic illness and will be a fantastic nurse. Why are you so keen for her not to be in nursing. There are so many non-bedside nursing jobs out there which are so important. Rant done.

I'm scared because I can't work out what was wrong with his writing skills?!!!

? Can I just say, don't put ICU nurses on a higher pedestal.. just a different one!!! While they may be able to care for sicker patients, they may struggle to deal with the caseload a PCU nurse may do. But I totally get that you want to learn about how to care for the sickest of the sick, that's admirable and definitely something to aim for. I honestly would just apply, it doesn't matter that you don't have the experience, the worst that can happen is you don't get the job. You have PCU experience and that is so close, you will be able to transfer so many skills from there!

Please don't stress! Things happen like that when you become an RN and you're not going to lose your licence over it. People have got their shifts mixed up and not realised they're working. Lots of people sleep in. Some have nearly arrived at the hospital and realised they still have their slippers on, so rang the unit and arrived when they could. It's not being lazy or disorganised if it's a one-off. You'll be fine! Just set your alarm really loud, and maybe even put it out of arms reach so you have to get up!!!! I actually even know a newly qualified doctor who showed up late to work on her first day!!!!

You may have completed all the difficult classes, but you've clearly missed the section on mental health, stress and anxiety.. because it appears you can't comprehend how some people find things harder than others. That holier-than-thou attitude will get you nowhere. It doesn't make you sound smarter and it doesn't mean you'll get a job and your friends won't.

Honestly I think patients have every right to request a certain gender nurse. And especially have the right to refuse a student watching them have an intimate procedure done. I'm an RN and we had a parent who went biserk over something she misinterpreted and requested only senior nurses to look after her baby. That's fine, no offence taken (it was quite a relief actually lol) but it just meant us young ones couldn't have her. You can't help your feelings .. but feeling annoyed or offended by this really isn't justified.

I would absolutely check a colleagues temperature, pulse or blood pressure if they wanted to know it (In saying that, they could probably check their own, and lol I lied I work in a NICU - our blood pressure cuffs barely fit around my middle finger). In my opinion, if they felt really that unwell, they wouldn't be at work, or would ask to go home. I would not check a family member's or a visitor's. I would direct them to ED.

You did everything you could. I have never had to do CPR, but I can imagine once it's done.. I would probably step away and cry. I can just imagine. About the dream.. ugh I feel you so bad on this one it's crazy. I work in a nicu and we had a really sick baby who had turned a corner and was doing well. I had a dream that night that the baby had died. Arrived at work the following arvo at 3pm, he had been taken off respiratory support and monitoring, died just after 4pm ?

Yea i'd be upset about that, I'd hate to think someone thinks poorly of me, given it's unjustified I'd say it's just her being petty and silly. I'm just currently being a preceptor to a nursing student for the first time, one year after starting work, and I love it! I can't believe how much knowledge I have gained, gee I remember being a student two years ago and wishing I knew as much as my preceptor knew then, and I am so proud of myself that I now know it and can teach it! I am from a unit with very little turnover, however recently a lot of nurses are retiring, and so there are a few of us young ones coming through, and it's really nice to be accepted into a unit that is so close knit. If your unit is just being petty and toxic, hopefully you can find somewhere else to go that appreciates you more. Also, good luck with grad school! You never know, sometimes you have to take a step away from the floor to be appreciated.. maybe she'll notice how good you are when you're gone!

Taking pictures of what though, our patients? I don't know how to assure you other than... 1. we actually aren't that interested in seeing photos of you every day! and 2. we really don't want to run the risk of our registration being terminated. If we got caught, do you know how much trouble we would be in? Honestly it's hardly worth it. We mostly have our phones in the unit so that we can fill in boredom time/our breaks with checking facebook and Instagram.

Haha so I can't beat that BUT thought this incident report was quite good, we have a book of 'nursing humour' and this was stuck in it.

Wow Jesus this is scary. 100% this could end you in serious trouble, both for accessing your own chart and your friend's.

Eeek nope I wouldn't like this either. Because... discussions about her health may start happening outside her appointment times (in the tea rooms, casual discussions etc) and then discussions about employment could happen during her appointment times. And also she'll start knowing things about you that you may share with employers but definitely not patients. Hmm Nope. It just blurs the lines too much for my comfort. To be honest I am actually shocked SHE would want to be employed in the same place as you!! I'd find it quite awkward. It's interesting because I was a patient in our children's ward back in 2010 (I was 16), and I now work in the NICU that is right next to it, so basically I see the nurses that treated me back in the day on a regular basis, even working some shifts in paediatrics. And they absolutely know who I am and you know we've had a laugh about it and they're happy that I am now working as a nurse... but still.. I was in there for a mental health condition (anorexia) and it's like.. yeah this is a bit weird and embarrassing! But it's not like they're seeing me on an ongoing basis... I dunno..! Hopefully your supervisor can help you out here... definitely not something i'd be keen on.

I am pretty sure taking photographs on personal gadgets is forbidden without consent, especially showing it to a class of nursing students. You'd need signed consent for that at least. I've used my phone to take a picture once when our blood gas machine cocked up and wouldn't print so I quickly took a photo of the result to show the doctor before it logged me out. I've also had my phone camera at the ready to try and video seizure activity in a baby that had a queried seizure and we were watching for further, parents knew I'd video it for the doctors. Everything is deleted though afterwards and I definitely would NOT be allowed to use that video to 'show' anyone random what a seizure looked like.