I'm sure all the trauma people our there have had it happen at some time: A big case comes in (trauma, MI, etc) and everybody is in the room with adrenaline flowing...nurses, RT, xray, students, supervisors of this or that...maybe even a doc . You're glad for the help and it will take more than one nurse, but sometimes there are just too many people...and the A-personality trauma addicts make for too many chiefs.
Have you ever had one or more of the stronger personality nurses take over your patient?? Have you ever had 4 nurses laying their stethescope on the patient, shouting orders, as if they were all the primary nurse, throwing the orderly "system" out the window? I've even seen nurses nudging the doctor out of the way, and a more mild mannered doc gets run over.
In my department 99% of us are so programmed to jump in take charge, and we all want the best for the patient, that this seems to happen all too often. Is there a way to politley tell a co-worker to back off without sounding petty? Can you do that without risking the response of "I just won't help her again." (I've been guilty of this one myself!) Is it more disruptive to patient care to let this overkill of nurses continue in the room, or to take the time to confront those who need to keep their stethescopes in their pocket?
Or should I just complain to this list and let it go...
Having too many hands in the pot can be dangerous. The probability of a patient getting double the meds is too high. Our charge nurse assigns the patient and the lead nurse is asked what she wants done down to the monitor. SAFETY first....sounds like you guys need to have a meeting.
. You're glad for the help and it will take more than one nurse, but sometimes there are just too many people...and the A-personality trauma addicts make for too many chiefs. 
medschoolgrl8, ASN, RN
5 Posts
Having too many hands in the pot can be dangerous. The probability of a patient getting double the meds is too high. Our charge nurse assigns the patient and the lead nurse is asked what she wants done down to the monitor. SAFETY first....sounds like you guys need to have a meeting.