Outrage

It was a busy crazy day at work. I’m usually the only one on the desk on evening shifts; the charge nurse takes a group of patients. This week, the patient who will not be named was here again so I worked with Charge in that room and managed the desk.

We’re implementing a new rounding system next month and so I was also responsible for logging all patient call bell requests in preparation for the new protocol.

There was a water line rupture in the unit next to ours and the shut-off affected some of our patient rooms, public bathrooms and other facilities. I needed to contact Engineering, itemize the affected plumbing, and make other arrangements for patients and staff.

We also had a stroke response on one of our post-ops. I had to monitor the call, STAT orders, arrange for CT, and, afterwards, restock the crash cart. The house staff was going to send the patient to telemetry and I arranged the transfer between the units.

In the meantime, we received 2 contact precaution admissions from the ED and, with no available isolation rooms, I had to rearrange the already admitted patients, inform the nursing staff, direct the aides, contact housekeeping to clean the rooms and then admissions to confirm the computer transfers.

While the stroke response was occurring, the nursing supervisor arranged for a transfer of someone already downgraded to medical from telemetry to make room for our unfortunate patient.

It soon became apparent that our patient belonged in intensive care and not tele. I began those arrangements.

Despite the alleviation of urgency, the other unit decided to send up the transfer, walking! before we were ready. I scrambled to find somewhere for her while her room was prepared. Argh! Her meds hadn’t been hung and she was due for pain medicine so she complained the entire time while I tried to juggle everything. Her new nurse was still dealing with the stroke situation.

Finally things settled a bit and, ten minutes before shift change, the supervisor called about a non-urgent transfer from intensive care. “ICU only has two patients, can this wait until morning?” “No, this patient needs to start PT first thing in the am.” “Sigh, alright.” I HATE moving patients around at 11 pm. I think it’s hard enough for them to get sleep without the jostling and noise from rolling squeaking beds and housekeeping carts. But I took down the details, another iso-room needed! and began rearranging our patients.
The aides grumbled but they moved the patients. The call bell system erupted from all the newly awake patients. “I have to use the bathroom.” “Am I due for pain medicine?” “Will you call my family to let them know about the change?” etc..

11:10 One of the nurses from ICU called to give report. I told her that we weren’t ready yet. Our nurses were just starting report themselves.
“NO! I need to give report NOW.”
“Um. No you don’t. It’s a non-urgent transfer and I know that your shift isn’t over until 0700”
“We’re just starting an in-service. I want to give report before it starts. I won’t send the patient up for a while.” Sigh.
“Jackie would you mind taking report now? She’s insisting.” I rolled my eyes and handed the phone to an incredibly patient nurse. Jackie gets report and says that the patient’ll be up between 12 and 12:30.

11:15pm. I track down the housekeeper just before he finishes his shift and beg him to clean the room for our transfer.

11:17 ICU nurse calls with update on the transfer patient. I tell her that the nurses are in report and that Jackie will call back when she’s ready.

11:19 Housekeeping is still in the room cleaning. The elevator door opens and our patient steps off, white knuckles grasping his walker and the aide carrying his belongings. !!!!

“The room’s not ready! Why are you here!”
“Oh. I just came on. They told me to bring him up.”
“You have to go back down. We’re not ready.”
“I can’t go back down; They already stripped his bed, we don’t have anywhere to put him”

Seriously? I lead them down to the room and pull a chair out into the hall for the patient.

Following the aide back, I laid into her.
“We told you folks several times that we weren’t ready! This is inexcusable. You didn’t even bring him up in a wheelchair!”
“I’m sorry, I just came on. I’m just doing what they told me to.”
Sigh.
“I know that it’s not your fault but this is ridiculous!” Grumble Grumble.

The aide leaves and I go back to the room to get the patient settled in. When I come out, the nurse from ICU is yelling at Jackie.

“How dare you yell at my aide! Blah blah blah, miscommunication that’s all your fault.. blah blah blah..”
I could feel the hackles grow across my shoulders like the hump of a grizzly bear. I’m outraged and start to jump in but a nurse grabs my arm and I pause. Jackie diffuses the confrontation by apologizing and the ICU nurse righteously storms off.

I’m told that the ICU nurse is something of a barracuda, is always right and never lets things go. After she leaves, the nurses gather and complain about her unjustified behavior and how awful she is.

It’s now five days later and I’m still stewing over the situation. It makes me so mad when people like that ICU nurse get away with laziness, superiority, inconsideration and recklessness because people are afraid to call them on their crap.

In hindsight, I know that if I had gotten involved, the confrontation would have escalated. It wouldn’t have been fair to the night crew to spark it and then leave when my shift was over.

But I HATE that someone else gave an apology for my behavior. If my behavior calls for an apology, I want, I NEED, to be the one to offer it.

In this situation, though I cognitively recognize Jackie’s motivation to diffuse the situation, her apology stabs me viscerally. I know that I should just let it go but I’m so outraged.