Sunday, January 24, 2010

Student "Health" Services

I give up. I really TRIED to like our student health services nurses. Really. I'm still a nursing STUDENT, and it kills me to think badly of members of my profession-to-be...

But they're idiots. Over the past week we have transported no fewer than SEVEN students from the health center to the LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOM for complaints so non-emergent as to be head-against-wall laughable. These have included: 1 cut finger, three weeks ago, scab removed by the genius student, so it started bleeding again. (yes, but why do you need AN AMBULANCE?) 4 students with upset stomachs that the health center felt "needed further evaluation"- just a tip: THEY HAVE A STOMACH BUG, and a few other random things like "arm pain".

This is par for the course. We just assumed that, for liability reasons, they HAD to get cleared by the ER, and we had resigned ourselves to this state, until yesterday. Yesterday we were called up to the health center for a young female, fell three days ago playing soccer, and since then had been suffering MEMORY LOSS, VISUAL DISTURBANCE, an inability to focus on anything, sleeping 20 hours a day, and "when I close my eyes i forget i have hands".

The problem is, this girl had ALREADY been to the health center, the day of her head injury...and after taking one set of vital signs, they LET HER GO. Without even a friend to make sure she woke up frequently during the night.

My faith in their clinical judgment is shot, and now I feel like I have to keep even more on my toes so these idiots dont kill someone.

On another annoying note, someone has to have a chat with our dispatcher. For the last week, EVERYONE has been dispatched either as a "transport to the ER" (no, you cant dispatch us for that, you need to tell us WHY they need to go) or as a "sick person" (C'mon! HOW sick? Stomach? Head injury? Boo-boo?)

This ends now.

2 comments:

Books of the World said...

Unfortunately, this is the day and age of defensive medicine and CYA. Many university's can not afford to be sued as they do not have the money to pay out. Many doc's, nurses etc are also so afraid of being sued and losing their licenses. It is what it is. Grin and bear it. Much luck to you!

Alpine, R.N. said...

The problem I have isn't the defensive medicine, it's the fact that they practice it POORLY. They sent a girl BACK TO HER DORM after a head injury, without monitoring her, or even ensuring she wouldn't be left alone!

THAT is the sort of thing that you WOULD get sued for!