Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Missed the "calling with results" lecture, did we?

Dr. Grumpy: "This is Dr. Grumpy, returning a page."

Nurse Newgrad: "Hi, I'm the nurse taking care of Mr. Seizure, in room 8, and his Dilantin level is abnormal."

Dr. Grumpy: "What is it?"

Nurse Newgrad: "Oh, I don't know. I just heard it was abnormal. Do you want me to look it up?"
at

24 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 12, 2010 at 7:52 AM

    ...is it time AGAIN for my "I'm sorry some of my peers are total assclown morons" speech????

    Pattie, RN

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Good CookJanuary 12, 2010 at 7:54 AM

    No Nurse Newgrad - just pick a random number and I'll pick a random dosage... that way we'll be in sync.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alpine, R.N.January 12, 2010 at 8:23 AM

    Yes, Pattie, it is. And I wince for my peers. That's the sort of thing most of my clinical instructors would smack you upside the head for.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The RPhJanuary 12, 2010 at 9:42 AM

    No, no , all I needed to know was that it was abnormal...that's all we care about. We only run the tests for fun....by the way, who did you "hear it" from?

    WOW, just WOW!!! That's why none of my family gets to go to the hospital alone if I can help it!!

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  5. RonJanuary 12, 2010 at 10:07 AM

    Why that's elementary, my dear Watson.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 12, 2010 at 10:09 AM

    Lil D, if it is any consolation I am an instuctor and WOULD smack a student upside the head for that.

    Plenty 'nuff moron nurses out there, but as long as I have breath in my plump body there will not be any new ones coming out of my program....

    Pattie, RN

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  7. Grumpy, M.D.January 12, 2010 at 10:12 AM

    Glad we have nurses like you guys out there.

    These are rare occurences. So I think you're doing a great job, Pattie.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Alpine, R.N.January 12, 2010 at 10:48 AM

    Pattie, I dont suppose you're at a certain Mid-Atlantic catholic school? Because you sound a lot like one of ours :-D

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJanuary 12, 2010 at 11:21 AM

    And, how did she 'hear' it was abnormal? Maybe a little bird told her? And, the little bird has gone home to roost, now?

    ReplyDelete
  10. GB, RNJanuary 12, 2010 at 11:25 AM

    ~facepalm~

    ReplyDelete
  11. DorisJanuary 12, 2010 at 11:35 AM

    Hey Anonymous...

    She heard it from Abby.

    Abby Who?

    Abby Normal.

    With a tip 'o the hat to Eyegore in "Young Frandkentstein."

    >:p

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  12. terri cJanuary 12, 2010 at 12:12 PM

    I'm with the RPH. Am glad she wasn't talking to Dr. Newgrad, who might have ordered a loading dose of phenobarb.

    ReplyDelete
  13. MattJanuary 12, 2010 at 12:52 PM

    I'm so glad people in other professions have conversations like that.

    "I'm getting an error message"

    "Okay, what's the error message say?"

    "Well, geez, how am I supposed to know..."

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dr. PhilJanuary 12, 2010 at 1:12 PM

    Dr. Grumpy: "What is it?"

    Nurse Newgrad: "It's a drug assay that helps doctors to know if a medication is at therapeutic doses, but that's not important now..."

    ReplyDelete
  15. MahaJanuary 12, 2010 at 1:33 PM

    Geez you doctors really need to know the actual numbers? What a chore!! *note sarcasm*

    ReplyDelete
  16. GP's daughterJanuary 12, 2010 at 2:16 PM

    I can picture my dad getting a call of this sort and storming back to the dinner table muttering curses under his breath. (Yes, back then the nurse had the doc's home phone number. Seems funny now, doesn't it?)

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  17. AnonymousJanuary 12, 2010 at 2:41 PM

    I am actually Catholic, but not at a Catholic college, not anymore, at any rate!

    ;-)

    Let's just say I am at a public institution in the southern part of the mid-Atlantic region, trying to slay the dragons of ignorance and laziness in my students as well as in myself!!

    Pattie, RN

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  18. AnonymousJanuary 12, 2010 at 5:37 PM

    At my nursing school, we are taught SBAR:
    S = situation
    B = background
    A = assessment
    R = recommendation

    It's supposed to help us have all the relevant information together before we call a physician about a patient. We also have an instructor who is a retired physician.

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  19. AnonymousJanuary 12, 2010 at 5:54 PM

    My mistake, I heard it was abnormal. howver it says here in the chart that the the level is not abnormal is says her the level is 15 in the middle between 10 and 20.

    Does it matter that the albumin is 2.4 and the SCr is 2.5?


    There must be some other reason we can not wake the patient up and his eyes keep rapidly moving. He must be having a real nice dream.

    ReplyDelete
  20. bobbieJanuary 12, 2010 at 7:21 PM

    I was an ICU preceptor ~ I would definitely have slapped the newby upside the head... and never have let her make the call till she knew the numbers...

    ReplyDelete
  21. UnknownJanuary 12, 2010 at 7:49 PM

    sbar. good idea. at the end of almost every page callback i ask- what do you suggest? confusion is the usual response. omniscience is no substitute for being there, so i will keep asking.

    ReplyDelete
  22. The MotherJanuary 12, 2010 at 8:48 PM

    I am so glad I'm a pathologist.

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  23. ERPJanuary 13, 2010 at 7:16 PM

    She might have thought you were Happy Hospitalist and was just trying to test your patience.

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2010 at 5:40 PM

    Wow. Even as an LPN, I know that calling the doctor without having the pertinent information is really stupid.

    ReplyDelete

So wadda you think?