I am friends with a very impulsive friend who is a dedicated RN. She is friendly with a person who seems to feel that my friend is her handmaiden nurse. This person is very well off, has a HUGE house, both, she and her husband make over $400,000 per year. When "Ms. Rich" was pregnant and on bedrest, she called my friend to come visit and when my friend got there, Ms. Rich wants to go shopping, saying "I'll be okay with you because you are an RN". This set warning bells through me and I told my friend that I would beware, because this woman expects superhuman intervention if something happens to her. She went anyhow, no incident involved. There are a few more stories like this, where she seems to think that my friend is her wet nurse, basically, and I feel that people like this are trouble.
Now, close to a year later, Ms. Rich's mother is diagnosed with lung cancer and is admitted to a rehab center or nursing home, I believe. My friend goes with Ms. Rich often to visit her mom and went yesterday evening. My friend calls me this morning and tells me that she is very uncomfortable about something. She said that the mother was crying and saying that she was VERY uncomfortable. My friend turns her over and sees feces, and immediately, she can tell that this woman was severly impacted. Ms. Rich is crying her eyes out, and my friend proceeds to digitize her. A huge load of feces comes out, mom feels better and is able to sleep. I tell her that she is INSANE!! I said to her that she had no chart, no history of this woman, no doctor's orders. What if this woman had a cardiovascular problem that she was not aware of, and was digitized? I told her that then, Ms. Rich would have no problems suing the pants off of my friend, because THEN, she could have said that she knew better as an RN. I told her that what I would have done is insist that the nurses employed come to see this, call a physician and get an order for THEM to do it, because they have the history.
I also believe that by doing this, and the mother was relieved, again, Ms. Rich would ALWAYS want my friend to come with her to visit mom, because she feels that she 'has her own nurse' to care for her mother, ask countless medical questions, cause confrontations with the staff at the place because suddenly, she will feel educated because of my friend. I told her that everything is okay until something happens and then, the friendship and supposed loyalty will go out of the window.
OMG!!! Your friend is setting herself up for some kind of trouble. If she is going to be their "private nurse" she might as well be paid for it and get some malpractice insurance while she is at it. (!)
No...not crazy. Just concerned. And I agree with you whole heartedly. However your friend is a big girl. There may be some aspect of the relationship you don't understand...perhaps Ms. Rich is fulfilling some need...
In any event...I think you should observe from a distance and offer counsel if your friend seeks it. She's a nurse...and you should respect her judgment. :)
No I would have never, ever done something like. That, as a matter of fact I don't think that I would get that involved with a friends family. Hopefully she will listen to you as her TRUE friend and separate herself from this SUPPOSED friend.
Ok, ok, I just have to ask, when her friend turned the woman over saw that she was impacted, did Ms. Rich (thinking of other words that rhyme with rich) ask her friend to disimpact her or did she take it upon herself to do it?
Wow. It is really not such a good idea to be hanging around with Ms. Rich as a personal nurse unless your friend is getting paid as such AND has some insurance to cover her tail if something goes wrong.
i am friends with a very impulsive friend who is a dedicated rn. she is friendly with a person who seems to feel that my friend is her handmaiden nurse. this person is very well off, has a huge house, both, she and her husband make over $400,000 per year. when "ms. rich" was pregnant and on bedrest, she called my friend to come visit and when my friend got there, ms. rich wants to go shopping, saying "i'll be okay with you because you are an rn". this set warning bells through me and i told my friend that i would beware, because this woman expects superhuman intervention if something happens to her. she went anyhow, no incident involved. there are a few more stories like this, where she seems to think that my friend is her wet nurse, basically, and i feel that people like this are trouble.
now, close to a year later, ms. rich's mother is diagnosed with lung cancer and is admitted to a rehab center or nursing home, i believe. my friend goes with ms. rich often to visit her mom and went yesterday evening. my friend calls me this morning and tells me that she is very uncomfortable about something. she said that the mother was crying and saying that she was very uncomfortable. my friend turns her over and sees feces, and immediately, she can tell that this woman was severly impacted. ms. rich is crying her eyes out, and my friend proceeds to digitize her. a huge load of feces comes out, mom feels better and is able to sleep. i tell her that she is insane!! i said to her that she had no chart, no history of this woman, no doctor's orders. what if this woman had a cardiovascular problem that she was not aware of, and was digitized? i told her that then, ms. rich would have no problems suing the pants off of my friend, because then, she could have said that she knew better as an rn. i told her that what i would have done is insist that the nurses employed come to see this, call a physician and get an order for them to do it, because they have the history.
i also believe that by doing this, and the mother was relieved, again, ms. rich would always want my friend to come with her to visit mom, because she feels that she 'has her own nurse' to care for her mother, ask countless medical questions, cause confrontations with the staff at the place because suddenly, she will feel educated because of my friend. i told her that everything is okay until something happens and then, the friendship and supposed loyalty will go out of the window.
opinions? tell me i'm crazy? anything...
what is your friend thinking??? hellllloooo liability! she was not that woman's nurse (and who would volunteer to digitally disimpact her anyway??) - your friend is totally being used, but if she wants to be a doormat.....
I can't believe that an RN would commit this kind of professional breach in a facility where she was not employed. She is sorely in need of some enlightenment herself regarding criminal battery charges and complaints against her license. There is something very wrong with this entire relationship.
You know, that's a good point. Could it be [WIKI]assault[/WIKI] on a patient if there is not an order (esp seeing as this nurse was not the nurse or on staff?) Hmmm.... trouble trouble.
No...not crazy. Just concerned. And I agree with you whole heartedly. However your friend is a big girl. There may be some aspect of the relationship you don't understand...perhaps Ms. Rich is fulfilling some need...
In any event...I think you should observe from a distance and offer counsel if your friend seeks it. [WIKI]She's a nurse...and you should respect her judgment.[/WIKI] :)
no, I disagree. Why should she respect a stupid decision just because she's a nurse? There are plenty of nurses I don't respect....
That's a lawsuit waiting to happen. She should have called the woman's nurse and alerted her to the problem.
Her "friend" sounds like a huge user but for some reason your friend doesn't quite see it yet. Is your friend a people pleaser?! Been there and done that.
An issue such as this came up last night for me. My neighbor calls me at home and says her mother in law's cath is leaking and her home health agency has discharged due to refusal of care. She didn't come right out and say "please drive the 30" trip over to mil's facility and change her cath", but I knew that was what she wanted. Liability. No way I would do this. I told her that she needed to go to a walk in clinic or ER to have it changed if the facility would not (she is in ALF).
) - your friend is totally being used, but if she wants to be a doormat.....
Otessa, BSN, RN
1,601 Posts
OMG!!! Your friend is setting herself up for some kind of trouble. If she is going to be their "private nurse" she might as well be paid for it and get some malpractice insurance while she is at it. (!)