How was I to know?....

So I worked a day shift yesterday, and just at the end of the shift we received a new patient to our floor and I was asked to call the family to notify them of the move. So I did just that not realizing the depth and severity that this conversation would hold. I phoned who was next of kin on her contact list who just so happened to be her son. The phone rang a few times and then a woman answer. I asked to speak with the contact on the form, the woman replied "who's calling?" I answered. She then said"are you sitting down?" and with my wittiness I replied "no, actually I'm standing." She stated "well maybe you should sit." So, still standing I said "okay." She then informed me that this person just died last Tuesday. I then sat down. And with that comment I was speechless, what do you say to that?!! No one knew and I just so happened to be the lucky bugger to call the family. So, all I could think of was to apologize over and over and over again. I said to the woman that I just wanted to inform them that their mother was moved to a different room and left it at that. The woman sounded quite disgusted that I did not know that her significant other, and the patients son, had passed away but hey, how was I to know?

Communication Barrier

My communication barrier involves myself and an elderly woman who was french and could not speak any english. She was a very pleasant woman but was only able to communicate in french, not to mention there was a little dementia there. Her daughter was our only way of understanding this lady because she was bilingual. Unfortunately, the daughter was only able to come in on weekends and the staff had to try to communicate by pointing at objects or looking up the words in a french dictionary. Eventually, the daughter put a sign up in the patients room with the english term and then the french term, such words included toilet, thank-you, breakfast, dinner, and wheelchair. These were words that nurses use on a daily basis so then we could communicate with her. The patient was also able to learn a little english just before she was discharged which helped a lot. So in the end, both the patient and the nurses were able to communicate a little better.

Dealing....

So, like yesterday I'm working today, thankfully not short, but still dealing with the same stuff. In nursing you deal with a lot of family members of patients and are usually targeted several times a day with different issues that the family has. Now, I'm sure every nurse doesn't mind this as long as the families are nice and thankful and don't keep coming to you with the same issues all the time. However, every now and again you get the annoying, adamant, screeching, daughter-in-law or some other demanding family member that just totally ruins your day. What can you do, you just smile and nod your head (when your really thinking........). Some family members contradict themselves by yelling one day at the staff, then bring chocolates and donuts the next. So what do they really mean??? Are they killing you with kindness? or hoping you'll give extra care to their loved one? or maybe it is just an "I'm sorry" but they never said it. So you see, the health care profession can be very interesting and learning to deal with family is just apart of it.

Working short...

So, I am working today, and just as thought being a Saturday, we're working short. There is nothing more annoying about nursing than not having full staff on. Especially when you have heavy patients who require a great deal of care. Everyone has to pick up 2-3 extra patients, not allowing you the quality time with your original booked group. However, the other staff is good and helpful so you're able to get all of your am care done and be caught up for the day. Currently I'm on my break and thought that this was a wonderful topic to discuss because working short happens so frequently and only nurses can really understand what it is like. Sometimes, depending on the situation, you don't even have time to take breaks. Staff have to continually work through to make sure that patient care is adequate. You hear about these nursing shortages and how there are never enough nurses, but personally I think the government is at fault and it is more of a money situation than anything. But hey, who am I to have an opinion, I just work as a front line nurse.

E-Mail Communication in Nursing

E-mail is a form of communication that can be formal or informal. It has advanced over the years to become a more formal way of communicating through out several organizations. In nursing, it is important to have several different ways to communicate with your co-workers and e-mailing has become a top choice. It allows you to send out a mass e-mail of information to everyone or just a short message to those you wish to read it. It is a way of informing and educating others or just a simple way of saying "hi" to a co-worker. This has helped the communication process within the nursing profession by allowing staff access to it at any time as well as allowing them to write down a thought and notify someone immediately. It is also good for the fact of communicating with people from a distance, who are perhaps in a different country. This would relate to nursing if a family member of a patient was wanting to check up on their loved one. All in all, I believe e-mail is essential to have within the nursing profession.

Howdy!

Hi everyone! Welcome to my Blog! Here, you'll be able to read about my nursing experiences!