Posts Tagged ‘nurses’

CNA’s role

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

As nurses we need to know the CNAs role and the scope of their responsibilities. They are a big part in our team. CNAs have instinct we, nurses, rely on them as our ears and hands but they can’t make Nursing diagnosis. They do not solve patient’s problems, not evaluate the patient, not provide health counselling, not do sterile invasive procedures, no medicine administration those are nurses’ responsibilities. They can do NGT tube feedings, can put oxygen on but can’t turn the oxygen on.

My experience as a patient

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

I was so grateful that the hospital’s nurses and doctor were so nice with me. I was asked what is wrong with me. I told the nurse that I am having a severe pain in my left flank area and that I have a scanty urination. I was requested to have a urinalysis. So I did pee a little just enough for the U/A. while waiting, the pain still making me vomit. I vomited twice at the hospital. I ask the doctor to gave me a pain reliever because I cannot handle the pain anymore.

The doctor told the nurse to give a diclofenac – a pain reliever IM. But I informed the doctor that I am allergic to it. She asked me if I tried Ketorolac – another kind of pain reliever. I haven’t tried that one yet so I do not know if I am allergic to it. So I was injected in my right deltoid muscle. It was painful. Now I felt what my patients feel when I inject them. After about 15 minutes I felt medication took effect already. I was so glad. But my eyes started to be itchy. I thought I was just imagining it but after 5 minutes, my eyes started to swell. I immediately inform the nurse about it and the nurse informed the doctor. When the doctor saw my swollen eyes, she was so surprised. She then realized that I was not kidding when I told them about my allergy. It seems that they took my history lightly. She prescribed me with antihistamine caplet. While my mom went out and buy those, my eyes swollen to the max like a Garfield in front of the doctor. She immediately ordered antihistamine IM. So I was injected with Diphenhydramine. My mom can’t buy ice anywhere so the doctor tried to find an ice for me. She is so sweet and nice of her for finding an ice for me.

The doctor wanted me to be admitted for at least 24 hours just to observe as to what extent my allergies go. But I felt good with no chest pains and the pain in my left side was very minimal. I decided to just go home and just be back anytime if there will be a problem. I signed that I went home against medical advice. It was not that I am a hard-headed person but I felt so great and there is no point of staying in the hospital. I was confident to go home because I was already injected with antihistamine. So we went home. I still had cold compress on my eyes until I slept.

Not that nurses should refuse orders

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

I am reminded today of what our clinical instructors emphasized to us when we were still student nurse. They told us that as nurses we ought not to carry all of the doctors orders. Everyone of us makes mistakes. Nobody is perfect. Nurses make mistakes and doctors too. So as nurses we need to be very careful and knowledgeable enough to know what orders are right or wrong. It is not that we should refuse doctors’ orders but we are responsible for knowing better if we are told by a doctor to do the wrong thing. We are legally responsible in carrying out orders that are not right. So we should better know our stuff. But we need to play closely with the team, and get orders written. When we detect that the order is wrong, we have to approach the doctor in a professional an unoffensive manner. Nurses should not act as all knowing nurse. Doctors will hate you. We should work hand in hand as a team for the sake of all our patients.