Last night I had an unnerving experience. I came in at 7pm and was coming out of charge report when one of my nurses i found crying at the nurses station. She stated she was having chest pain and it was the worst she ever had!!!. After giving her o2, aspirin (she refused the nitro) and taking her bp(290/144). called er ahead told them i was coming down with a nurse in severe distress! When i arrived the er nurse told me she needed to have her forms filled out and triaged, itold her in uncertain terms i triaged her and she needs attended now,!!!! Thank god one of the cardiologists that i know quite well was there with his sister(she was being admitted with a headache) He took over and found out within 5 minutes she was having a major infarct!!! She was started on nitro,mso4 and tpa he later came up to the floor and told me if the circumstances had been different, at home and we had not responded as fast as we did she would have had major heart damage and probally would have died.
Cardiac patients is my specialty, but when it was all over ri realized that i could have lost my friend, one of the kindest nurses i have ever known.
Lately work has been a bear and i wonder about the stress we are induring with all the changes going on in nursing today. My friend is only 47 years old, shes one of those nurses that take everything to heart(literally), i'm sure she won't be back on my floor(it's too stressful) Needed to share.
Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.
Originally posted by rn-jane
When i arrived the er nurse told me she needed to have her forms filled out and triaged, itold her in uncertain terms i triaged her and she needs attended now,!!!!
Lol - love this - assertive communication at its finest! :)
Nice work on saving your friend. As nurses, we are so busy caring for others don't always take great care of ourselves. Thank goodness you were looking out for each other that day! :)
your patients and your coworkers are blessed to have such a caring nurse on their side. and the cardiologist was good to take over - most mds these days would not. great job jane:kiss
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
That is incredible work, rn-jane!! Good for you, and good for your friend! She's one lucky woman.
I just hope that if such a thing ever happens to me (and it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility) that someone like you will be there to look out for me.
The distressing part of your story is how the ER initially responded. How sad that we do not care for our own...it happens too many times when a nurse gets hurt or sick at work and the facility 'that cares so much' does NOT care about its own.
Glad you were there for her and insisted she get the care she needed quickly.
Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by mattsmom81
The distressing part of your story is how the ER initially responded. How sad that we do not care for our own...it happens too many times when a nurse gets hurt or sick at work and the facility 'that cares so much' does NOT care about its own.
:
Yeah-I have seen 2 staff and one visitor collapse and each time the DON was reluctant to call 911
My friend is now recovering at home, visited with her yesterday. The docs at upmc believe her mi was due to stress, maybe some heads will think next time we are understaffed and the nurse patient ratio is high. I doubt it though. I think as nurses we have to take care of each other because most of the suits only see numbers and how to cut costs. Maybe they might think differently if their wife, mother or daughter were lying in the bed when an over stressed nurse walks into their room to give care.If we can't be there for each of our coworkers no one will.
Tweety, BSN, RN
36,359 Posts
Awesome.