My cell phone chimes. It's the hospital.
Dr. Grumpy: "This is Dr. Grumpy."
Nurse Wurse: "Hi, I'm calling about Mr. McAclot, the gentleman in room 742."
Dr. Grumpy: "Umm, I'm not..."
Nurse Wurse: "He had a stroke yesterday, and because he's been getting worse Dr. Hospitalist ordered a repeat head CT tonight that..."
Dr. Grumpy: "Hang on, I..."
Nurse Wurse: "Doctor, will you PLEASE let me finish! This is urgent! His CT showed a large bleed, which is new. Dr. Hospitalist told me to call neurology for further orders."
Dr. Grumpy: "He's not my patient."
Nurse Wurse: "Well he's somebody's patient. I mean, there's a note in the chart from a neurologist from yesterday."
Dr. Grumpy: "Why didn't you call that neurologist?"
Nurse Wurse: "I can't read their handwriting, and... LOOK! I'M JUST FOLLOWING DR. HOSPITALIST'S ORDERS! HE TOLD ME TO CALL NEUROLOGY, AND I DID! YOU WERE THE FIRST NEUROLOGIST LISTED IN THE STAFF DIRECTORY!"
Dr. Grumpy: "But I'm not the neurologist taking care of this patient!"
Nurse Wurse: "What does that have to do with it?"
Life is like a box of chocolates...
ReplyDelete;)
How is it that you blog so frequently and yet apparently get no sleep? You are my hero.
ReplyDeleteNow, what to do, what to do? Do you offer to help if they actually can't figure out the neurologist of record, or do you tell them to go pound sand? Inquiring minds want to know. But surely somewhere there is an actual legible note indicating who the neurologist of record is, right?? Please say right. I can't take the strain.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's in the computer. Why she didn't look there I have no idea.
ReplyDeleteUgh...what kind of hospital is this Dr. G? Sure, I've experienced signatures that I couldn't read, BUT I didn't solve the problem by pulling out the directory & going in alphabetical order.
ReplyDeleteDecent sized, roughly 300 beds, in a large city.
ReplyDeleteHave to remember that generally these things are the exceptions, not the rules. Normal calls aren't bloq-worthy.
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteDr. Grumpy has a severe Diet Coke addiction which balances out his lack of sleep.
Dr. G, may I apologize from the bottom of my little heart for the stooopiddity of some of my nurse colleagues? I am a nursing educator and I SWEAR I teach mine better than that!
ReplyDeletePattie, RN
Usually graveyard shift nurses have a better sense of who to call and when to do it, not to mention getting all the facts aligned first before awakening a sleeping dragon...!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a new grad to me.
ReplyDeleteI think I know of this case and parts of the story are missing.
ReplyDeleteThe nurse in this blogged did what nurses do best when they hear Doctor, grovel. Very few nurses are nice and many RN's think their 2 year certificate trumps a pharmacists doctorate which by the way is only 6 years if you were in a accelerated program. Not to mention that opinionation is a prereq especially in drug regimen/s implementation/s.
ReplyDeleteUh, yeah, Anon, we're a mean, know-it-all bunch. Got a little job dissatisfaction? Burn-out? Seriously...that might even be worse than a Happy nurse comment.
ReplyDeleteSomeone needs to call her in the middle of the night and act beligerent.
ReplyDelete