Dear Judy,
I know you’re always going on and on about how wonderful hospices are, but the one where I work isn’t. I’m not a nurse or a doctor. I do the grunt work. I make beds, and move patients to make them more comfortable, carry in breakfast trays, and carry out stuff I won’t mention.
The other day a patient, an old lady sick with congestive heart failure told me she was feeling especially weak, disoriented and faint wanted a nurse to come in with her meds. I told the nurse, who kind of shooed me away (she was on the phone talking to a pharmacy). But she wasn’t on for longer than 10 minutes, and it took her two whole hours to respond to that patient. It was awful.
What do you think I should do about this situation? It wasn’t the first time this kind of thing occurred in my hospice. But I’m really scared I’ll lose my job if the nurses find out what I’ve been up to.
Maria in New York
Dear Maria,
If delayed responses to a patient’s reasonable request or need is commonplace in your hospice, you have a duty to go to the CEO - as well as to the inpatient unit social worker — of that hospice, immediately, and explain the situation.
I’d also suggest you take notes (in private of course), with dates, times, names and the nature of the incidents. That way you have something besides your memory to rely on.
I’m not naive. Word might get around that you were the one who reported these outrages. It’s certain possible that you might find yourself in a very unpleasant work environment as a result.
But I’m willing to bet no one will fire you. There’s evidently too much you know; and if you have the documentation, no one will want to be fool enough to let you go and spread it around.
Thank you for writing,
Judy
