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Subscribe to RSSA nurse who accidentally disposed of a living donor's kidney during a transplant said she didn't realize it was in chilled, protective slush that she removed from an operating room, took down a hall to a dirty utility room and "flushed down a hopper," according to a report released by health officials on Monday.
The nurse said she had been on a break when a surgeon told everyone the kidney had been put in the sterile, semi-frozen solution. That detail was in a review by the state for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and obtained by The Associated Press through a records request. The transplant was Aug. 10 at the University of Toledo Medical Center.
Hospital administrative staff members interviewed on Aug. 21 hadn't determined how the nurse took the 13-gallon bag of slush, meant to extend the kidney's viability, past several members of the medical staff without them noticing a problem, the report said.
It said poor oversight and communication and insufficient policies were factors in the kidney's disposal, which prompted the voluntary, temporary suspension of the hospital's living-donor kidney transplant program and led to reviews by health officials and a consulting surgeon hired by the hospital.
The hospital, in northwest Ohio about 135 miles north of Columbus, "failed to provide adequate supervision and communication resulting in a donor's kidney being carried out of the operating room, down a hall, into a dirty utility room, and flushed down a hopper," the report stated.
The hospital has since enacted clearer policies to clarify communication between nurses who fill in for one another and to make sure nothing is removed from an operating room until the patient has been moved from it, the report said.
The surveyors determined the hospital wasn't in compliance with CMS conditions of participation for transplant and surgical services. CMS will authorize a full review of the conditions of participation for the hospital, and, if it's found out of compliance, it could be terminated from the Medicare program, CMS spokeswoman Elizabeth Surgener said in an email.
The hospital, which says it offers specialty care in areas including cardiology, cancer, surgery and kidney transplantation, also may submit a plan of correction.
A spokesman said he had no comment to provide from the hospital Monday.
The hospital hasn't said what happened to the intended kidney recipient, who was supposed to receive an organ donated by her brother. The intended recipient and her brother were released from the hospital, which didn't identify them and said it couldn't say whether she received a different kidney.
Hospital officials apologized and hired a Texas surgeon to evaluate their transplant procedures but have not released the results of that evaluation.
The medical center suspended two nurses after the incident; one was later fired, and the other resigned, the hospital said. A surgeon was stripped of his title as director of some surgical services, and a surgical services administrator put on paid leave has resumed work.
The hospital also notified 975 patients and potential organ donors and recipients that they might need to make other arrangements for services typically provided through the program under review.
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Oops! Did you need that?
Really! Nobody saw her walk out of the room with the contents, the whole reason they were there in the first place?
I once had to go to the ER so they could put a wick in a wound I had. It is a painful and uncomfortable procedure - it was the sole reason I was there. The DR left and said a nurse would be in to clean-up the area and she would be back to take a look at it and give me instructions.
The nurse came in pulled the bandages along with the wick out of my knee and cleaned up the area. The DR came back in and said Where is the wick? And the nurse looked at me and said quietly, What wick? I didn't see a wick, did you? Really buddy? It's why I am here....I wish I hadn't been a dumb college kid at the time and had spoken up. Because then, they had to repeat the procedure with no additional anesthetic....
She should be imprisoned for a long time. Mistakes of that caliber cannot be forgiven. It's like killing someone and then saying sorry I made a mistake.+ The only thing she is , is SORRY
Medical people are the biggest drug abusers, especially while on duty for 16-hour shifts.
Why wasn't the pail prominently marked? They put biohazard decals all over pails with medical waste; why wasn't that pail decaled with something like "Live organ for transplantation"....? That way, even if the doctors are lax, no nurse is going to just walk off with it and throw it out.
It was marked for live organ transplant. Unfortunately, the marking doesn't change after the a good liver is used (i.e. the markings are not crossed out afterward surgery). Because of that, the markings do not really give the nurse any idea whether what's in it is needed or not.
Has anyone of you heard the saying, "Until you walk in another man's shoes?" As a retired nurse, several years of those spent in the operating room, I must defend this nurse.
Yes, she made a mistake. M-I-S-T-A-K-E!!! She is human. Can any one of you say, you have NEVER made a mistake? The operating room is one of those areas that is demanding, stressful and requires a certain amount of courage, to work there. Why? Because an error can be costly for all the people involved.
