Gross
It had been a pretty busy, fast paced night with the usual collection of head injuries, gallbladder attacks, fractures, psychos, chest painers, gastroenteritises (gastroenteriti?) and such. Finally we had cleared out the ER and settled down for a little break.Ding! One more patient rang the bell.
No problem, a teenager with an upper respiratory infection.
In and out. It was late, or early (depending on your perspective) and we were all sort of spaced out in the 4 am daze. So I didn't immediately notice the wadded-up pile of sheets, blankets, and gown next to her. Or the wrinkled sheet sort of covering the stretcher, or the obviously used pillow. The patient didn't seem to notice either, nor did her parents. Finally, I did.
"Is this your pile of stuff, or was it already here?" I asked.
"It was there when we got here" she said.
She had just sat down next to the pile.
Nasty. I predict a scathing Press-Ganey.
Labels: nightshifts, nurses, patients, teenagers, WTF
posted by scalpel at 10:14 AM
5 Comments:
Okay, am I safe in assuming that none of your staff directed the patient to make herself at home on a dirty stretcher? It always amazes me when people think they can just take a seat, I don't care if it's clean or dirty, just anywhere they please. Oh, and you f'ing better well not get on a clean stretcher because you want to sit down while using the phone.
No, unfortunately I think they pointed her into the room without looking first.
(shiver)
Oh, that's just lazy. Say good-bye to your Press-Gainey based bonus next year :(
Cooties! (Okay, okay, I admit that I've been looking for an excuse to use the word cooties lately...)
Yuck. I can't believe they didn't complain.
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