Diary of a Trauma Nurse

Saturday, January 30, 2010

To The Nurse At The Walk In Clinic:

"You're an idiot and give nurses a bad name!"

My daughter had a sore throat for several weeks and it appeared to be strep from the white craters all over her tonsils and in her throat.
I suggested she go into the local walk in urgent care center. So, everything after this is what she relayed to me after her visit: (Keep in mind my daughter has grown up in and around hospitals.)

After the typical long wait my daughter was taken back to an exam room. Her vital sign were taken and the nurse left the room. A few minutes later the doctor came in and examined her by using his otoscope in each ear and then putting it in her mouth. Then he left.

A few minutes later the nurse came back in the exam room with gloves already on. The exam room has a door. So, I'm assuming unless he has very talented thighs, the gloves touched the doorknob. The nurse then stuck a long handled q-tip into the back of her throat (not swabbing, I asked) made her gag and left the room, still wearing the same gloves and holding the swab out in front of him like it was a torch leading his way. Yep, you guessed it, a few minutes later, the nurse came back in the room wearing gloves. The same gloves? Who knows. He then took them off as he had to rifle through the drawer to find the glucose monitor and strips. So now, WITHOUT GLOVES and WITHOUT ALCOHOL, he proceeded to stick her finger to check her blood sugar. Even my daughter knew that was wrong. He didn't give her a cotton swab or a bandaid so she proceeded to drip blood everywhere. Finally he decided to get her a bandaid. Her sugar was ok so the physician came in, told her she didn't have strep and prescribed her cough syrup with hydrocodone and left.

What is healthcare coming to? My biggest disappointment is that my daughter didn't say anything. All I can say is the nurse at the walk in clinic needs to thank God that I wasn't with my daughter!!!!

CoryTraumaRN posted today at 6:05 PM

Comments:

I have seen nurses not wear gloves before && I was like, okay even though you have been doing this for a while & don't expect anything to go wrong, that is still gross & UNSANITARY!

# posted by

Brittany : 10:02 PM

Hey Cory, My name is Madalina, and I have been reading all your postings , i wish u to post more often because your stories are great and you r really a winner by everything you r doing , I hope one day I can speak out just like you ,i am preparing to become a trauma nurse .... english is my second language so please excuse my misspells .
ps : hope u dont mind i post on this story of yours , but i just finish reading all of them

# posted by

madalina : 4:57 AM

Hey Brit, my thought was more for my daughter!!! What the heck! If they don't care about protecting themselves.....at least care about protecting the patients!!!
Idiots!

# posted by

CoryTraumaRN : 1:09 PM

Madalina,
Thank you for reading my posts and I love hearing from readers. Comment as much as you want. And best of luck becoming a trauma nurse. Your english is fine. :)

# posted by

CoryTraumaRN : 1:10 PM

Goodness! That nurse is insane. Did you go to that care center and gave the nurse a lecture?

# posted by

mech : 9:44 PM

Lets be sure these were nurses! Were they Medical assistance as most practices have or Nursing assistance. Please! If it really was a licensed professional then report it.

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:24 PM

No mech, I didn't go down there but you can bet I will be watching when I do have to go in there.

This clinic (nor any I've gone to) use Nurse Assistants. And I can't report it because I wasn't there. Rest assured, I will report it if I see it first hand.
Thanks for reading!

# posted by

CoryTraumaRN : 8:38 PM

yes god help the clinic if you ever get in there and see whats going on first hand.... give it to them good!!!
K

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:37 PM

I am a nurse from Iran and working in CCU ward of a small hospital. I like sharing experiences with other nurses. For this reason I write our hospital memorials in my personal blog. Probably you can not read that, because it's in Persian; but I found your blog in direction with my interests. I am so glad for this.
(excuse me for my English!)

# posted by

shelman : 1:28 AM

Hi
I put your link in my blog and introduced you to my blog readers.

# posted by

shelman : 11:33 PM

You comment about the "person" wearing the same gloves with your daughter: did the doctor wash his hands before and after seeing your daughter?? And, was this person a "nurse" (RN/LVN) or a "medical assistant". Perhaps a case of mistaken identity, since many call themselves a nurse when they aren't - this is illegal. I work in a RN clinic, so please don't generalize. My background is 30 years Trauma, ER and ICU, as well as floor, and outpatient. Beating up the profession only hurts everyone. Letting us know that that particular person has unsafe practice another cause.

# posted by

Perspective : 10:50 AM

Perspective, as I stated above the clinic does not use techs/medical assitants/ so it was not a case of mistaken identity.
And I would NEVER beat up our profession and I didn't beat up our profession. I didn't say "nursing field" or "nurses" did I? Nope. If a nurse has unsafe practice I will call him/her out without hesitation. It's not beating up the profession, it's expecting nurses to do their jobs right!
I too am ICU Trauma and ER. And I would never do what my daughter saw the clinic nurse do.

# posted by

CoryTraumaRN : 9:57 PM

Places to Go

Nursing Blogs

Doctor Blogs

OTHERS