I have made mistakes. Luckily, they were not deadly or cause such an uproar. As these medical professionals did, I reported the error, as soon as I was aware of it. The patient was informed, by me. as well. And the doctor was notified. No one could punish me, as I could myself.
All medical personel have made mistakes. Because we are human. If any nurse says, he/she has never made a mistake, they are LIARS!
This incident has affected everyone and it is difficult to comprehend how it happened. But it does.
By the way, I have also prevented lethal mistakes, as well. This nurse will feel the effects of the mistake forever. Along with the patient and her brother. I am sorry for all involved and I hope, if anyone of those people have read these mean-spirited posts, they will ignore the stupidity of those who cannot walk in the shoes, of those of us, who have the courage to perform, such a thankless job.
I can not agree more with you. I am also a nurse and we all make mistakes, we just hope that those mistakes are not to this level. Over the years I have seen mistakes made by both medical and non-medical people while working in the hospital. A hospital is like any other workplace, mistakes can happen.
I was not there to say how or why this particular nurse made this grave of an error, but I am almost certain that if you would look back over his/her career you would probably see many other times where they performed their duties correctly. Unfortunately when you make a mistake in medicine, it is not like a typo on a business report, it can not just use white-out to correct it. That is why there should always be many safeguards put in place to prevent such grave errors from happening, which it sounds like were either not in place, or not adhered to on this occasion. I am proud of the fact that the facility owned up to their mistake and that they are taking the correct actions to correct it.
From the article it sounds like most of those involved in the incident were disciplined and most have been asked to leave the facility, either voluntary or involuntary, including the nurse. This incident reminds us why it is always best to double check before we do something that can not be undone. If the nurse, or anyone in that room had asked the simple question of, "Is this waste?" this may have been prevented.
I wish the patient and her family the best, and I hope that Kidney One, or another donor registry, was able to find her another compatible kidney quickly and that they are on the road to recovery.
can see this now....
Doc: "i could have sworn i just removed this guys kidney, has anyone seen where it might have grown legs and made off to?"
I'm still trying to get past the fact that it was 13 gallons of stuff that went out the door and into history so easily.
I was reading an article from a doctor that recommended using checklists to third world doctors for such occasions. He came to realize that we needed them in this country as well. A procedure like this has several steps that have to happen in order. If this was on the checklist, then the nurse could easily have seen what was going on when she returned from her break and known exactly where the donor kidney was. This is a change we should make in this country.
I worked as an RN for 35 years. It is not the nurses fault this happened, it is failed hospital policies and procedures. I am sure this nurse feels horrible, please don't go on a witch hunt. I worked in MICU-CCU for several years, but most of my career was in Administration. They need to accept the responsibility for this and be accountable. She will be in my prayers.
please tell me that there were signs on the tanks that said good and bad - this is SOP
that's no problem lets go to the store and buy another kidney!Come on you are a nurse,what in the world where you thinking!!!Hopefully,the organ receiver got his kidney!
I have seen organs in stainless still bowls pack in ice, but in a bag? The entire situation is surreal. I know some times people have the wrong leg, arm or organ operated on, because once it is draped things have happened. I know they usually mark the side to be operated on to avoid any confusion of left vs right under sterile drapes.
I still get creeped out at the idea that they have to write on your person who your doctor is and what you are having surgery for. Doesn't exactly inspire confidence....
I agree theweaskwhy....let's just go to the drive-thru at McKidney's and buy one off the dollar menu! What a bunch of incompetents!
If you are not a nurse you shouldn't judge.... yeah she should have checked it out before she threw it out. It was a horrible mistake but they are made everyday by every walk of life....you have no idea what else she was required to do during that surgery so don't criticize!! As a nurse I can tell you first hand we are stretched beyond our limits by mandates made by bean counters who have no idea what it is like to take care of a patient.
If you are not a nurse don't judge. Everyone from all professions make mistakes and granted this one was HUGE but in the nurses defense you don't know what else she was required to do during that surgery. As a nurse myself I know our workload is mandated by bean counter who look at the bottom dollar, they are people who have never taken care of patients and do not care!! If a few mistakes are made, so be it, it all boils down to the bottom line!! Less staff who perform more work equals more money in their pockets.
She sounds less like a nurse and more like a maintenance worker. My understanding of an operating room is that besides the patient, it should only contain the doctors and nurses for the proceedure. (I know there have been cases over the years where a representative of a medical supply company has done the actual surgery while a doctor supposedly oversees it, but...) Did this nurse come into the OR late? Oh, wait. The article said she was on a break when the doctor told everyone else that the bag contained the donor kidney. She still doesn't sound very bright for a nurse. Most of the nurses I have had to deal with over the years attending my late parents were good, smart people.
It varies from hospital to hospital, but in some places, nurses can get away with murder. Hospital politics can be a frightening maze to navigate, and it's easy enough to lose your job just by crossing the wrong person. Little things like an organ have to take a back seat...
Nursing, like most jobs, can be very political with regard to who gets the good positions, etc. She may be someone's girlfriend, mom of a girlfriend, aunt or niece of a board member, etc., as we don't have enough info to say with any certainty.
That having been said, this is why there are malpractice lawyers and why hospitals are always on the side of limiting tort liability.
I have been working in the operating room "at the sterile field" for over 17 years, In some ways I can understand how this might happen. I have often been ridiculed for not taking offered breaks or refusing or delaying lunch during cases because I am not comfortable with who or even just when they are there to relieve me. The added demands of the cases though make it hard to continue to say "NO". I sometimes wish people could walk a mile in my clogs... try 12 or 16 or even 24 hours at work often with only 30 minutes rest or even a 6 to 8 hour case without a break at all. Your bladder is nigh on bursting, blood sugar is low, and feet hurt beyond belief. How about stricter labor laws in health care??
Smalldoc -while I agree with you on the not taking a breaks or lunch at a time that you feel it is inappropriate, then you finished your comment by saying we need stricter labor laws on health care and that confused me. If you are already not complying with the labor laws that are in place (breaks and lunches every so often during your shift), then how would stricter laws make it better? I understand your reasons for delaying or skipping breaks, during a surgery when someone's life is on the line it can be had to give up control of your position to someone that may not know what is going on as well as you do, but if you are ignoring the laws that we do have how are more laws going to change that feeling? What specifically would you add to make this situation better? This story is horrible for all involved, but I can't see a way that changing the labor laws would have changed the outcome. Some procedures need to be changed or added to prevent this from ever happening again, I am just not sure that labor laws is where the change needes to come from.
I have worked a 12 hour shift without going to the bathroom! Or eating! Or sitting down!
I have held my finger on a man's carotid artery, after cancer had eaten through it. We were waiting for his family to arrive, so he could say goodbye. He bled to death. I have held a Mom in my arms as she held he dead baby, who died because he had a golf ball caught in his throat.
I have told families and loved ones, "there is no more heart beat.' And have pronounced they patient dead. The patient was my friend too. You cannot provide care to a human being for hours, days, weeks, months, and years, without becoming attached to them. I have smelled smells, seen sights, heard sounds and felt feelings, most people have never considered. I have cried, I have laughed, I have sat quietly, while tending to patients and there families. I have given of myself, knowing I would be hurt too. That is what a nurse does. Yes, doctors and nurses aides, social workers. We all have let ourselves love and show compassion because, that is what giving medical care is all about, giving of yourself.
I am going to post this on facebook, so hopefully, some of my colleagues can also express their feelings. Nursing is NOT a movie, it is real life and death. No one offers awards for providing CPR or making a person symptom free. The reward for nurses is, knowing we made a positive difference.
Could anyone of you critics, wipe feces off an adult? Stand at the bedside after a patient has vomited all over you? Changed a dressing of a patient who has maggots crawling from their sinus cavity? Am I making you sick? Luckily, most medical personnel consider this their job. Like I said in a previous post, walk in my shoes. Or the nurse who ACCIDENTALLY threw out a viable kidney? If nursing were easy, everyone would be doing it!
Your singing to the choir....the rest will never know! When someone you have taken care of for months asks you " How do I go about dying...cause I'm ready and I don't know how..." That's not stuff that you can just clock out and go on. It's not like Hollywood. A nurse can do everything right for 53 hours and 59 minutes...none of that matters....that's "Just doing your job," The only thing that matters is that 1 minute where something goes way wrong! In spite of it all I love being a nurse, and I thank God that I was able to become one!
Well said Judy the Ornery. Many will not get it. I have been a paramedic for 24 years and we do see the worst of the worst and many times people just don't understand. It is giving of yourself more than anything else. What is bothersome are the people that don't care a lick about the person until they are involved in a medical problem, and then they want to come in and tell us and the nurses how to do our jobs. Doing my clinicals in ICU there was a demanding family next to the bedside of a 100 year old woman. She was in her final days and they were very rude to the nurses and students doing their clinical times. They demanded more from the staff then they could provide and at times were downright mean. One afternoon when they were no longer in the room the lady apologized and said she wished that they would have cared for her like that the past 20 years. She hadn't seen them but a couple of times in 20 years. How sad.
It is a demanding profession in health care and most people could not do it. You can spot a mile away the one's that are in it because they truly care and the ones that are in it for the money.
This seems like an EPIC FAIL on the hospital's part. I don't blame the nurse. Why wasn't the kidney in a special container with a label instead of a bag? REALLY???!!! That's why I hate when ppl act like doctors are God. They are ppl too and they definitely make mistakes or don't know what they are doing half the time.
The bag with "slush" is normally inside a special container. If you read the article again, you will nice that it does mention a container.
This is what we get with medical costs going up 1000% the last 20 years?
I thought when you paid more for something it was suppose to get better, not worse.
Pay more.....get better?
Really?
Really??
Really??????
Yeah - it's just like education. Higher costs per student makes education better, just like higher pay for teachers makes them perform better. (This is sarcasm, for those who do not recognize it.)
If you are not a nurse and have never worked in an OR as a circulator, you have no idea what you are talking about. Nurses and doctors are simply people who have flaws and make mistakes. Given the consequences of making a mistake in what they do, the entire OR paradigm should be changed, but both surgeons and hospital administrators are not always the progressive forces they should be. A real shame, but hardly surprising....... some hospitals have made huge advances in process and procedures...... some have not.
Telly Savalas I Could not agree with you more about the environment of an OR especially during an organ transplant. However, we all know that all containers on the back table (sterile field) should be labeled, that was the first mistake. Second there was no report given to the relieving RN, had this been done the nurse would have known what stage of the procedure they were in, what medications were on the back table, how long the organ had been out of the body, etc. Third no specimens, instruments, trash, etc should be removed from the OR until after the patient leaves the room or under special direction of the surgeon. This was a total CF and the entire surgical team should have lost their job or at the least be reprimanded. Unfortunately the RN is always the team member held accountable for any error in the OR and this should go all the way up to the director of the department as they are probably all RNs and any RN can tell you that their primary responsibility is to advocate for the patient. Circulating RNs are advocating for the patient when they are in their most vulnerable state a patient under anesthesia is unable to see, hear, and speak therefore it is the circulating RN that is that patient's eyes, ears, and voice. This is just another circumstance of a person taking a job as a nurse for the sake of having a job, not because they are called to the profession to practice with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity,worth, and uniqueness of every individual. These nurses forgot the primary role of their job advocating and striving to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient.
How do we stop this? We ensure that Perioperative nurses have a strong clinical background before we allow them into the OR. Nurses in the OR have to have a strong clinical background that is only achieved from working in a unit where they care for multiple patients at a time developing the ability to multitask and never losing focus of the patients. The OR is not a place for new grads as many have not been a nurse long enough to have experience necessary for the critical decision needed in life or death situations which arise more frequently in the OR (no disrespect to all you new nurses out there, just trying to protect your license). Implementing new policies and procedures is not the answer having nurses with clinical experience and a solid understanding of AORN standards is the answer.
Old Circulating RN...I couldn't agree more. This was indeed a total systems issue that should never have happened.
I agree. As a circulator in the OR, I can attest that policies and procedures where I work (our hospital follows AORN standards) are in place to assure something like this doesn't occur. That doesn't mean there aren't nurses/scrub techs who cut corners sometimes, though. For whatever reason they may have.
Report could not have been complete in this case. And there is no excuse. The investigation will show this.
It's true, some of us take the responsibility of our profession and licensure more importantly and to heart than others in the same position.
