May not be an alternative cure.. but looking for opinion..

March 23, 2005

Hello,

I'm writting this because we had an incident at my job today that

really without other words to express it...pissed me off. I have

previous training as a CNA and unlicenced study ad LVN or LPNdependant

on state. A friend with previous history of heart problems and known

diabetic almost collapsed. It took work -hired nurse 7.5 minutes to

cross a street from a STAT phone call. I tried to give information as

far as vitals that coould be taken without equip and diet sats for the

day knowing he was a diabetic, and she wasn't willing to listen. it's

like what the hell is triage nursing for? Can this be trusted in the

workplace? Who would you want there?

March 23, 2005

Hi

This can be seen in terms of crisis response. Your response was

attuned to your friend. And the nurse responded to her past and

her incoming information. She could easily have had some recent

experience that " distracted " her - just like 99% of those " white

powder in the envelopes " cause massive miss-reactions. Or she

could have a job-related set of criteria to follow. Or she might

deliberately restrict herself to her trained limits, and you might

have been outside her knowledge-comfort-zone.

If some people are now wondering about the response, it might be

useful to gently explore the matter with her, to help improve

communications. I assume that both your diabetic friend and your

nurse will be around for awhile, so why not explore for better ways.

aradia_r2002 wrote:

> I'm writting this because we had an incident at my job today that

> really without other words to express it...pissed me off. I have

> previous training as a CNA and unlicenced study ad LVN or LPNdependant

> on state. A friend with previous history of heart problems and known

> diabetic almost collapsed. It took work -hired nurse 7.5 minutes to

> cross a street from a STAT phone call. I tried to give information as

> far as vitals that coould be taken without equip and diet sats for the

> day knowing he was a diabetic, and she wasn't willing to listen. it's

> like what the hell is triage nursing for? Can this be trusted in the

> workplace? Who would you want there?

>

Another aspect that is found in many emergency situations reflects a

spectrum of human behaviour. At one end of the spectrum some of us are

perfectionists and apply perfecting rules. In the middle we mix

perfecting and innovative ways. At the far end of the spectrum we find

innovators and artists and such. In a fair number of emergencies we

need innovative solutions, but dominant authority is normally

perfective. Some air crashes, oil rig disasters, battles in war, and

so on were a result of following a perfective checklist when another

way was needed. Some oil companies and others specifically eject

the normal dominant manager in favor of a crisis manager when bad things

pop through the wall.

I suggest some kind of dialogue (preferred over debate/discussion)

approach. I don't suggest trying to find a perfect solution. <grin>

bye,

vic

March 23, 2005

sorry you had a bad day. as a red cross instructor i would view your role in

the incident as a first responder = check, call, care, it sounds like you did

that. being a cna you have at least a advanced first aid and cpr. Good job.

most sudden deaths that can be saved will be saved at that point.( open airway

stop bleeding etc.) triage referes to more than one PT. continuity of care

referes to what happened next. your observations are very important and should

be conveyed in a brief concise manner. when more qualified people arrive on

scene your role becomes support. hand equipment, help move,document information

etc. as an emt when we pass a pt off to the emergency doc. we have about 30

seconds to convey mech. of injury,or,past pertainat history, chief complaint,

life threatening illness or injury, and what interventions we performed.(soaps)

then we assist or ask to be dismissed. most times it goes smoothly, when you get

a smart *ss that treats you like your stupid.... > not

fun < doing the right thing and not exceeding your scope of practice will

cover you professionally. being available to make it work better next time will

help smooth things out with that person, its sounds like you may have to respond

with them at some point in the future ? being a team player and passing the ball

to someone coming up in the ranks will go a long way in making your career

rewarding and fulfilling. look at your experience as an opportunity to grow.

having served on a grievance comity for a number of years, i can say the

majority of complaints stem from lack of communication, he said.. she said... i

thought.... you didn't tell me. and documentation ( a legal form of

communication) to be good care givers( at what ever level) we must become good

at identifying and correcting negative situations ( assess and treat according

to protocol ) when protocols are not getting the job done ( as is often the

case w/ Rx's ) then we must question the protocols ( as in my

case ), or SOP's in your case (standard operating procedures) maybe if you

asked your supervisor what your roll and responsibilities are in a situation

like that, you may be more comfortable if / when it happens again. i hope my

two cents helps to encourage you to be the best you can be ! sincerely,

wannab...

aradia_r2002 <aradia_r2002 wrote: