Side note: Ran into a group of nursing students at Dave and Busters a few weeks back. I asked them how they decided to become nursing and all of them said they only got a 20 on the MCAT so they thought nursing would be better for them.... yikes
Anywho I received a call from a nurse who was taking over the home care duties of one of our patients. This patient is very well known to us to the point that when we answer the phone she recognizes our voice and asks us how we're doing. That being said she is on a lot of drugs. I'd say about 20 or so a month.
The nurse I was talking to was probably the most dense nurse I have talked to in a long, long time. By the end of the conversation I was tempted to ask if she went to nursing school in Honduras only to realize that that would be a disgrace to the nursing schools in Honduras.
Some excerpts:
Nurse Ratchet: Ok, so do you have a Di-O-Van-uh 80mg on your list?
Me: Yes, we have a Diovan 80mg which was last filled on 6/18/09
Nurse: Ok... so do you take that like everyday?
Me: (No, it's just whenever you feel like it. Not like its an important drug) Yes, the directions are one tablet daily
Nurse: What about hydrozine 25mg?
Me: Do you mean HydrOXYzine 25mg or HydrALAzine 25mg?
Nurse: Um... I dunno, aren't they the same?
Me: Well Hydroxyzine is an antihistamine while Hydralazine is a vasodilator
Nurse: I see... well let's go with Hydroxyzine
Me: (Let's go with? Are you serious? Do you not understand that these are not even remotely in the same area code)
Me: I also I have a recurring Rx for Darvocet on file
Nurse: Oh ok, what strength
Me: 100/650mg Tablets
Nurse: 100/650mg? There's two?
Me: No, there's 100mg of Propoxyphene and 650mg of Acetaminophen
Nurse: Oh ok. So do you take that orally?
Me: Yes (What else would you do, shove the tablets up your ass? Although your shit may come out bright pink...)
Me: The doctor also updated her Metformin 500mg and changed it to Metformin XR 500mg last month
Nurse: Metformin XR... so that's the same isn't it?
Me: No, it's the extended release version
Nurse: Ok, so the directions are like what, four times a day?
Me: No... just twice daily (With all of the diabetics out there, how do you not know Metformin XR dosing?)
Those are just some of the gems I was asked during this 35 minute phone conversation. My head literally began to throb by the end of it.
Oh and she wanted start dates for all the meds. I don't know how some other pharmacies work, but we do not track initial start dates of drugs. In fact, I can only see about 12 drugs at a time on a patients screen. I went back to mid-2004 to find the start date on her lipitor and hadn't found it yet, but she insisted I give her the exact date.
Seriously, if she's been on something for the past five years, I'm pretty sure the exact start date doesn't really matter.
Needless to say my head hurt afterwards and I was forced to sit down and read some Fark to re-energize my mind.
Honestly, what the hell do they teach in nursing school? Are you that unaware of the simplest medications out there? I mean there wasn't any Tikosyn or Temodar or Procrit involved, these were all very very basic meds.
I rue the day I have to go into a hospital and be treated by some of these numbskulls. Maybe I'll just have to tough it out.
7 comments:
"Let's go with????" What an idiot! So what did you actually say to that?
Judging from her past history I was 95% sure it was hydroxyzine. I gave her the info regarding that particular script, but I asked her to recheck with the doc just to double check.
my wife is a nurse, you should see what she says about you folks..
you pharmacy folks seem to think you are perfect gifts from God. thats a generalization, but fits most of ya.
BTW, she is a very good trauma nurse. (several other specialties and un-ending school) Doctors actually ask to work with her.
If you notice, I said this doesn't apply to all nurses. I am always amazed at trauma nurses, they appear to be the best of the bunch.
Before you critize us, show this post to your life. She may not be as familer with it, since she is a trauma nurse, but she should realize how scary this story is. The fact a HOME nurse doesn't know basic meds is inexcusable.
hey phat, i apologize, i did show it to her..
this is her response.
and i quote "honey, ER nurses dislike regular nurses too..." then she continued on about generic drug names, pharm company's, drug seekers and their inability to just ask for drugs and explain they are in withdrawals instead of concocting elaborate stories, continued complaining about Dr's who cant write scripts, insurance companies...
i listened for 15 more minutes, took a pain pill and crawled to bed...
so i stand corrected, ill stick to preaching and counseling..
Be Blessed
Brother Frankie
i still say you guys are way too negative. :)
by the way, eating my words sucks...
i dislike being wrong..
never used to be, then i married a nurse with a high IQ...
lol as long as she understands I wasn't cutting down all nurses. It's just the regular nurses, whom we deal with on a regular basis, that suck. Again I have the utmost respect for the higher divisions of nurses, such as what your wife does.
We are negative, I agree. But then again I place part of the blame on dealing with the public 24/7 :P
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