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Also, introducing my 1st Race Card, by proxy... *oooohhh shiny*
So had a patient the other day that had an avoidable mishap happen, but it happened b/c the pt was acting like a child.
BG: I work as an RN. I am puertorican and speak spanish.
Let me rewind to a little earlier and say, I busted my ass all night for this patient. I volunteered to take her (slightly under duress, but volunteered all the same.) She only spoke spanish and Im the only one that was able to communicate with her. I spent over an hour translating for the doctor (which we're not supposed to do*) and generally making sure she was squared away. Add on to this that EVERYONE else there acted like they were too busy to even look my way or help me a little, I just had a busy night.
So anywho, pt has a mishap, I take care of it appropriately, tests are ordered, docs are called etc. When Im settling the pt in bed after the tests, the patient calls her daughter and tells her what occurred. Daughter is livid. The patient has her phone set to speaker so I can hear everything the daughter is saying and Ive since stepped outside the room a few minutes before. The next shift is here and Ive got to give report. I attempt to give report outside the pts room, but all I hear is her daughter yelling "WHERES YOUR NURSE! PUT YOUR NURSE ON THE PHONE! NOW. Blah blah".
So I make my way into the room and get on the phone...unsurprisingly, daughter just yells. I almost cant get 3 words in edgewise. I did manage to say "This isnt 24 hour private care and Im not able at the bedside the entire time" (honestly, I did nothing wrong)...She didnt like that too much. Finally I just give up and calmly give her my managers name and number. She asks for the director of the hospitals name... (I honestly cant tell you considering theres like 1,000 different directors for different things, its a big hospital). I give her my managers name and number again....She takes this as fear and a refusal to give her anyone higher up. I once again give her managers name and number and then hand the phone back to the pt....who didnt even act like she noticed her daughter just cussed me out, after everything I had done for her.
So, I finish report and go home to sleep. I later receive a phone call from the manager, which is standard to go over what happened and etc. She tells me " Well, I gotta tell you something funny. *Daughter* says we were neglecting her mom b/c she was Puerto Rican and only spoke spanish. I didnt tell her that you were her nurse but I just kinda let her rant and shes just convinced we're all racists and etc". So this made me laugh a little, but why does the daughter think only caucasians work in the hospital? What pisses me off most id that this daughter knows of her mothers serious mental issues and refuses (or maybe is unable to, but still) to take responsibility for her. Getting your mom into an appropriate situation is literally not my or the hospitals problem, thats beyond our doing. Shes been kicked out of the assitance housing places b/c of her own doing, so even our social worker cant help her. Believe me her issues are avoidable, however she dives right into them and then cant handle the consequences, and no I dont mean drug use.
*technically, only certified translation employees can translate, they also get paid more. AND there is a translation phone for 3rd shift b/c translators are rarely available. That phone works better than I do.
I went into work last night and made it clear...I no longer speak spanish, and if anyone asks ...Im italian..
So had a patient the other day that had an avoidable mishap happen, but it happened b/c the pt was acting like a child.
BG: I work as an RN. I am puertorican and speak spanish.
Let me rewind to a little earlier and say, I busted my ass all night for this patient. I volunteered to take her (slightly under duress, but volunteered all the same.) She only spoke spanish and Im the only one that was able to communicate with her. I spent over an hour translating for the doctor (which we're not supposed to do*) and generally making sure she was squared away. Add on to this that EVERYONE else there acted like they were too busy to even look my way or help me a little, I just had a busy night.
So anywho, pt has a mishap, I take care of it appropriately, tests are ordered, docs are called etc. When Im settling the pt in bed after the tests, the patient calls her daughter and tells her what occurred. Daughter is livid. The patient has her phone set to speaker so I can hear everything the daughter is saying and Ive since stepped outside the room a few minutes before. The next shift is here and Ive got to give report. I attempt to give report outside the pts room, but all I hear is her daughter yelling "WHERES YOUR NURSE! PUT YOUR NURSE ON THE PHONE! NOW. Blah blah".
So I make my way into the room and get on the phone...unsurprisingly, daughter just yells. I almost cant get 3 words in edgewise. I did manage to say "This isnt 24 hour private care and Im not able at the bedside the entire time" (honestly, I did nothing wrong)...She didnt like that too much. Finally I just give up and calmly give her my managers name and number. She asks for the director of the hospitals name... (I honestly cant tell you considering theres like 1,000 different directors for different things, its a big hospital). I give her my managers name and number again....She takes this as fear and a refusal to give her anyone higher up. I once again give her managers name and number and then hand the phone back to the pt....who didnt even act like she noticed her daughter just cussed me out, after everything I had done for her.
So, I finish report and go home to sleep. I later receive a phone call from the manager, which is standard to go over what happened and etc. She tells me " Well, I gotta tell you something funny. *Daughter* says we were neglecting her mom b/c she was Puerto Rican and only spoke spanish. I didnt tell her that you were her nurse but I just kinda let her rant and shes just convinced we're all racists and etc". So this made me laugh a little, but why does the daughter think only caucasians work in the hospital? What pisses me off most id that this daughter knows of her mothers serious mental issues and refuses (or maybe is unable to, but still) to take responsibility for her. Getting your mom into an appropriate situation is literally not my or the hospitals problem, thats beyond our doing. Shes been kicked out of the assitance housing places b/c of her own doing, so even our social worker cant help her. Believe me her issues are avoidable, however she dives right into them and then cant handle the consequences, and no I dont mean drug use.
*technically, only certified translation employees can translate, they also get paid more. AND there is a translation phone for 3rd shift b/c translators are rarely available. That phone works better than I do.
I went into work last night and made it clear...I no longer speak spanish, and if anyone asks ...Im italian..
Excellent decision.
*
He's one of the better authors for assuming that his readers have brains, & are capable of looking up languages that they don't read so that they can get the jokes. It's refreshing to not be led around by the nose.
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