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Is Ben Taking Unnecessary Shots At The Nursing Profession? Nawwwww...He Just Wants You To Come Home Alive! Plus: Three Tips That'll Help You Survive Your Next Hospital Stay
September 18, 2003
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Dear Ben: During one of your recent TV segments you made a few comments about nurses that I'd like to address. It seems that your expertise is derived from a seemingly negative hospital experience-and possibly the frustration of wearing a backless gown once or twice.
As a nurse with eight years of night shift experience, I'd like to reply to your comments about the ineptitude of "night shift nurses." I believe the transcript reads: "Get someone to spend the night with you in your room if at all possible! (This comes from my own personal experiences; it seems like the folks working the overnight shift might not always be the best-and-brightest." I would challenge you Mr. Dover, to work for a few weeks in this office at night. Make sure your secretary isn't there-or your boss-as well as any of your usual sources of information, because night shift nurses do just that. We take care of patients during the hours that the doctors are generally unavailable (sleeping). Imagine obtaining an order from a doctor, and being responsible for knowing if he/she has made a math error because they're tired. (Welcome to nights.) We often must do our own job-plus a bit of the jobs of others-and we do it WELL! I would love to see you join a night crew for awhile and view the truth of the independent, problem-solving skills of the night shift nurses here in North Texas. You should be ashamed of yourself!
Kristine F., RN BSN (8 years of night nursing and proud of it!)
Dear Kristine: Let's back up and re-visit the facts. My TV segment focused on the real dangers that exist with any hospital stay. The topic was triggered by the tragic story of Wichita Falls resident Hurshell Ralls, who went into surgery for a prostate-related procedure and woke up without his penis. Were the nurses directly responsible for this error? No, but the story surrounding Mr. Ralls' decision to settle his pending malpractice lawsuit against his doctors did open up the topic of how to survive a stay in the hospital.
You know Kristine, it's going to take more than wearing a backless gown once or twice to influence my opinion about the real risks of a hospital stay. For the record, I was hospitalized thirteen times (and successfully survived twelve surgeries) in the three years following my 1989 motorcycle accident. I was extremely fortunate that my overall hospital experience was good...with the exception of some inept nursing staff missteps that occurred on both the night and the day shifts. So you're right, Kristine, my recommendation that patients protect themselves by insisting a friend or family member stay overnight was not accurate. Let me re-state my position: The smartest, most pro-active measure any patient can take is to have a friend or family member support them 24 hours a day. Potentially fatal errors can be made at any time of the day or night, and previous comments did not reflect this.
Am I picking on nurses? No way. Your profession is over-worked, underpaid, and has to be one of the most difficult (and thankless) jobs on earth. And in your defense (reflected in several e-mails from doctors and others from the health care profession): Many nurses with families prefer the night shift because it allows them to send their kids off to school and generally spend more of their waking hours with their families. The consensus is that the night shift nursing staff is loaded with experience and initiative...and it has to be. The majority of doctors are least accessible at night (no surprise here) and nurses working overnights face some of the most crucial life-or-death situations.
Dose of Dover For The Week: I won't budge on this one, because we're most vulnerable when we're hospitalized. We may not think clearly because we're either in pain or numbed-up by the medications they give us to dull that pain. I don't care if it's a nurse, doctor, lawyer...or even your auto mechanic. Always check the work of those you place in a position of trust-and always be willing to challenge authority, especially when the stakes are this high. My hospital survival tips are posted on-line: www.bendover.com/hospitalsurvival.asp.
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