Love Notes from Nurse Ratchet
The senior nurse’s gift of being called ‘Nurse Ratchet’ by a patient happens several times a year. Yet, somehow, I always embrace the comparison. While I’m not cold and heartless, it may seem that way to some people when they are not the sickest person in my care.
There is something to be said about the art of putting someone off. In the ER, it’s a constant struggle not to get pulled in 16 different directions as you run around trying to accomplish one thing. It has always been bad, but lately, with the increasing shortages and nurses being pulled to their own extremes like a real-life stretch Armstrong. I can’t leave the nursing station without someone looking for help with something. Is it my job? Yes. Do I have the time? Sometimes.
Thus, the skill of putting people off is born.
I understand that when you or your loved one enters the ER, you may think things are bad. You’re in pain, can’t breathe or feel like your world is crashing. I understand and sympathize, but 80% of the time, the people who come to the ER could have been seen and treated appropriately elsewhere. This leads to an increased volume in the ER that doesn’t need to be there, which loops back around to an increased workload for the nurses.
Have you ever been put off by a nurse? It usually looks like you are asking for something about results or the…
