It's been rough couple of weeks at work. Usually my patients are great. I work my butt off and they see that and appreciate it. But the patients and families these last two weeks have been different. I sent one pt to the hospital, turns out she had 3 PEs. The Dr called to say good job, you saved her life! The family showed up to pick up the patient's belongings, they are not bringing her back because the nursing staff is "horrible." They felt that because she developed a cough the night before we should have known she had a PE and screamed at anyone who would listen. The poor float PRN nurse had never even met their mother and she got read the riot act by these people. She was never in any distress and had no other symptoms. They are threatening to report us (and presumably me) for not calling 911 but instead calling the paramedics, who arrived within 10 minutes. I hadn't even finished copying the MAR before they pulled up!
I have another pt who despite every effort continues to tell me what a horrible place my facility is, asking when we are going to be shut down or go out of business. Another told me it was worse than "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest." Another told my partner that "in her day, nurses took their jobs seriously" because we hadn't tried to get up and dress her family member that day (who is literally hours from dying, would you want to be dragged out of bed and dressed in your final moments?) I'm having a hard time not letting my aggravation show and my patience is wearing thin. I can only do so much with 14-18 sub acute patients, the day of the PE lady I had 2 other patients with major changes in condition and there's no doctor close by to page like in a hospital. I have to call and convey their condition over the phone and hope the right call is made. It's not easy! Despite what one patient said, I am NOT just standing around chatting all day (complete with a rude "yack, yack, yack, that's all you nurses do all day.")
I'm having a hard time not letting my aggravation show and my patience is wearing thin. I can only do so much with 14-18 sub acute patients, the day of the PE lady I had 2 other patients with major changes in condition and there's no doctor close by to page like in a hospital. I have to call and convey their condition over the phone and hope the right call is made. It's not easy! Despite what one patient said, I am NOT just standing around chatting all day (complete with a rude "yack, yack, yack, that's all you nurses do all day.") 