Published
thankfully the man was completely unaware..and thankfully you were there giving great care..the nurse was defintely out a line, but honestly not every single nurse has a caring heart, or it could have been a momentary lack of compassion, maybe she got some bad news and was feeling upset about it, etc.....but in any event YOU shouldnt feel bad...next time just discuss it in post conference with your clinical instructor and get it off your chest...
Wow, unbelievable. She definitely should be reported. Don't be mad at yourself for not having done anything, it's not an easy thing to do, but there's no reason you can't now. I doubt you should have any fear of reprisal, but to make it easier, find out who the nurse manager is at that facility and mail them an anonymous letter about what you observed if that's a concern you have. Standing up for your patients and advocating for their care is one of the core values idealized in nursing, so here's your chance as a student to honor this, which in turn, will honor your intention for getting into this profession in the first place.
thankfully the man was completely unaware..and thankfully you were there giving great care..the nurse was defintely out a line, but honestly not every single nurse has a caring heart, or it could have been a momentary lack of compassion, maybe she got some bad news and was feeling upset about it, etc.....but in any event YOU shouldnt feel bad...next time just discuss it in post conference with your clinical instructor and get it off your chest...
The OP says he was completely AWARE, not unaware.
Please let your instructor know. This nurse needs to be reported. This is far beyond "dark humor." This nurse should not have patients or students assigned.
There is a big difference between humor and burnout. Under stress, we can all say some things that we regret, but this shows hatred towards those who are vulnerable. Scary.
If that's how that nurse is thinking then she really needs to think about a career change.
We all have bad days where time goes out the window and more and more work keeps coming our way and nothing is going well. But to say that about a patient whether he is going to die or not. is just wrong.
Inform your instructor right away.
ohcomeon
177 Posts
and I cannot stop thinking about it. Last week at clinicals, I was taking care of an elderly gentleman. He had surgery a few days prior and was having repeated bouts of nausea and diarrhea. He felt really bad as he couldn't get out of bed and kept apologizing. I told him that he didn't need to apologize, that's what I was there for. Well the nurse was just disgusted with this man and on her way out of the room says to me "well he will be dead soon anyways". I was so shocked she would say that. Honestly. I mean if that is the way she feels, then why in the hell is she a nurse??? I just cannot believe that someone in such a supposed "caring" profession would even think, let alone verbalize something like that. She said this in the room! This man was completely aware of what was going on. My heart just broke for him. And honestly, I am mad at myself for not saying something to the nurse. Ok, that's all. I just wanted to get that off my chest.