I'm still a bit upset since Friday. I teach clinicals to PN students. We were at a skilled floor of a LTC facility. There is a new respiratory therapist there, I've been learning from her and she is helping my students learn about aerosol treatments, ventilators, oxygen.
I don't know much about ventilators, so I bow to her to teach a bit once in awhile. She seems to enjoy this. She is very busy, and hardly has time for lunch with alarms constantly going off. We were in a patients room working, the students were changing a dressing and she had finished working on the patients trach.
I didn't think it was especially stressful at the time and I asked her about her sisters plans to move, just making idle chat. She didn't know what I was talking about, her sister moving. (I know her sister, she knows I know her sister, so that's why I brought it up) She looked completely blank, and I said isn't your sister Brenda? She nodded then she said 'unprofessional' and looked away, dismissing me I guess. She then asked a couple questions, like where is she moving, but I was so stunned by the 'unprofessional' comment I didn't want to say anymore. I said, look, I don't usually carry tales, I was just curious about how their moving is going, and I'm sorry if it upset you. I was embarrased in front of my 3 students.
Later I planned to go to her privately and apologize again, but decided to heck with it. I didn't do anything unprofessional. Did I? I know we aren't to speak of personal things in front of patients? Maybe that was what she was thinking. If so, I do feel sorry I said anything. I'll be extremely careful around her in the future. Sheesh.
