Well, that’s a run on sentence.
This exact scenario actually happened less than a month ago.
You see, for my 49th birthday my sister had gifted me tickets to see Cary Elwes (the Dread Pirate Roberts aka Farmboy aka Wesley from The Princess Bride) for January of this year. That was when his house burned down in the Los Angeles fires. Understandably the show was cancelled and rescheduled for May. And then that show was cancelled and the money refunded to my sister.
She asked me to pick another show. We ended up going to the Postmodern Jukebox when it was here locally. It was awesome.
But the show was on a Thursday. I calculated how many hours of PTO I would have to use to cover the show and the driving home. Four hours. I asked for 4 hours off. On the calendar that everyone’s time off is posted I made a notation over my name on that day that I only needed coverage until 2300.
I fully intended to take 2300-0700. Like the good little call nurse that I am.
I called the OR in the afternoon to check on the call sheets reflected that I would be on call after 2300. They assured me it was correct and to have a nice time.
My conscience was clear and I went off to enjoy a dinner out at a new to us restaurant and a rollicking good show. Side note, if you are sleeping on these performers stop. Check them out on YouTube right now. My personal recommendation is the House of the Rising Sun.
I was home at 2300, as planned, and reading, also as planned, when the PACU call nurse texted me at 5 to midnight that the nursing supervisor couldn’t get ahold of the call nurse.
But…but I’m the call nurse.
I checked.
I texted the PACU nurse back.
I called the nursing supervisor and got the surgeon’s name and number.
I called the surgeon and arranged for surgery time to be at 0100.
I called the surg tech.
I called the nursing supervisor back and told them that I had spoken the surgeon and gave them the time and that I was on my way in.
I got in to the hospital, changed, and scheduled the case. Just like a normal night call case.
Suddenly the OR core door opened and it was a day shift nurse. Called in to do the same case I was setting up.
whomp, whomp
The best laid plans.
I told them to go home. And that I would handle it and also handle the necessary conversations with the evening nurse I had spoken to.
They went home.
I picked up the patient from the ER and delivered them to the PACU nurse who was there out of time because they had been called by the supervisor before they texted me. Which was the thing that started the cascade of unfortunate events.
We did the case.
I had a long conversation with the new to the job nursing supervisor. I gave them point blank instructions to call me with any problems in the future.
The next day I had a long conversation with the person who had assured me the call sheets were correct. They hadn’t even looked at the call sheets when I called them.
aaaarrrrrrrrghghghghgh!
Next time I want a half shift off, I will call the supervisor myself to check the call sheets.
But kerfuffle aside the patient needed the semi-urgent care and the OR was happy to provide.
Oh, and I also spoke to the new to me surgeon as well and gave them the sitch about call at this hospital. I also encouraged them to call me if they needed to do another night call case in the future.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 