so much for volunteering >.<
Tuesday: April 19, 2011
area of assignment: ER
this day was like any other ordinary duty day. i personally chose to be assigned at the ER since it’s been, say… months… since i was last assigned there. i wanted to insert IV’s again that’s why…
so there.. i was at the ER until the busy station called for back up around 8am-ish since there was only one volunteer there and there were only two of us who made it to duty today. so i gladly went up to help in the giving of medications since there was no admission. it was okay.. i went back to the ER after the 10am meds.. then went back up again for the 12nn meds.. went down for lunch… back at the ER… then up again around 1:30 for the 2pm meds… finished giving the 2 full-trays of IVTT meds at around almost 3pm.. that went well… until this very last favor… giving of Rx’s…
as AM shift medication nurse, you are given the task to give prescriptions for the meds that’ll be given by the PM and NOC shifts… since the medication nurse on duty have written the prescriptions already, she asked me one last favor to distribute them… so, I said ok and gave them to the patient’s SOs. and then i had to give 2 prescriptions to one SO of a sort of toxic patient. one was a prescription for an oral Lasix.. then the SO asked if what’s the timing for that specific medication… since, i really didn’t know what the timing was, i told them that i’ll go check it out at the station since the ticket was there… and then one of the SOs started telling me in a raised voice that what kind of a nurse i am that i don’t know what time the medication should be given where in fact i was in charge of the medications of the patient.. i kept silent, looked at her and when she somehow gave in a pause, i answered her that i’ll go check it out at the station to make sure.. [well atleast i was honest that i didn’t really know, ugh.. besides, i was just helping out to distribute those prescriptions. i am not technically in charge] and so i went back to the station.. too bad the AM shift med nurse had already gone so i asked the PM shift med nurse on duty… we weren’t able to find the ticket, so we checked the chart.. only to find out that the oral Lasix was already DISCONTINUED.. grrrrr.. that was THE MISTAKE there. the medication nurse was not able to update the prescriptions she made earlier. >.< so i hurriedly went back to the room and told the SOs that there has been a mistake [another honest thing i did]… i told them that the prescription for the oral Lasix is not needed anymore since it has been discontinued. i apologized for it… but that particular SO who raised her voice earlier raised her voice even more.. she became really furious that she asked what my name was, where i graduated, and stuff like that… she even grabbed my ID to take a look at my name TWICE and even threatened me that she’ll tell the head nurse and report what i did.. [but hey? what wrong did i do? i even apologized for a mistake that wasn’t mine in the first place] and so i kept on saying sorry for the inconvenience.. and that i affirmed of what she had to say… that we should be careful and all.. but yet she was saying it out loud madly.. and i felt really awkward that i wanna go out already… i was pissed for i felt really pushed down by her words… so for the closing, i got the prescription back, i went out of the room and when she asked where the head nurse was, i told her to go to the station… as i got back to the station, i got really frustrated that i can’t tell what i really felt so i cried.. the med nurse asked what was wrong… so i told her what happened.. i didn’t even get to finish distributing the other prescriptions… then a little while, that particular SO went to the station and saw me crying… she said that i shouldn’t cry coz she’s also a NURSE with the same tone she used when we were at their room.. [get it? she’s a NURSE and she acted that way! the nerve!] so there, she asked my senior nurse what were the meds that are needed for the next shifts… duh, i gave the other prescription already. pffft. good thing my senior nurse catched me.. sigh. so i went out..
that was one hell of an experience! that was the first time in four freaking months that something really hit me that made me cry. guess i didn’t take all the yelling!
*best explained in bisaya. :))
but hey. i still am thankful i got to experience a situation like this. it’s a lesson learned. charged to experience as they say. coz there are way more of those kind of patients/significant others that i’ll be meeting along the way. i thank God that i have colleagues/friends who’ve heard my rants and gave advices that i should get used to it. i must be strong coz it’s really part of the job. sheeesh. i didn’t imagine this was the kind of life i’m getting as a nurse. it’s REALLY TOUGH. you get to be attacked not just physically [by sickness] but also emotionally. bottom line, MUST BE STRONG!
