I had my first my MET call. My legs, hands, and body was shaking I was terrified of what to do and how to handle it. Did I make the right decision calling the MET? Was the doctor going to think I was silly for calling a MET? All these questions racing through my mind as I sat bedside with my patient as they became more combative, confused, and somnolent. I always dreaded the day I would have a patient go south on an acute care floor. I feared I would freeze and my mind would become a blank space. The MET team arrived and began asking millions of questions, What happened, how was the patient before, what does the team want....etc.....Immediately my sympathetic nervous system kicked in to overdrive and I was thrust front and center as the advocate for my patient. There was no time to doubt my intuition, to second my choice, or to feel stupid about what I was saying. I had to exude confidence. What I learned from this MET call as 4 month new nurse: I am strong, I am educated, I am a patient advocate, and I can rise to the challenge. I knew my patient needed help beyond my control. I knew that I needed help beyond my expertise. I knew that I should not fear how the multidisciplinary team may react when a MET is called. I must stand to my own instincts and apply the years of nursing school knowledge when in doubt. Some may say the MET was not necessary, I say I know the patient best. They are my patient. I know them, I care for them, I give their meds, I check them hourly, I know their baseline. I am not to be doubted. Nor should you. First MET call down and I say it was a success. I made my patient's outcome my priority. I was their advocate when they could not be.
Sometimes I wonder why I post. The outcome was great, thanks to the MET team. I didn't intend for this to be a back and forth about acronyms, but thankful for a learning experience. The MET saved the situation. Always thankful
Sometimes threads take on a life of their own, especially when you have something unusual in the OP.
I'm glad you advocated for your patient. Don't worry, you'll handle the stress better as you get more accustomed to MET calls. After about the fifth one, my hands didn't even shake anymore.
Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
OMG! Nurses in Colorado have a really weird/annoying thing where they call a saline lock a "Buffcap" - apparently a type of saline lock device was invented at University of Colorado, home of the Buffaloes. The nurses who have only gone to school and worked in Colorado apparently don't realize that this is NOT a universally known term. When I moved here from AZ, I remember taking report on my first shift and the blank stare I gave the off-going nurse when she told me "the IV has been buffcapped."
Oh Yeah, they use this term in Phoenix too. Never knew why it was called that, Thanks for the explanation
canigraduate
2,107 Posts
Sometimes threads take on a life of their own, especially when you have something unusual in the OP.
I'm glad you advocated for your patient. Don't worry, you'll handle the stress better as you get more accustomed to MET calls. After about the fifth one, my hands didn't even shake anymore.