Anesthesiologist, looking VERY (why?) concerned-what about these two appys? This one room is dropping and there’s an hour.
Me (evening charge nurse)- um, they go at the end of the line. The evening procession will be knee scope in room 4, Moh’s in room 3, toe amp back in 4, cysto fulguration in room 2. It’s 1800 now and I have to be down to 1 room at 1900, from the 3 we currently have running.
A- But an appy is an emergency.
Me- only if the doctor declares it as such.
A- but an appy is an emergency.
Me- room 3 is dropping and there is an hour. I spoke with the surgeon and offered to let him do one now and one at 2100. He declined.
A- but an appy is an emergency
Me- And so is the gas gangrene on the toe and the cysto fulguration. For BLEEDING.
A- have you spoken to the surgeon, when?
Me- at 1750, I told him his two options and he chose to do them together at 2100.
A- but an appy is an emergency.
Me- they started losing that argument when they started waiting until morning to do them.
A- frowning mightily at me. And goes off to ask the same thing of the day shift charge, who is a MAN, who is working the Moh’s.
Day shift charge- what she said. She is the evening charge nurse.
Me-what I wish I’d said- look, dick, I do this EVERY night, Monday through Friday. I know what I am doing. You’re just the call guy.
I posted this on a Facebook site that I belong to. And there were many people who were aghast that I wasn’t listening to the anesthesiologist. And because appendicitis hurts, yo. And arguing that the other cases weren’t as much of an emergency as the appendixes so should be bumped.
- I do not bump.
- The surgeon is the one who asks to bump, by that I mean he asks the other surgeon and lays out his rationale for bumping.
- I do not bump.
- I know how to read a board and make decisions all on my own about the OR’s evening line up.
- What an ass.
And the anesthesiologist was shitty to me the rest of the night.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 