Send us your pet peeves, your rants against insanity, your bitches. We’re looking for what ticks you off on a daily basis. Please, no obscenity, and keep it rational. We’re not looking for things you just dislike, we’re looking for those annoyances that drive us crazy on a daily basis, things others do without any thought to the rest of the world. Send submissions to [email protected]
There are truly too many things that bother me throughout the day to list here… however, as a nurse working with not only patients, but families as well, I will bitch about this one thing: telling the nurse how and when to do her job. Really, we go to school for 4 years (if you count all of the prerequisites), and then we train for a specific amount of time. And many of us go on to work in specialties which require further education and training. So do you think we need the opinions and evaluations of lay people? No.
Example: A patient is going to go to surgery to have his gallbladder removed. During the preparation for the surgery, a small bag of Ancef, an antibiotic, is hung next to the larger IV bag. Ancef is used often prior to surgery as a prophylaxis to infection (our skin is literally crawling with cooties that when the skin is cut with a scalpel, ooze into the newly created wound). By infusing Ancef within 60 minutes of cut time, the risk of infection drops considerably. So back to this patient… once the preparation is complete, and the patient awaits his turn in the OR, the patient’s family starts discussing the fact that the nurse has yet to infuse the antibiotic. “Should we tell her?” the family is overheard saying. “She probably forgot.” “Maybe we should just turn it on”, another says. At this point I intervene and ask is there anything they need, are they cold, etc…
“You forgot to turn on the antibiotic.” No, of course I didn’t because I do this damn job everyday… how could I possibly forget? But instead I say, “No, I haven’t forgotten. We actually will turn it on just before he goes to the OR”. And I explain why. I recognize that education is a major component in nursing. It’s one of the facets of nursing I most enjoy. But the thing that really bugs me is! when people tell you what to do. It seems that people have lost the ability to be humble (and quiet). I understand the idea of being an advocate for your family. We have all heard too many stories of people being mistreated or misdiagnosed; however, there is an appropriate way to address your concerns without questioning the professional abilities of the nurse. Just be considerate… is that too much to ask?
