please do not interrupt my lunch to tell me that my patient (who is being watched by a cna while i eat) "doesn't trust" me and that you think he needs ativan. he's been asking for it all day. he's been diagnosed with paranoid delusions -- of course he doesn't trust me. and he's got a well documented history of alcohol and benzo abuse.
if, while the patient is attempting to bite the cna and kick me, i call for you to help me, please sign off your facebook account and come help me. i understand that you don't feel like working, you think bedside nursing is beneath you and you're expecting to get a hot new job far from an actual patient any day now, but it's just wrong to be perusing facebook while a patient is assaulting your co-workers.
please do not come to the med room where i'm trying to extract my meds from pyxis to tell me that my paranoid, delusional benzo addict is asking for "a big glass of water" when there's a big sign above his bed proclaiming his npo status.
the fact that the patient thinks you're his doctor does not mean that you know more than i do. believe me. he's crazy, you've been off orientation for less than a year and i've been a nurse for five years longer than you've been alive. i've seen this a few times before, and believe me he will not improve his behavior, as you suggest, if i'm "nicer to him." not giving him water when he's npo, not giving him the ativan that was specifically d/c'd and not releasing his wrist restraints is being nice to him.
wish i could say that. but then i'd be accused of "eating my young." so i'll just vent here instead.
Ruby, great vent!!!! Sorry, I have to say something about sitters too.
Things that have happened on my floor while a sitter was IN THE ROOM:
1. NG tubes pulled out
2. IV Sites pulled out
3. One pt went to the bathroom, STUCK HER FINGERS in her abd incision, AND PULLED OUT HER BOWEL.(known self harm psych pt)
4. A pt DIED, and the sitter DIDNT NOTICE. The nurse came in later on her 2 hour rounds (night shift) and asked the sitter if he realized the pt was DEAD. He said no.
Sitters, I have one suggestion to you to help you become good at your job....WATCH YOUR PATIENT!
Specializes in Inpatient Psych, Eating Disorders, Tele.
what about when you are doing rounds and you run into a psychotic pt walking in the hallway at 2:30 am WHO HAS A #$%@#$% SITTER??? and of course you find the sitter fast asleep in the pt's room. thank God the 6'3" pt was a "friendly" psychotic. hahaha
i say we should have a rule: if a sitter falls asleep we have the right to dump frosty cold water on their head. :) besides who in the heck would fall asleep in a pt's room on the psyc unit?!?!?!
unfortunately we have shortage of sitters so we can't DNR them as almost all of them are registry.
on the other hand, good sitters are worth their weight in gold. :)
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
J Budd - When did you start having clang associations? (look it up). To me your post seems silly and insensitive. If that was not your intent, then my bad.....
I'm sure she didn't intend to be insensitive. The silly part? It happens. Hopefully our colleagues cut us some slack here. I appreciate so much readers of allnurses who think my comments "may" be un-pc but give me the benefit of the doubt. Lighten up.
Gryf, have you never read Dr. Seuss? What are you trying to prove with "look it up"?
It was a lighthearted sarcasm about sitters, in case you haven't noticed, its a VENT thread. We often use humor to poke fun at situations that would otherwise make you frustrated enough to pull your hair out.
Ohhh, I am so sorry I am dealing with a very similar situation in my office with an MA who would rather facebook than provide the patient care she is hired to do. Instead of paying attention to what the seasoned professionals are doing, she just plays Farmtown on Facebook, then proceeds to act like whatever we are asking to do she has never been taught or trained to do. I am tired of answering the same questions over and over because you are lazy. Get off your A**, off your computer and take care of these patients who are counting on us! Ahh, I feel a little better.
Ruby, great vent!!!! Sorry, I have to say something about sitters too.
Things that have happened on my floor while a sitter was IN THE ROOM:
1. NG tubes pulled out
2. IV Sites pulled out
3. One pt went to the bathroom, STUCK HER FINGERS in her abd incision, AND PULLED OUT HER BOWEL.(known self harm psych pt)
4. A pt DIED, and the sitter DIDNT NOTICE. The nurse came in later on her 2 hour rounds (night shift) and asked the sitter if he realized the pt was DEAD. He said no.
Sitters, I have one suggestion to you to help you become good at your job....WATCH YOUR PATIENT!
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am beyond words on this one! Having been a sitter, (off & on over many years) I am shocked!
I once had a Pt I was "sitting" who wanted to walk, Nurse said it was ok as long as I was with them. He kept trying to enter Ladies rooms, became upset with me when I wouldn't let him. He proceeded to punch me repeatedly in the chest (he was not very strong so it didn't hurt that bad) as I was blocking a door. A Dr was standing there watching this happen, after about the 50th punch asked if I needed help. I told her no, I enjoyed getting punched in the chest repeatedly (in my most sarcastic voice), she immediately came over to help me get him away from the door thus stopping him from beating on me. Sometimes I wonder what she was thinking as she watched.
We had sitter once - years ago when we still used Posey Vests. I looked in on my pt, only to find that he had tried to pull the vest off, over his head. It was stuck, and he was at risk for choking himself. The sitter was sitting in a geri chair, next to the bed, fast asleep. I ran into the room, calling for my collegue to come help - as I passed the sitted, I accidentally-on-purpuse kicked him in the shins really hard. (oops). Pt OK. Sitter bruised. Nurses seriously ****** off! That sitter never worked for us again. The rest of the shift I made sure to go by frequently.
My worst sitter story. I worked at a place that had a number of night shift folks available to do one to one. Some were great, some were scary. One of the scary ones was doing one to one with a psych patient and fell asleep at the bedside all wrapped up in a blanket, feet up and everything. The patient stepped over him, got off a locked unit by piggybacking into an elevator, went to the roof of a seven story building next door and jumped.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
We had sitter once - years ago when we still used Posey Vests. I looked in on my pt, only to find that he had tried to pull the vest off, over his head. It was stuck, and he was at risk for choking himself. The sitter was sitting in a geri chair, next to the bed, fast asleep. I ran into the room, calling for my collegue to come help - as I passed the sitted, I accidentally-on-purpuse kicked him in the shins really hard. (oops). Pt OK. Sitter bruised. Nurses seriously ****** off! That sitter never worked for us again. The rest of the shift I made sure to go by frequently.
Oops! A sudden contraction of the quadriceps causing the foot to fly forward involuntarily is a common side effect of adrenaline rush caused by an alarming situation. Well that's what I heard!
Oops! A sudden contraction of the quadriceps causing the foot to fly forward involuntarily is a common side effect of adrenaline rush caused by an alarming situation. Well that's what I heard!
I hear it's quite common in women, especially those working in a stressful situation, and those that are on their feet all day. I've heard clogs have been shown to exacerbate the syndrome. :)
and of course you find the sitter fast asleep in the pt's room. thank God the 6'3" pt was a "friendly" psychotic. hahaha 
besides who in the heck would fall asleep in a pt's room on the psyc unit?!?!?!
What are you trying to prove with "look it up"? 
I am dealing with a very similar situation in my office with an MA who would rather facebook than provide the patient care she is hired to do. Instead of paying attention to what the seasoned professionals are doing, she just plays Farmtown on Facebook, then proceeds to act like whatever we are asking to do she has never been taught or trained to do. I am tired of answering the same questions over and over because you are lazy. Get off your A**, off your computer and take care of these patients who are counting on us! Ahh, I feel a little better. 
morte, LPN, LVN
7,015 Posts
hmm the "queen of alliteration"?