How awfully sad for the patients involved.
I do agree that doctors and nurses are just people who make mistakes. the reason people get pissed when they mess up is for two reasons: 1- many MDs and RNs act like they are GOD and know everything and that there are no possible other treatments but theirs'. 2) their mistakes kill.
CatInahat
I hope you will read my post above. You have no idea what you are talking about. Not all nurses or doctors are "know it alls.'Most of us are just trying to provide the best care we can, under very stressful circumstances. My heart goes out to the 2 patients and all the medical staff involved. I am willing to bet, the nurse who made the error is punishing herslf, more than these mean spirited comments, post here.
By the way, Cat, have you ever made a mistake? Or is your job one of those you can delete the error and go on?
"But for the grace of God, there go I"
I am a retired operating nurse as well. I also worked in oncology and the last part of my career, as a homecare hospice nurse.
The saddest thing is that this could have happened at SO many medical facilities. This one just ended up being the lucky one to do it first. So they're going to catch all the heat so all the others can benefit from the lesson learned. And then people will complain about all the regulations after they forget why they're all in place.
WOW talk about gross negligence! COMMUNICATION is key in any medical environment, especially a transplant team. Very sad for the person who was to receive the kidney and very sad for the donor to be doing a good deed and something so awful happening.
Dr. Atul Gawande at Harvard has the right idea:
Standardized checklists..... you know, like airline pilots use?
I feel bad for her. I know she didnt intentionally do it. People make mistakes, granted this was a big one, don't we all have those off days. I wonder how long of a shift she was working. They say nurses now a day are very over worked working very long hours an double shifts.
There should have been huge labels and signs everywhere near it noting that it is a live organ and not to dispose of it.
And she should have received a detailed verbal report when she returned after her absence, from the nurse that she relieved/relieved her. Whenever someone leaves, they must be brought up to speed upon return. They don't need new regulations for that - just follow the procedures already in place.
They are always closing the Damned Barn door after the Horse is gone. NOW they are going to put safeguards in place. Well Whooppee. Too little too late. What was the name of that hospital??? I sure the hell don't want to end up there. People waiting for years for a Kidney and they throw one away. Unbelievable.
This is not an excuse, but it is an explanation: If you have not worked in a hospital, then you have no idea about the workload increases in the last 20 years due to staff reductions. Save a few $$$$, lose a few patients....... it is a risk/benefit analysis for the bean counters in our fee-for-service health care system.
As an RN, I do everything I can to stay away from hospitals cause nurses know what really goes on and it taint about patient care. Follow the money--you'll always find your answer. A mistake like this has no excuse. I wouldn't want my dog cared for at this hospital. Health care is getting worse by the day. We amputated the wrong arm---OOPS, we operated on the wrong side---OOPS. The really sad part is that there are attorneys that will defend boob hospitals like this one!
I seriously doubt you're an RN, because if you were you wouldn't speak about the profession in that manner. This hospital appears to have some loose ends which need to be corrected.
What I want to know is was this an RN or a Scrub Tech(scrub nurse) because there is a big difference in education and training?
An experienced Nurse would know better than to assume she should remove anything from a Transplant OR. Put an inexperienced or not, too, bright nurse anywhere and you can expect adverse problems. A dumb nurse would ask: "Do you want me to get rid of this?" The immediate supervisor of this nurse is Responsible and Accountable for this error.
"The nurse took the 13 gallon bag of of 'slush'." Think about those gallon storage/freezer bags we all buy. Multiply that by 13..that's a pretty big bag. Now add "a sterile and semi-frozen solution". If it weighs the same as water that would be 104 pounds (a 'pints a pound the world around' and 8 pints equals 1 gallon, 8 lbs x 13 is 104). Even in a busy, possibly chaotic, operating room how does no one notice a nurse removing something as large as 13 gallons that weighs possibly 104 pounds?
She "threw it away" or sold it? I think she could be lying.
I have been involved in numerous organ harvests and transplants. When staff members are changed during a case, a complete report is supposed to be given to the person taking over. Location of key items, like the donor organ, are included in that report. Seems like communication was lacking here. Most OR's have a policy that instruments not leave the room til the end of the case. I'm not sure how the nurse managed to remove a container from the room without first checking with the scrub nurse if it was OK to remove the item. Sounds like everyone here needs a bit more training.
