rant mode
“i did not give all these meds because they were not in the med box. I WAS SO BUSY and the pharmacy did not send them… i did not replace the NGT the patient pulled out, I WAS SO BUSY!… no way i will suction that patient’s secretion every two hours! i was not trained to do that, that’s why there are respiratory therapists, that’s their job, besides, I WAS SO BUSY… and oh, i have not given the 1800 scheduled meds because she just came back from dialysis. etc. etc. etc…”
well S, here is a piece of my extremely irritated mind: you have three patients. you have 12 hours. one of your patients went off the unit for dialysis for more than four hours, which means you had four hours when you only had two patients. what did you do then?
you have not given meds scheduled at 9 AM because they were not in the med box? come on! you had 9 hours to negotiate with pharmacy about this. i know they are a pain, but see, that’s why you are a nurse, you have to deal with all these people who give you a hard time, so that your patient can get what they need. there are phones, elevators, people who are supposed to get these things. if you can’t drag your sorry self to the pharmacy to get those meds, at least ask somebody to get them!
again, if you didn’t have time, ask somebody to reinsert the NGT, even the charge nurse! they are helpful, all you have to do is ask, especially because YOU WERE SO BUSY, for sure others have seen how busy you were. don’t be embarassed to ask help, after all, it’s the patient’s only source of nutrition.
you were not taught to deep suction? okay, let me make this clear. if the patient is drowning in secretions, and you know there is only one RT going around four other units in the hospital, you will wait for the RT till the patient dies? no, i am not asking you to do something you are not confident to do. all i’m saying is, at least do something. that’s why there are other RNs. was it very hard to ask somebody to show you how to do it once, and then try doing it next time?
the patient who went to dialysis was back at 1700! you had one hour and a half to give the meds. opening the med box, checking the meds, getting water, and giving it to a totally alert, no swallowing problem patient, will take less than three minutes! less than three minutes!
and oh, thank you for letting me discover all the other stuff you did not do: you only had one patient who needed a bath; and i know, YOU WERE SO BUSY to do it. you mean you just expected a miracle and wished that her gown which you soiled with a gallon of tube feeding will just dry itself? well, it did, and it got stuck to her skin! the least you could have done is at least change her gown!
and for crying out loud. do your intakes and outputs like everybody else. zero your IV and tube feeding pumps like you are supposed to!
i worked AM in our unit for almost a year. back in the days when we didn’t have two CNAs to help us do other stuff, like getting non-narcotic meds from the pharmacy, and assisting with baths and feeding. it was hard, but getting things done is not rocket science. it wouldn’t bother me if these stuff happened once or twice, but you’ve been doing it habitually, that all other RNs have been complaining. now i’m thinking we need to form a support group to cope with your excuses. do me a favor. please don’t give me that “I WAS SO BUSY” argument. i know BUSY, and i know LAZY. believe me, you are the latter.
just to let you know, the only reason i do not agree in writing you up is the fact that i will feel bad for you if you get fired and go through all the trouble of looking for another job. you have a little baby to think of and you have no friends to support you. (yeah, it amazed me that you were so proud to proclaim “i don’t have any friends!”) that would be horrible.
right now, you make me sick. and angry. and hope, that if ever i, or any of my family, or friends, get sick, you will never be my nurse. also, it makes me pray that after years of nursing, i don’t do the same, exact things you’ve been doing, and recite that overused excuse of being busy. please God, help me!
there should be a law that says: “S will never ever be allowed to give report to May again. ever.”
then i will live happily ever after.
didn’t mean to be mean, just tired.
rant over. now i feel better.
It’s your duty to do something. She is unsafe. I know it sucks that you may be responsible for her being fired and having an even harder life than she already has, but it is your duty to do something.
Comment by Elliott — September 29, 2005 @ 11:46 am
May - as a nurse you have a duty not only to the hospital but to the patients there. If “S” does not want to do her job correctly when she has the lives of others in her hands than you guys can find a million other people who can. You should not feel sorry for her. She needs to be reprimanded and if that reprimand leads to being fired then she needs to realize it’s her fault. I’ll say it again, IT’S HER FAULT! After reading what she did to her patients, makes you wonder how she treats her baby. Does she go home from work and say “I didn’t feed my baby because I was too busy”, I didn’t change my babies diaper because “I WAS SO BUSY”..get real! No matter how hectic the job gets, what it boils down to is time management. What was she doing? painting her nails? reading a magazine? talking to her boyfriend on the phone? Seriously.
and “S” how would you feel if someone let you sit there with a nasty, sticky, wet gown and it stuck to you as it dried…. as you set there feeling helpless because you were unable to change it yourself? How would you feel if the person who promised to take care of you refused to do suction every two hours? Think about that the next time. Also think about the fact that you chose that job. YOU! not anyone else. If you don’t like it, quit. There are many others who would love your job. Remember when you get fired that every job ( no matter what kind) will ask you to do things that you have no idea how to do..and you will be required to do it or at least to find someone else who will.
Comment by Pro-Patient — September 29, 2005 @ 12:46 pm
This “S” person sounds like management material.
She doesn’t need to be “talked to,” by you or anyone. She needs to be promoted, immediately.
Comment by shrimplate — September 29, 2005 @ 4:03 pm
Gee, that’s scary. We’ve all worked with people (in our various fields) who are slackers, but this is frightening because obviously this woman has no regard whatsoever for human life and dignity. That is why all pts. should have a patient advocate - a person of sound mental and physical health to assure that the patient is being properly cared for. It can be a friend, spouse, or relative of the patient. I would hate to think of my mother lying in a dirty garment, unable to change or bathe herself and at the mercy of someone so lazy. Like pro-patient says, you have to wonder how she treats her baby.
Comment by junebee — September 29, 2005 @ 6:23 pm
Sounds like she is not even providing the minimum of care. How frightening. She needs to be fired. To save patients lives. To avoid a lawsuit against the hospital for keeping such an incompetent nurse on staff.
Comment by mamalife — September 29, 2005 @ 6:43 pm
Great heavens. Are we working at the same hospital, on the same unit, without knowing it?
Comment by Jo — October 4, 2005 @ 8:33 am
scary. that is very scary. IMO you need to write her up! unfortunately, she will find another job and probably quite easily (with the nursing shortage and all). do yourself and your patients a favor!
Comment by marj — October 8, 2005 @ 10:06 am