Ok, here's the story. I am a new grad who got hired for the ICU. However, I have to do a month in the ER as part of my new grad residency program. Last week, I was assigned to a triage nurse as an orientee. I was in triage with this nurse and a guy comes in with a C/O "swollen member with discharge".
The triage nurse made him a low acuity and he waited for about 2 1/2 hours in the waiting room before he was allowed to go to the back.
Well, when he gets to the back, he was assigned to a male nurse. The next thing I know, the nurse comes up to the triage raging about why didnt the triage nurse (that I was assigned to) look at this guy's member. Comes to find out, this guy was not circumsized, and the foreskin retracted, causing it to swell. The triage nurse I was assigned to assumed it was an STD issue and thus, making him a low acuity. The male nurse was highly upset, he came up to the front of triage, yelling that this guy could have lost his member and that we as triage nurses should "learn to do our job" as he storms to the back. This was in front of a packed waiting room full of patients.
The triage nurse was very upset behind this. As well as another nurse who had an orientee with her was upset as well. The patient ended up being ok.
Well, a couple of mornings later, the triage nurse got called into the director's office. He also requested I come along. I was very intimidated because I am a new grad, the ER is not my "home" and I didnt want to be dragged into unit drama. The director asked both of us what we witnessed and I told him what I saw. He asked me to put it in writing and I expressed my concern that I don't know the guy in question, I have seen him around the ER, and that I'm a new grad that had a difficult time landing a job and I don't want to do anything to cause my job to be in jeopardy. The director stated that it would be anonoymus, and the triage nurse said she will put something in writing. The director stated it's best that someone who's not part of the unit could give a subjective point of view, because apparently this nurse has had issues in the past.
I'm torn. I'm all one for minding my own business and I don't want to be involved in this incident regardless if what I state is anonoymus of not. I'm not going to be working in the ER, but I did consider taking a PRN position in the ER after my ICU orientation is over, and if this director is the one who decides who get hired, I could possibly screw up my chances of getting hired in the future if I don't provide a statement.
It seems to me they want to get rid of this nurse. I don't want to participate in this. I don't know this nurse nor his work ethics, and I do agree, what he did was not professional. What would you do in this situation?
Please help! I can't sleep because I'm worried about what I should do.