It is sad that this whole thing happened. The problem lies in communication within the hospital not just the poor nurse, one fired, one resigned, the doctor stripped of his position. the patients suffered the most and thats the real tragedy. but thats the one that was reported, how many dont get reported or get covered up. what is needed to help is a team approach where doctors, nurses, and all staff cooperate and communicate on the needs of that one patient, not the profit margin.
As a nurse myself, I can say that the problem lies in the short staffing, with the hospitals understaffing to save a buck, then placing all the blame on the nurses when mistakes are made. Nurses are human, not machines. Why when the kidney was removed, was there not someone who was assigned to stay with the organ until it was delivered and then transplanted to the new recipient?
Not blame the nurse???? Seriously? Who takes ANYTHING from an Operating Room, and flushes it down the hopper? There are proper ways to dispose of material in hospitals and I don't believe it would be down the hopper. She was negligant in what she did and should be held accountable for her mistake! Communication is key, but common sense tells a person not to flush things down the toilet in a hospital, unless its excrement!!!
Your post proves you have no idea what you are talking about........
Multi system failure. Once again the nurse pays the price. I too am a nurse and it is a shame that we have to take the brunt of all "miss" and "near miss" situations.
No, the problem here is that the patient who needed that kidney is paying the price. Maybe the nurse wasn't fully responsible, but the one who will suffer the most is the person who may die because the transplant organ is not available. Knowing first hand how hard is really is to find compatible donors, the person we should be most concerned with is the patient, not the nurse (or the system) that screwed up. And what about her brother who gave up one of his kidneys to help his sister? Hasn't he "paid the price", too?
If you believe in prayer, pray first for the one whose life may be endangered, then worry about the one who may suffer some blame.
It is ridiculous to assume that the nurse who did this is not responsible. If my grandchildren can check a plate after dinner to make sure a fork is not on it when the remains get tossed in the garbage, she could make sure a live kidney is not in a container! For heaven's sake, a transplant is going on in the room. Check before you toss anything out idiot!!
Read the book; Code Green, Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing, by Dana Beth Weinberg, Cornell University Press. Lays it all out plain enough for a child to see; Nurses are overworked and under trained, the public is at risk!
And God help any nurse who speaks up with a suggestions or observes something wrong. He or she will be showed the door, no questions asked.
Great book - I read it and thanks for reminding me!
Notice how the nurses got fired but the ones in charge receive minor punishment. Until those in charge are held accountable things like this will not change.
-- and treat the MD like God. Pathetic.
Anybody working in a surgery room would know not to remove anything unless they asked the surgeon!!
What was she thinking?
This story doesn't jive. As a previous commenter stated, the bag would be BIG and HEAVY! Didn't the nurse have any clue what so ever that something that large and holding a partially frozen mix and an organ just might have a function? Did she, or he, just walk in from the hall and arbitrarily dump something, or was she there for the operation, or at least know what the op was for? The only way I can see that this could happen with out anyone noticing is if the nurse hid the sack and snuck it out. We're talking about 2.5 times the size of a 5 gallon gas can! Does medical waste normally get dumped in a utility room 'hopper' I.E. a janitors closet? Where did the nurse get a degree, The University of Sub Antarctic Penguins and Leopard Seals? Did anyone bother checking?
Probably graduated from University of Phoenix with their "wonderful" nursing program.
At least the nurse didn't take the kidney to the cafeteria.
Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure? The hamburger in the chili may not be what you think!
And that's why they call it "practicing" medicine. Rush the kids through a two-year nursing program -- slap an RN on the end of their name -- give them a cap --and let them loose on your body? No thanks.
A bachelor's degree should be the entry point--LIKE IT IS IN ENGINEERING AND OTHER "REAL" PROFESSIONS. Nursing is the only "profession" where obtaining additional education is criticized. It's been dumbed down to a nauseating point. Some people boast how they got their RN in 13 months. I don't want them taking care of anyone I know!
