Monday 18 February 2008

Taking Liberties...

Today was my last shift in Eye Casualty, and what a shift it turned out to be. Fortunately there was no bad practice to report this week. Not from a member of the nursing team anyway...

A hefty volume of patients streamed through the doors this morning, many of whom required treatment from the doctor. He was due to turn up at around 09:30.

At 09:50 an air of concern was floating around the department not only for the doctor's welfare, but also for ours as the patients were beginning to become aggressively twitchy. Usually there are two doctors working on a Monday morning, but one was on A/L so it was pretty important that the other doctor arrived pronto before the patients started hurling things at us in an angry manner. So the doctor was telephoned. Where was he?

In bed. Apparently he'd booked the day as A/L but had failed to tell the department. So, we had around 30 patients needing to see the doctor, but no doctor.

Fabulous.

Fortunately, three other doctors were drafted in from elsewhere in the department and saw all the patients in under an hour. Thankgoodness for teamwork!

3 comments:

Staff Nurse M said...

Sounds like a great way to leave a shift. Where are you now, back in ui or do you go straight to another placement area?

Did you ever have any feedback from the bad practice incident with the nurse?

Elizabeth said...

I now have two weeks of A/L and then it's on to T&O. I'm sure life back on the ward will bring about a great deal more work than Eye Casualty. Hey - I might manage to achieve all of my proficiencies!

No feedback re the bad practice incidence. I'm going back to the department in a few weeks to meet up with my mentor so I'll find out then...

The Shrink said...

In my corner, depending which local hospital you work in, medics have to give either 4 weeks or 6 weeks notice for any planned leave. Secretaries then mail all and sundry so the leave is known.

Just not being there for work, eeek! Much badness!

Oh, your poll . . . I feel I've had adequate training in dementia since it's what I live and breathe but I think it's a splendid question to be asking since the liaison work I do with the general hospital shows unqualified and qualified staff both feel undertrained in managing delirious and demented patients under their care. Good that it's on your radar!