Pray That Incompetence Isn’t Airborne
Florida, Hospital, USA | Healthy | January 12, 2018
(I am doing clinicals at the hospital as part of my certified nursing assistant (CNA) program, on the communicable disease ward. I enter at patient room. Now, in this program students aren’t even allowed in the rooms of any patients with airborne contagious diseases. It is also a rule of the hospital that signs be placed on the front of the door along with masks for airborne diseases. I’m making my rounds and enter a room where the patient is sleeping, and grab the chart. He has a serious infectious airborne. I backtrack out of the room and look at the door. No sign, no masks. I approach my teacher about this, and then the head nurse.)
Me: “I read the chart in 334—”
Nurse: “You shouldn’t be in 334. He’s airborne and you’re a student.”
Me: “That’s why I came to you. There is no—”
Nurse: “Why were you in there? You could get seriously sick.”
Me: “You assign—”
Nurse: “It doesn’t matter what I assigned you to. You should know the rules. That’s why I hate working with students. Too stupid to even notice the sign on the door.”
(Now I’m irritated at the interruptions as well as the insinuation of stupidity.)
Me: “Look, lady, I’m not dumb; I’m top of the class. If you’d let me finish a sentence, I could tell you–”
Nurse: “Oh, God. If you’re top of the class, I’d hate to see—”
(I finally snap and interrupt her.)
Me: “And if you’re the head nurse here who is in charge of making sure people are doing their jobs so patients don’t die, I’d hate to see your mortality rate. As I was saying before, there is no sign, no masks, nothing on the door to indicate airborne. There aren’t masks inside or out. As the head nurse, shouldn’t you know this? You assigned me three rooms. When I said the room number you immediately knew he was airborne without pulling a chart. One could figure you knew this upon assigning my rooms, and ignored the rules, or have come across this information since, and rather than changing my assignment, or at least informing me, you just let it go.”
Nurse: “I shouldn’t have to tell you not to enter an airborne room. Now you say you went in without a mask?”
Me: “You should be sure that airborne is indicated as per the rules.”
Nurse: “You’re rude to me. You make a mistake then you’re rude to me. Your teacher will hear about this. Go work on your other patient rooms.”
Me: “My teacher has already heard about this. From me. And I’m not going to work with other sick people when I may have been contaminated. I’m going to tell my teacher I’m going home. I’d suggest you get a d*** sign and masks on that door before you get someone killed.”
(I go to my teacher and fill her in on the conversation. My teacher said she would deal with it, I should go, and to be sure to get tested as well. Then she says this…)
Teacher: “Maybe don’t apply to work here?”
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