but today I got a verbal "Duh" from a Cath Lab RN.
I work recovery and I received a Cath patient who THEY wouldn't hold for a tele bed because they wanted to go home(last case). So the guy had a Heart Cath with Carotid angiogram. This is the 1st pt I got with a carotid angio. I have recovered MANY Carotid endardectomy pts though.
So I said "Oh,they can reach the carotids from the femoral stick all the way up?" They both rolled their eyes and one said "Well YEAH, of course. We go all the way to the heart, how do ya think we get there?". The patient, a sweet man just gives me a wink and smile. Well excuse my stupidity and ignorance. What is with people! Do some people reallt KNOW it ALL? I don't and that is why I asked. Jeez
Sorry but this was just a lousy couple days and they P'd me Off!
I don't think that ALL Cath Lab nurses are rude by any means, but a few of ours are. The other few are wonderful and would not talk to anyone in a condescending manner. I just got lucky yesturday. Fortunately fo the patients we have, our PACU would NEVER send a pt to the floor or anywhere else without making sure they are clean, comfortable, and stable. If they have an antibiotic due,we hang it or at least bring it along. We also check for blood sugars on diabetic patients.
This guy did fine. I gave him some OJ with sugar in it and re-checked it when I brought him to tele (as ordered) and he was at 100:)
We ALL work special areas. Med-surg is a specialty as well!
That cath-lab nurse was a dork. Although they do know ALOT about angiography (and they had better!), their expertise/knowledge in the vast abundance of everything else nurses do is sometimes (frequently!) lacking! It goes with the territory when you specialize. Cath-lab people do really cool stuff (ever seen an angio?)...but they do it DAY IN and DAY OUT..ALL DAY LONG....it's gotta get really redundant, like anything else. (time to make the doughnuts...) .
I'd be willing to wager they'd be just as lost (maybe more-so) if they were suddenly floated to your unit and expected to work in your role....and she knows it.
OR...perhaps the nurse you're speaking of just has an inferiority complex and has to compensate by trying to make you feel like...well, like the way you felt.
Don't take it to heart, all she REALLY did was display a big character flaw....
I'd take it in just like i always do, with a mental note to myself of "ok, there's yet another thing i will not do as a nurse, is to make people feel embarrassed just because they may not know how to do this".
Specializes in RETIRED Cath Lab/Cardiology/Radiology.
Dinith88: yes, the whole procedure is "the same," meaning the heart cath or angio in particular. However, arterial approach may vary, each patient and his/her needs are different, anatomy is different so may require change of technique or catheters (and you don't know till you get there!), and each person's response to the sedation as well as perspective about the exam is different --- ya never know what may happen! I've seen totally normal coronaries on exam, but as soon as the catheter lodged in the right coronary, the pt went into Vfib - BOOM! No pathology but got OUR adrenalin going!
And I do agree with sharann: EVERY area is a specialty. I would hope anyone caring for me or my grandpa or my mom, has good assessment skills AND good patient care skills, regardless of the area in which they work.
As I said before, in my mind we are ALL working TOGETHER, FOR THE PATIENT. (just some of us need reminding at times )
And now, back to your regularly-scheduled program. -- D
)
sharann, BSN, RN
1,758 Posts
I don't think that ALL Cath Lab nurses are rude by any means, but a few of ours are. The other few are wonderful and would not talk to anyone in a condescending manner. I just got lucky yesturday. Fortunately fo the patients we have, our PACU would NEVER send a pt to the floor or anywhere else without making sure they are clean, comfortable, and stable. If they have an antibiotic due,we hang it or at least bring it along. We also check for blood sugars on diabetic patients.
This guy did fine. I gave him some OJ with sugar in it and re-checked it when I brought him to tele (as ordered) and he was at 100:)
We ALL work special areas. Med-surg is a specialty as well!
Thanks for all the support here you all.