Would you feel safe being a patient at your hospital or medical facility?

askater · Mar 22, 2000

Originally posted by Nancy1:
I am very disturbed by the negativity I am reading. I am curious, if things are that bad, what steps did you take to try to improve care.

Hi NANCY1:

I'll answer your question

I'm sorry for my negativity. And wish situations could be different at some hospitals/units.

Yes...I'm proactive. I spoke with my floor supervisor. Than I went above my floor supervisor. And than 2 person's above my floor supervisor. With no avail. I was told the same. That there will be no changes.

I decided to leave. I went to a different hospital. And happy to say...I'm happy with my unit, nurses and supervisors.

Jeanbean · Mar 22, 2000

I don't work in a hospital but did all of my rotations in school at the same hospital (I just graduated 1 year ago). There are certain nurses I would trust with my life, however there were a few who I wouldn't let touch me or a family member. If I was hospitalized and they were to walk in I would DEMAND someone else. One RN left me alone with 4 patients when I was a first year student- one getting blood tranfusions, one dying of pancreatic CA who had every type of IV and tube you could imagine (and who probably should have been in ICU), and one who kept asking for more narcs after I found her unresponsive and had to administer narcan AND found Percocets hidden in her bed!!! This nurse went to dinner with the LPN and left me alone without telling me. Boy did she get an earfull when she finally reappeared (from me and my instructor).

angelwings · Mar 22, 2000

When our 10 yr old had to have emergency surgery to relieve an absess behind the optic nerve, we made it a point for one of us to stay with her. She was in much pain when she woke up, as well as nauseated and nothing had been ordered for post-op pain! Fortunately, the nurse taking care of her that night immediately got an order for pain med. Two days later when I checked on why her 10 a.m. IV antibiotic hadn't been hung yet (it was after 12:00); I found that the unit secretary and the nurse had interpreted "dc IV fluids" to mean the antibiotic as well - in fact, she was to remain on IV antibiotic for a week! The average parent (or maybe I should say one who doesn't have a medical background) might not have questioned something like this. Despite the above, I don't believe our hospital is a terrible place, and in fact, most of our nurses do provide excellent care. It only takes one person, one mistake, to compromise a patient's status....

We need to continue to push for better staffing, better standards, etc.

Nancy1 · Mar 23, 2000

Hi askater,

I am happy to hear that you found a worksite that is better for you. I have worked in places that I probably wouldn't stay in, but I am fortunate that I did not stay at that place very long.

When I talk to students, I always stress one of the nicest things about nursing is that you can leave and still practice.

In fact yesterday I met a nurse who had completely left nursing because he was so stressed, but he came back and has found a worksite that he is happy in.

It was interesting to me to see so many negative comments in this section when the actual survey was pretty evenly split.

Perhaps the nurses who are happy did not feel the need to vent

Thanks for letting me know that you did not leave nursing. I think my greatest fear with nursing as a profession, is there going to be someone there to take care of me when I need it????? NA

sandygator, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2000

Like so many who have answered this question negatively, I too was recently a patient in 'my own facility' Being on the other end was certainly an eye-opener for me! I have been a pediatric RN here for 15 years. I had heard that the adult floors were even worse (as far as staffing, care), but I was not prepared for the frightening experience I had. It's much too involved to go into details. Suffice it to say that being overdosed with MSO4 and being awakend to your own apnea alarm is not comforting....especially when NO ONE from the staff came to answer that alarm.....wouldn't catch me going back to sleep again! And as for nursing care? There was none. Period.

Consumers had better wake up.

------------------

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane"

(Thanks, Jimmy)

JGlass · Apr 5, 2000

Please be aware that the general public reads these boards,what does this say for the our profession?remember,the next time you go to work someone may ride your but all day because they are insecure with NURSES caring for their families because afterall ,"they wouldn't trust their peers to care for them."..

sandygator, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2000

JGLASS...the "General public" has a right to know.

