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bad jane · 03-09-2005, 01:15 AM

sounds like you are making some progress! glad to hear it!

sorry to hear about your mom's fall--were you there when it happened? if so, write down everything you recall about it and keep that info. in most states, you have years to sue if you decide to go that route. you'd be amazed at how differently people remember things as time goes by. i was recently involved in a lawsuit at my hospital and the pt was so mixed up about what happened that the family didn't realize they had no case till their lawyer did my deposition. she fell while i was in the room with her. i felt horrible, but her leg gave out and there wasn't anything i could actually do about it. her family sued on the basis i shouldn't have had her up alone--but i had charted that she'd been getting up on her own throughout my shift. they also described me as being too small to offer her any assistance--the pt had confused me with a girl who worked the shift before (who is about a foot shorter and 100 lbs lighter). making notes now will save you headaches later!

as for her chart, you should be able to get every bit of info in it. the hospital most likely has procedures for you to go through (rather than letting you flip through the one they use) but it is worth the time to do it. a lot of hospitals don't do straight paper charting any more--it is either all on the computer, or part on the computer and part by hand. if they use a computer for any charting, you want access to that info as well--they'll have to print it out for you. you can ask the nurses how to go about this--most likely you'll just need to fill out some paperwork for medical records.

also, be sure to ask that dr who is going on vacation to refer you to someone before he leaves! and if you trust him but aren't happy with your mom's current cardiologist, ask for a recommendation on that as well!

once you find one or two people that you like and trust on staff--they will be your greatest resources! some people won't say a bad thing about another staff member, others will give you an honest opinion if that is what you want. while some nurses may not be very nice, they may be the best at what they do--an honest person will tell you she's a crabby bitch, but she's a crabby bitch who knows what she's talking about!

wish you all the best and speedy recovery for your mother!

03-09-2005, 01:15 AM	#8 (permalink)
bad jane Insane	sounds like you are making some progress! glad to hear it! sorry to hear about your mom's fall--were you there when it happened? if so, write down everything you recall about it and keep that info. in most states, you have years to sue if you decide to go that route. you'd be amazed at how differently people remember things as time goes by. i was recently involved in a lawsuit at my hospital and the pt was so mixed up about what happened that the family didn't realize they had no case till their lawyer did my deposition. she fell while i was in the room with her. i felt horrible, but her leg gave out and there wasn't anything i could actually do about it. her family sued on the basis i shouldn't have had her up alone--but i had charted that she'd been getting up on her own throughout my shift. they also described me as being too small to offer her any assistance--the pt had confused me with a girl who worked the shift before (who is about a foot shorter and 100 lbs lighter). making notes now will save you headaches later! as for her chart, you should be able to get every bit of info in it. the hospital most likely has procedures for you to go through (rather than letting you flip through the one they use) but it is worth the time to do it. a lot of hospitals don't do straight paper charting any more--it is either all on the computer, or part on the computer and part by hand. if they use a computer for any charting, you want access to that info as well--they'll have to print it out for you. you can ask the nurses how to go about this--most likely you'll just need to fill out some paperwork for medical records. also, be sure to ask that dr who is going on vacation to refer you to someone before he leaves! and if you trust him but aren't happy with your mom's current cardiologist, ask for a recommendation on that as well! once you find one or two people that you like and trust on staff--they will be your greatest resources! some people won't say a bad thing about another staff member, others will give you an honest opinion if that is what you want. while some nurses may not be very nice, they may be the best at what they do--an honest person will tell you she's a crabby bitch, but she's a crabby bitch who knows what she's talking about! wish you all the best and speedy recovery for your mother!