You are as ignorant as the ADN's you slam. If you knew anything, you would recognize that for the past 40 years, BSN programs have produced only 25% of the RN's in practice. And most advanced-degree nurses are in management. Almost guaranteed that 90% of bedside nurses will be certificate or ADN nurses. Nursing schools do not have the seats or the qualified instructors to increase BSN graduation numbers. Also, there is almost no clinical space to train them either under the current paradigm, which is driven by the fee-for-service system as an economic choice of the system owners. Between them and the AMA surpressing the growth of mid-level practitioners, this is why you have the level of education in the nursing profession.
I can tell you that - as an ADN graduate nurse with 20+ years practice - NO one has more passion or engagement in their profession than me. No one....... Before you pontificate on someone else's profession, learn something about it, please.
I wish there was time/space here to relate to you some of the bone-headed antics I have seen performed by people who own the title "MD"...... Doctors and nurses are just people..... some are gifted and talented, some are average and some are terrible. MD's have the advantage of being trained from day one to support each other, while nurses - being driven by estrogen since 95% of nurses are women - cannabalize each other........
One more thought about the nurse credentialing issue:
Blame the nursing profession itself - the Phd and MSN managers who design the curricula and the state boards who sanction them. Everyone passes the same exam - you know, like doctors and engineers? If the exam is good enough for BSN nurses and ADN nurses pass it, what's your beef? And as far as experience is concerned, in clinical practice, I have seen many more ADN nurses at the bedside than BSN's and their skill is usually better. Thanks......
I'm an LPN, and I work the floor, on
night shift, in a Medicare unit, in a nursing home. You could not
find more jokes if you tried about my; Title, degree, shift, unit, or
facility. ( My personal favorite is RN= Real Nurse, LPN= Trailer
Nurse....but I digress...) My patients love me because; I really
listen to them, and as one put it,“ I feel safe when I know your
here,” I ask; If that is not what the essence of nursing is.....
then is it not time to reexamine what nursing means? Also in spite
of my 2 year education I did grasp the concept that modern medicine
is a team effort, that has at it's heart communication. Or as one
could put it in the vernacular....” If you don't know....you better
ask somebody....( Like is this trash? Yes? No?)
The comments by Telly Savalas are
correct on several points. Two critical ones are; 1. Doctors are
taught from the very beginning to stick together, whereas nurses tear
each other a new one. Believe me all doctors are not equal, nor are
all nurses, but by working together as a team,with respect for each
other, we all appear, and more importantly function as professionals.
2. Other than the largest hospitals, in the largest cities, ( Those
attempting to achieve magnate status,) most facilities really don't
want to pay for the nurses, with the educations, that they already
have. ( In spite of the obvious fact that these same facilities would
be nothing without them.) In theory all nurses out there should be
BSN RN's, but that never has, and never will be, till the WHOLE
structure of nursing education,( and the means of paying for it,) in
this country is re-invented. In the meantime I'll keep on caring for,
and advocating for my patients, the nurses behind the desks are not
going to, and could not do it if they had to.
Finally I would be amiss,and I believe
all the other nurses out there would agree, if I did not state; We
can make healthcare,(and education,) in America what it should be;
The miracle of the modern world. But we need the public’s help.
It's simple; What do want this nations priorities to be? How do you
want 21st century America to be seen in history? As a
nation where the rich and famous are marveled at as near-deities, and
our military can subdue any group, or nation, at any time, any where.
Or as a nation that fed, educated, and cared for it's citizens? I
chose the latter, because the former is not worth aspiring to.
I'm an OR nurse. Mistakes like this commonly happen for several reasons.
1) poor communication and/or report policies for when a nurse is going home or on break. I've relieved some people who just try to book it out of there. I've had to say hold on, you need to give me a report.
2) rushing. There is often a lot of pressure by nurse managers and administration to turn over rooms quickly. In this case, she may have been trying to keep things moving. But, nothing should leave that room until the case is over.
3) poor staffing and/or training. The old way of thinking in the OR used to be "see one, do one, teach one"..meaning, you often didn't get a heck of a lot of training sometimes. This nurse may have been not all that familiar with this procedure. Sometimes, the powers that be think of a nurse as just a warm body in the room to do the case.
Yes, she is human and we all make mistakes. But, part of the job is being willing to speak up if you are being rushed, or you're not familiar with the case, or if you need help. This is even if someone gets mad at you for doing so. Our patients can't speak- that is why we have to..