The fact that nurses feel this way about the facility they work in does not speak ill of 'the profession' itself, but rather, where managed care and the profit conscious

industry is taking us all. Until the consumers realize what cutting costs by cutting qualified nursing staff means to them, it will continue to be this way.

The opinions here ARE from consumers, but we are consumers who know how it should be versus how it is.

maikranz · Apr 10, 2000

Hello!

Some of my colleagues and I have made a pact that if any of us were ever in extremis and had to go to the hospital, we each would be the private duty person for the other.

At least we would have a nurse.

JGlass · Apr 10, 2000

Originally posted by Sandygator:
JGLASS...the "General public" has a right to know.
The fact that nurses feel this way about the facility they work in does not speak ill of 'the profession' itself, but rather, where managed care and the profit conscious
industry is taking us all. Until the consumers realize what cutting costs by cutting qualified nursing staff means to them, it will continue to be this way.
The opinions here ARE from consumers, but we are consumers who know how it should be versus how it is.

well Sandy I agree with you that everyone [the general public]has the right to know how health care is, but to hear you guys hacking up the Hospitals you work for didn't set right with me,where I'm from we strive to maintain a professional role in Health Care,and try to offer a therapeutic environment for the PATIENT this cant possibly be done if the moral of the profession keeps getting dumped into the toilet by Nurses themselves,"what happened to the patient's best interest first"?

hag · Apr 10, 2000

I have read the comments of the people on this page and I am concerned about the negative experiences experienced by so many.

I had a brief stay in the hospital where I work a few years ago icluding being ventilated in ICU. I remember excellent care by the ICU staff and scary care by the floor staff. I probably saw an RN once a shift if I was lucky! Luckily I had a lot of friends who were ICU staff ( I work ICU at the hospital) and they kept checking up on me and bringing me what I needed.

I think the patiens in all of the units (ICU'S) get excellent care and the floor patients are not getting the care they deserve,leading in some cases to being adnmtted to the units.We have had several admissions that could have probably been prevented if the patient's condition had been noticed a little earlier.

I recently worked in a floor for the first time (with 4 patients, which I know is a good assignment!) and can see why the care is so lacking.

Firstly there are not enough RNs and too many untrained techs. Secondly there are too many new graduates being placed in situations that they are not trained for with too many patients, too sick patients and not enough supervision or guidance from more experienced staff. There are also nurses being pulled from completely different areas who are not trained in these particular areas. ie, we will get stepdown nuses pulled to the ICU without the proper training and they are scared to death,not being used to the acuity of patients we have.

We are also being pulled to areas that we are not familiar with and when we protest we are told that as ICU staff we can go any whereas we have the technical skills!! I may be able to deal with a ventilator in my sleep but it does not mean I can do a peds patient or go to the OR.

Having been a patient, especially intubated, has given me an insight to the 'other side' and made me a lot more sensitive to my patients needs.

Until management wakes up and realises what is happening in the health system it is up to us to watch out for our patients and our fellow nurses alike and stand up and make some noise when staff are being pulled or we are being placed in unsafe situations.

[This message has been edited by hag (edited April 10, 2000).]

justanurse · Apr 10, 2000

My husband had a bad accident last month. He spent a week in a major metropolitan trauma center here in the mid-west. His nursing care was good - THE DOCTORS (and their attitudes) SUCKED!!!!!

I was never so happy to get him home and back in my facility. Many of the nurses who care for him now, know me and have taken good care of him. There was only one night that he didn't want me to leave. I feel much better with him here. I'll feel even better when I can get him home.

drjtk76 · Apr 10, 2000

Hey what a great question! Sorry but I'm ashamed to say NO! I guess that I have been a nurse too long and I know how little it takes to make a serious mistake. I would be praying to God the whole time and hope there was an experienced, happy, refreshed, fulfilled nurse pushing that IV med into me!