***Some things are specific to the speciality but I want a general nurse reply as it can happened anywhere! Thanks.***
Please tell me I'm not the crazy one!
I work have worked in the NICU for about 3 years. Over the years, I have noticed some nurses on the opposing shift are a bit feisty but I have gotten over it for the most part. BUT, this small stupid thing has put me in a tizzy (sp?), and I more so need to vent than anything, but all are welcome to input your little "over-the-edge" incidences and what you do in response/to get over it.
So to the point. I was having a really fantastic day; all my babies were cooperative, all quietly snuggled back in, parents all had a good (as good as it can get) day. It was not crazy admit day or let's make a bunch of changes day - IT WAS A GOOD DAY! It was nearing the end of my shift and as I almost always do unless we are slammed, I made the haul to restock all of my patients' supplies, any and everything they would need for the next 2 shifts.
Shift change happens and I give report on my first two babies and I come to my third who is a different nurse taking them. I start my report as always, name, parents, etc. After the whole introduction, I casually skipped to the respiratory support. In the middle of saying, "I have only titrated my Os between 24% an--" the nurse butts in, holds up her hand and says, "Please,... (*hand to a fist now*) what's the patient's history?" Me: Uhhhh, PTL.
THAT WAS IT... PTL. You know, I thought about it, and yea, maybe I should have said PTL before jumping right into the whole gaggle. Maybe I should have also added the 3 weeks old apgar scores and the whole resuscitation efforts. Maybe I should have gone through the whole pregnancy timeline.
I know, I'm going too far but it kinda irked me. Yes, if there is a significant amount of history, I will start with that. But seeing as it was such a short and kinda insignificant history, it slipped my mind this time. (Serious on the apgar scores, I'm not telling you 3 week old apgar scores unless it's like 0,0,2,4,5,7)
And to be honest, I would not even mind to have stopped right there to say the history had it not been asked of me in a completely ******* rude way and tone. Honestly, I would have even given an, "Opps, sorry."
I just don't get it. What makes people behave like this after not even being somewhere for 5 minutes. I get you have a life, but don't treat people like scum of the earth just because your mind cannot get over having respiratory before history. Like, MY GOD, sorry I ruined your day...
Sorry, I know I took a mole hill and turned it into a mountain. I get that. What I don't get is how people lack a decent sense of manners.
Thanks for reading. But please do leave your experiences NICU and non-NICU. These situations happen everywhere, so even if you have them, say your non-nursing related stories too. I like to read on your guys experiences which far outweigh mine!
I just got report the other day from a newer nurse on our unit who had taken report from the recovery room. She said to me 'the pt has a hx of ES, so they didn't want to give too much fluid.' I asked 'what's ES?'...she's looked chagrined and said I'm not sure, just that her heart isn't very strong so they didn't want to overload her.' I said, 'sounds like CHF.' She said 'yeah, I guess so, but I'd swear [recovery nurse] said ES!' Pt arrives, and after I get her settled I'm talking to her spouse who says 'she had an echo recently and her Ejection Fraction is 30%.' OH! ES = EF (easy to mis-hear on the phone)! Now I get it!
I just got report the other day from a newer nurse on our unit who had taken report from the recovery room. She said to me 'the pt has a hx of ES, so they didn't want to give too much fluid.' I asked 'what's ES?'...she's looked chagrined and said I'm not sure, just that her heart isn't very strong so they didn't want to overload her.' I said, 'sounds like CHF.' She said 'yeah, I guess so, but I'd swear [recovery nurse] said ES!' Pt arrives, and after I get her settled I'm talking to her spouse who says 'she had an echo recently and her Ejection Fraction is 30%.' OH! ES = EF (easy to mis-hear on the phone)! Now I get it!
See now, I would have asked for clarification, because everyone has "...a history of EF", of some percentage, otherwise we wouldn't be alive! LOL!
marienm, RN, CCRN
313 Posts
I just got report the other day from a newer nurse on our unit who had taken report from the recovery room. She said to me 'the pt has a hx of ES, so they didn't want to give too much fluid.' I asked 'what's ES?'...she's looked chagrined and said I'm not sure, just that her heart isn't very strong so they didn't want to overload her.' I said, 'sounds like CHF.' She said 'yeah, I guess so, but I'd swear [recovery nurse] said ES!' Pt arrives, and after I get her settled I'm talking to her spouse who says 'she had an echo recently and her Ejection Fraction is 30%.' OH! ES = EF (easy to mis-hear on the phone)! Now I get it!