What was your most difficult situation at work?

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

We all face some pretty tough situations on the job that test our ability...as a nurse and as a man.

What was yours and how did you handle it?

Let us learn from each other.

[NurseKevin]

Mine was while I was still in the Army, I was a 91C on a mixed med-surg-peds floor. I called an OB doc to let her know that her s/p TAH patient had spiked a temp of 102, that there were no orders for tylenol or ABX, and ask her if she would like cultures. This was at 1800. She then proceeded to chew my orifice up one side and down the other. Telling me that I have should have called the on call OB in house, and not to bother her at home (she was military too) that she had a life and other general insults about my incomptence and etc...

I was red, and seeing red, however, I said Well Ma'am, (with just a touch of a sneer), I thought that you, since you were the one that did the procedure and follow the patient in the clinic would be interested in what is going on. I apologize for trying to keep you apprised of YOUR patient's situation, in the meantime, since you are aware now, I think I am going to hand the phone to LT *** and let you give him the orders, if there are any.

I handed the phone to the LT, and took the orders and his own beratement, we wrote it down, and handed it to our head nurse the next morning. She then took it to the Chief of Med-Surg, who then took it to the DC(N), she then briefed the hospital CO...(all before 0730 the next morning)

The hospital CO, and DCN came up to the station with the OB doc in tow, she apologized to everyone in general and myself and the LT specifically. I do believe that whatever the CO and DCN said to her had a far more profound impact than what she said to the LT and me.