Terror in the OR- please advise !!!

Bethy-lynn · Oct 24, 2006

For the love of God, and All things holy, please call the state. And which should you be more afraid of...loosing your job, or a patient (like a six year old having a tonsilectomy) dying because he's asleep and not paying attention?

DaFreak71 · Oct 24, 2006

Help, we as RN's are scared!! I work in a small rural hospital and our anesthesia doc falls asleep all the time (during cases.) We've reported it to administration..and he gets slaps on his hands..then is back at work. It is almost as if it is a joke to the surgeons.. they don't seem to care (or they at least turn their head.) We've had it with waiting on admin to do something.
We need to know if we are liable if we work in the OR or even the hospital and don't report him to his medical board? Or do we report to the state. We are scared of getting fired, :angryfire but SOMEONE has to stand up and be a patient advocate.
What do we DO?????

I think that if you believe that the anesthesiologist is creating an unsafe environment and your hospital won't do anything about it, you have an ethical obligation to report it to someone who will do something about it. You might consider putting your concerns in writing and turning it to someone at your hospital. Sometimes a written complaint gets the attention your looking for because it's harder to ignore something that might later become evidence.

Good luck.

oneLoneNurse · Oct 24, 2006

I think someone needs to take a proactive stance. Where is the DON ? Where is the CEO and the president ? Where are the managers ?

The doctors you are reporting this to seem out of line. I've worked in a hospital where we had one great young doctor who was great in psych codes. He used to like to give the patient the IMs himself. It was reported to the doctors he was shooting up with some of the meds. They covered up for him for awhile. My point is that sometimes the old boy medical school of thought covers them.

Having worked in rural areas I can empathize with your need not to lose your job with probably the only OR in the area. Its not like losing one in a huge metro area. Unfortunatley, someone needs to take this to the next step and/or the next step after that one. Something, needs to be done.

OC_An Khe · Oct 24, 2006

Ditto all of the above, I would also include writting to the hospital risk manager. Writting to the Board of irectors can also be helpful.

Cik · Oct 24, 2006

Take a picture too and post it on the floor.

suzanne4, RN · Oct 25, 2006

Best bet is to videotape it. Worth a thousand words, and no explanation needed by you.

Murseintraining78 · Oct 25, 2006

Good god I'd call the state on him so fast!!!

Cherish · Oct 25, 2006

Wow this is very shocking. I agree with ocankhe, document everything, and talk to the risk manager at your hospital.

subee, MSN, CRNA · Oct 25, 2006

I think someone needs to take a proactive stance. Where is the DON ? Where is the CEO and the president ? Where are the managers ?
The doctors you are reporting this to seem out of line. I've worked in a hospital where we had one great young doctor who was great in psych codes. He used to like to give the patient the IMs himself. It was reported to the doctors he was shooting up with some of the meds. They covered up for him for awhile. My point is that sometimes the old boy medical school of thought covers them.
Having worked in rural areas I can empathize with your need not to lose your job with probably the only OR in the area. Its not like losing one in a huge metro area. Unfortunatley, someone needs to take this to the next step and/or the next step after that one. Something, needs to be done.

Methinks this hospital should be closed as the surgeons are as dangerous as the sleeping doc. Perhaps the public would be better served elsewhere.

BSNtobe2009 · Oct 25, 2006

The worst part is that the surgeons are treating it as a joke. Where is their obligation to protect their patient as well?

Sick sick sick!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 25, 2006

Take a picture too and post it on the floor.

And she would also get in trouble for having the camera there, if their policy is anything like ours.