What's the number one rule in medicine and life?
Be nice. I try and follow this rule every single day.Doctor's save lives. Nurses save doctors and lives. Always remember to be nice to your nurse. Sometimes I fail, but I never forget when I do and it makes me try harder the next time.
Don't just be nice to your nurse, be respectful. Most of us do have brains and critical thinking skills (contrary to some bloggers....hmmm, who could that be). It is nice to be thought of as part of the health care team, which most ICU and ER docs seem to get.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being nice Happy. Off to work now. Cheers.
OT, PT, pharmacy, nursing, nutrition, speech, and doctors and NPs round together on all of our patients everyday. It's a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteHappy - I'm not the least bit offended that you don't read NSG notes, nor do I really expect any dr to do so regularly. With that said, what is written should be of importance to your medical decision making. Our observations & assessments may catch signs/symptoms that aren't worthy of an immediate phone call, but are worth noting.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that's why I watch for drs to make rounds (when I'm on days). I give each a run down of needs, observations, assessment findings, whatever. Yes, I've seen coworkers who can't be bothered to do the same. They apparently don't understand (or care) about their role in the healthcare team. Or, just as likely, they are overworked and stressed trying to take care of more pts than safety standards should allow.
I am 45, I have the life's work gift of understanding that I can learn from anybody. I bring aspects of my previous degree/career with me to nursing. I take it all in, and usually find some bits of info I can keep be it from a MD, or Janitor. This puts me ahead. Someone said it right when they said "I don't have to like you, I just have to be able to work well with you." A respect for what the other does and remembering it is not about you.
ReplyDelete-Second career nursing student
move the meat..and this from somebody so up in arms over the mistreatment of an elderly patient with some random and isolated burst of probably asymptomatic svt that the tele unfortunately recorded. Very endearing term.
ReplyDeleteWell there are great Nurses, and equally great Doctors. However Happy do you always read what is on the charts and base your Medical Diagnosis on what you see, on on the patients appearance?
ReplyDeleteWhat if the nurse in question writes in falsified recordings when too busy? rare I know, but that could get the Dr in a whole heap of crap, if he discharges the patient based on stable fictional recordings. Sometimes the Dr's need to also check with the patient, not just rely on the paperwork.
I don't care how a nurse really treats me as long as she does her job well. Same said for medics.