Keeping you alive till 725.

MA’AM. 

THIS IS A HOSPITAL.

This happened to me a couple of weeks ago. My patient’s daughter, was complaining to me that we were being too loud next door where we were coding a patient 4x throughout the night. 

She was upset how she was not getting restful sleep, all while nurses, a doctor, and EKG tech, an XRAY tech, a pharmacist, and several RT’s were by bedside trying to resuscitate another patient. I took in the comment, and did the routine: “I’m sorry you weren’t able to get the sleep you needed.”

She gave me the shrug and the eye rolls throughout the night as I do my rounds while her mom (my patient) remained vented, sedated with a pacer/aicd, throughout the night –not that that information would’ve changed my care, however just to put things into perspective. 

Again, i apologized before i left my shift, and i hope she get some sleep throughout the day. She somehow still insisted that she was in the right, and it was my wrong, or the hospital’s wronging for keeping her up all night. It was my last shift of the week–and i was not about to argue and involve myself in a lose-lose situation. 

Apparently, one or two nights later, her mother coded. 

I wasn’t there. But i know for the fact that my coworkers ran the routine…

Family members need to understand that the hospital is NOT the best place to get that restful sleep. Things don’t quiet down just because it’s the night time, and your body cycle indicates it’s time to go to sleep. 

Alarms and codes remain in place whether it’s day or night–and this is to keep OUR PATIENTS SAFE. I’m writing this, not out of spite, but to remind patients and family members that nurses & hospital staff are entirely human. There are calculated reasons as to why it takes us longer than usual to answer your call light, or why the room next door is extremely loud. Trust that there are reasons. Because more often than not, there ARE reasons.

Please understand.

So this popped up on my Pinterest today. And I love it! And why?? Because this is the relationship I want all departments to have!

I’m a floor nurse (med-surf), and we get a little bit of everything, and I cannot tell you the amount of times we get an admit from ED and once we get them settled we complain to each other that labs weren’t drawn, IVs aren’t labeled, Foley’s aren’t stat locked, or a million other little things. And then we fix what needs fixing, label all the things, and care for our patient.

Similar things happen when we get patients from PACU.

And sending a patient to ICU or PCU? Ugh. Sometimes those nurses drive me nuts! They can be way exacting and seem condescending.

Now before everyone starts unfollowing me let me say this: I LOVE ALL OF THESE NURSES!!

ICU is exacting because they HAVE to be. They have to watch grime output every hour, track Q2hr labs, turn, clean, monitor vents, watch vitals so carefully! They have to know everything.

ED, Lord I could never be an ED nurse. Patient in Rm 1 is crumping and Rm 2 has a runny nose and is screaming and cursing for dilaudid and a sandwich and “I’m gonna call the manager and patient relations because I am in pain and only dilaudid works!!!” And the you will have 20-30 patients in a twelve hour shift. That is crazy!!!!

And all of the other floors and areas have their own struggles! Every nurse has a place where they fit and where they love. So I say all of that to say this:

That is why I loved this picture!! Every floor has it’s good things and bad things. So why can’t we admit where our floor falls short? And where our floors excel? And lift up other floors for what they rock?!?! Because let’s face it, at the end of the day nurses have to take care of nurses. If we all, every floor, every department have one another’s backs, nothing can stop us!!!!

My boyfriend is an ED nurse and sometimes we joke about the differences in nursing practice.

I like my patients a certain way, and he likes his.

One night he was complaining to me how he was holding 3 patients the whole of his shift, and they kept pressing the call light for the most mundane things.

He is an Emergency man, his brain thrives of hustle and bustle.

The other day I was venting to my man about how I had 3 Tele patients holding in the ICU while another ICU patient is on its way up to me. I was on overdrive. My Tele patients kept pressing the call buttons asking when they’re able to get their sleeping med, etc etc. I could not wait to ship them out the door. I know, it’s mean. I’m sorry to say that.

And don’t get me started on how I know I piss some MS/Tele nurses off when they send me their patients and I ask “stupid questions” like

“How much was their last u/o”

“Were they on Afib the whole time or were they trying to convert to Sinus?”

“How many episodes of Vtach runs did the patient have?”

“Who is the intensivist writing orders”

“Were am labs drawn?”

I know these are things I can look up on my own free time, but when shit hits the fan, I would like to have access to these ‘silly questions’ at the tip of my fingers.

I remember starting off as a fresh EMT on the field, and I my first partner was a man, who's name I don't even remember at this point, who was condescendingly arrogant.

"You sure you can do lift that?"

"You sure you have the strength to push through this 12 hour shift?"

"You sure you can restrain that patient by yourself back there?"

"You sure you don't want to just let me drive? I want to get to scene on time."

All throughout my career up till this point, I've faced many men who don't think I can do what I do--just because I'm a woman. I'm judged by the way I look, instead of what I can offer to the table.

I listened to sexual comments being thrown at me. I listened to them mocking my inability to complete my courses. I listened while some recommended I should just "be a stripper, because my ass was built for it". I listened while fellow women tell me "boys will be boys".

I listened hard, and I observed just as hard. I watched as men who felt like they should say something, shy away from these offending comments. But I don't blame them.

But over time I grew. I built courage and I realized, I do not need men to stand up for me. I have grown into my own self realization, and I now can stand up for myself and other women who have to face these circumstances.

Now, I dare you.

I dare you turn me down.

I dare you mock me.

I dare you to offer your unwanted sexual advances.

I dare you to throw in your sneering comments.