"I am a nurse!"

Kitiger, RN · Apr 3, 2018

My hubby had surgery at a hospital I spent a long time as a staff RN at and had a "complication" (desaturated to 90% on RA s/p surgery 24 hours) and his RN said she called his MD.
NO ORDERS OBTAINED. WHAT? REALLY?
This was 4am.
I promptly called the ER doc and asked what should I do? I had not worked there in 5+ years. He knew me, I was flying and still visited often. He said you know what to do. If it gets too bad, you also know what to do. He asked me what the surgeon said. I said he gave no orders. We both thought that weird as we thought my hubby needed to be in CT to r/o a embolism. I was getting prickly.
Long story short. I obtained a NC and put my husband on supplemental oxygen. His RN did not like it, I told her to do whatever she thought best about it. Not in confrontation, just wasn't going to let my hubby go down the tubes any further. "
Turns out the RN did NOT call any one. At 6:10 an the S222 hit the fan. The surgeon arrived.
Sent my husband directly to CT. CONFIRMED NO CALL TO HIS GROUP, SERVICE. OMG, I knew him for 15 years and had NEVER heard him yell or yell like that. It was shattering. He went fully to the zoo on that nurse. Past the lions, monkeys and tossed the peanuts off the train. Went full zoo! It was bad. And deserved. She lied. She could have killed my hubby. Well, no, I'd have called a RAPID RESPONSE AT 86%, but that's another topic. It's the lie -- and she was caged. Had she done this before???? Big question???????
Administration arrives at 8 am to discuss the matter with us. It's a non-issue as far as I'm/We are concerned. Ultimately my husband was monitored by me, did not suffer harm thankfully. Let's handle this "in house" and make sure that this is not a repetitive incident.
I tell the CNO I have complete confidence that she can manage this with me instigating BON action. Its her decision. I'm going to focus in my hubby. And hopefully get him well enough to go home so I can go back to work.
See, all good with the nurse set. I think the right thing is the direct thing.
:angel:

Did you mean to say with or without me instigating BON action?

wondern, ASN · Apr 4, 2018

So if your loved one is laying there post op being woke up by a malfunctioning pump and no one comes to fix it, silence it, or anything and your loved one has both a 16g and an 18g with blood both backing up their tubing your just going to wait 15-20 minutes while they both clot off? I'M not. Dern tootin' I'll touch your pump. I'll take the tubing right off your messed up pump, and adjust the flow until you can find the time to get there. Yes! If you don't like it go get your manager and I'll ask her why you're so understaffed?!

I'll also be helping with emptying the urinal (and letting the nurse know the amount) that's halfway full when my loved one needs to use it. Is that okay? Is bathing them okay? I'm a loved but if you're too short staffed to provide adequate care then yes I am a nurse as well and I will help. Hopefully, the assigned nurse will appreciate my help but if not oh well. I've never been kicked out only thanked.

I'll also go look for a wheelchair for almost an hour from floor to floor to take my loved one out of there while his neighbor who's been waiting for over an hour for a wheelchair and patient transport to take them out decides just to walk out out of frustration even though you offer them the wheelchair you just hunted down. Yes I'm a nurse and a family member too.

I'd prefer not to tell them but when it just gets ridiculous sometimes you just have to, or let your loved one suffer the consequences.

I was usually very appreciative of any nursing help I got even from family as long as it wasn't hurting anybody, other than their ego.

Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 5, 2018

Did you mean to say with or without me instigating BON action?

That is WITHOUT.

Sorry, my hands are wonky and I was trying to type on my iPad directly instead on my wireless keyboard.

I think it could have been a mistake not to report her tho - in hindsight, how often does things like this get covered up and when bad things happen, there's no explanation and no one ever knows the details?

I wonder what others might have done?

My 2 best friends in the world still worked there, one in upper management and the other was a department head.

The overriding issue was no harm came to my husband. He did not have a PE. There was some managed anxiety and SOA (which I told him was due to his surgery). I was quite anxious.

WalterWho · Apr 5, 2018

Gosh, that's the worst! I feel like saying, "well then, being a nurse you should know how frustrated you're making me!" I was in the hospital when my daughter was born for two days before one of the OB nurses recognized me, otherwise no one would have known that I am a nurse.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Apr 5, 2018

Okay...this is the first time that I have ever commented on a post. I don't know how to "quote" a past statement.

It's quite easy. Right next to the "reply" at the bottom of the post you want to quote is a "quote" feature. Click on this and the post will show up in your reply box. You can delete text you don't want to include in the quote or you can quote the entire post.

wondern, ASN · Apr 5, 2018

Why would someone get 'frustrated' much less let someone 'make them' frustrated over the fact that someone else tells you they are a nurse?

Never mind. I misread. It was the lack of action. I think.

Orion81RN · Apr 5, 2018

She returned and they both started fumbling around with the wall suction equipment while I was getting madder and my niece was turning bluer. Her Mom started freaking and I snatched the suction from these two nurses, hooked it up and started clearing my nieces airway while saying some really bad wordsðŸ˜±ðŸ˜±.

This is obnoxious behavior. Don't freak out and be a demanding overbearing family member. I know plenty of good nurses who might fumble when someone is acting that way.

eymilin, MSN · Apr 6, 2018

I had a very complex case in a pediatric CVICU. Grandmother let everyone know she was a nurse and was very intrusive (videotaping, giving advice, demanding odd things, attempting to sneak visitors in after hours, etc). Grandfather stated he was a taxi driver... because he went to nursing school, graduated and decided it was not for him. He did pull out a copy of his nursing license from his waller but was otherwise very polite and compliant.

T-ROD, LPN · Apr 6, 2018

Most of my doctors are doctors I worked for or with in my past so they know that I am and know what to expect out of me. So that kinda stinks LOL.

I just want to be a normal patient sometime. BUT I 100% trust them so I would never change.

In a setting like ER or somewhere that I am not known I never announce it unless I am with out a doubt that what is happening is not right.

Have Nurse, ADN, RN · Apr 6, 2018

Amen. I feel the same.

GenieToBe · Apr 10, 2018

I tell this to my Mom all the time too but she also doesn't listen to me when I try to give her actual advice. Like a year or so ago she was taking ibuprofen for her knee or hip or something but was only taking 200-400 mg because that's what the bottle said. I told her taking less than 600 mg was useless. Then a few months later she saw her doctor and told the doctor "my daughter is a nurse and told me I need to take 3 ibuprofen if I want it to do anything" and the doctor told her "your daughter is right."
And then she didn't understand why the Orthopedic Surgeon she saw recommended surgery when she went to him for a consult. I was like "Because he's a SURGEON. How many times do I need to tell you to go to a Physiatrist if you don't want to go the surgery route?"

My parent's are the same....

Few years ago, my dad went to the local GP for a cough that persisted for some time. The doctor examines him. Rx mucosolvan and cough syrup. My dad tells the doc, "My daughter instructed me to take that. I did. Not working. My daughter recommended me to get a Ventolin inhaler from you."

At this point, the doctor asks my dad "What does your daughter do?" "My daughter is an I.C.U nurse!"