Petty Vents

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The laws in the States vary from state to state. You can register a complaint with the Labor Relations Board in Mass. The law is different for food wait workers. But if you are waiting on a table and the person at the table says something like, "Gee, don't any of you girls ever get a break?" you can be sure it is someone from the Board. They do make spot checks without letting the owners know that they received a complaint or who made it. If you answer, "Yeah, at the end of the shift," they will start looking at their financial numbers and other areas. Before you know it, the Health Department will be paying a visit, IRS, and a host of other State agencies. Having your pay stubs to show against their records is a big help. Been there, done that. :)
 
I'm not venting frustration with this one so much as bafflement and disappointment:

Saturday night we had to take Sproutlet #2 to the ER. She wasn't able to sleep for coughing and finally coughed until she vomited just before midnight. She also had a low fever and was wheezing, so we called the on-call at our pediatrician's office and he said to take her in. They tested her for RSV and did a chest x-ray. They gave her a cool mist while we waited. She was a crack-up with the mist. She loved it! She was happy and smiling the entire time we were there, except for the brief moment while the took the mucous culture for the RSV test. She came back clean on both tests, and the doctor told us it was viral and to follow up on Monday with her pediatrician if there was no improvement. Sure, it was a waste of time if we look at it from one perspective, but she did have the symptoms of pneumonia, and she's still young enough that if she had had it, getting her seen immediately would have been very important, so I just chalk this one up to one of those things you go through when you're a parent. After telling us her illness was viral, the doctor launched into a lengthy explanation of why he wasn't prescribing an antibiotic. I good-naturedly rolled my eyes internally and after he left the room mentioned to my husband that it was sad that doctors still had to explain why they don't prescribe antibiotics for viral infections. If anything needs to be said at all, "It's a virus. Antibiotics are for bacterial infections," should be sufficient.

Here comes the vent: The nurse came back in the room to go over our discharge paperwork. She stops in the middle, just after reading out loud the part that says it's viral, and says, "Oh, he's not prescribing anything." I said, "Yeah, she's only 8 months, so she's really still too young for cough medicine or decongestants." She stared at the paperwork for a moment more with a puzzled look and then said, "Oh, I see here that you're supposed to follow up with her pediatrician on Monday. He probably just wants her pediatrician to be the one who prescribes the antibiotics. They may want to wait a bit longer anyway since she's so little. Some pediatricians want to wait ten days after a baby catches a virus before giving an antibiotic." What, what, and what??? There are several things wrong with those statements, but I'll only address the most glaringly obvious one. Antibiotics are useless for viruses. Now maybe I understand a little better why the doctor launched into his whole shpiel. This woman is a nurse, a parent, and a human being. To me, those are 3 great reasons why she should know what antibiotics are for. I realize how condescending I sound, and I honestly don't mean to be, I just think it's a shame how little our general populace knows about their bodies, so when a healthcare provider says something like this, it really concerns me.

She was very sweet, and I don't want to get her in trouble, and she's not a doctor, so she won't be prescribing anything to anyone, but I still keep wondering if I should call the hospital and say something about this. It's one of my pet peeves, so I'm not a good judge on how serious it is to have medical personnel saying stuff like this. Any input? Should I call? Maybe Princess Fiona will weigh in since she's in the medical community. I appreciate anyone's input!
 
Sprout said:
We have similar laws in the US, but most places that I've waited tables at (especially corporate places) ask you to fill out a form when you are first hired that allows you to opt out of breaks. You can choose to opt out or you can decide not to, but if you do want the formal breaks it's as much of a pain for you as it is for your employer. You have to be taken out of the rotation, wait until your current tables are finished, take your break, and then return to the floor. In a normal single shift, that is a big hassle for the restaurant and other servers and costs the server taking the break quite a few tables and consequently quite a bit of money. However, a 12-hour shift isn't a normal shift and a manager with any sense is going to give someone a break between rushes, or at the very least, an informal break of a few minutes to sit down and grab a bite to eat. Sorry about your rough day, Skittle. :(

I agree, during a normal shift I wouldn't want/expect a break but this type of shift is not normal. Most of the time if you work this shift you have to go down to zero tables anyway, because we have two sides of the dining room, and you are rarely on the same side for the dinner shift as you are for the lunch shift. I have been down to zero tables, and asked if they could wait ten minutes before seating me in my night section and was told no, because it was my choice to pick up a dinner shift. My scheduled dinner shift didn't even start for another 5 minutes, so it actually would have only taken away 5 minutes of scheduled time. I swear they like to see us suffer. Can't think of any other logical reason to deny me a break in that situation.

Addie said:
The laws in the States vary from state to state. You can register a complaint with the Labor Relations Board in Mass. The law is different for food wait workers. But if you are waiting on a table and the person at the table says something like, "Gee, don't any of you girls ever get a break?" you can be sure it is someone from the Board. They do make spot checks without letting the owners know that they received a complaint or who made it. If you answer, "Yeah, at the end of the shift," they will start looking at their financial numbers and other areas. Before you know it, the Health Department will be paying a visit, IRS, and a host of other State agencies. Having your pay stubs to show against their records is a big help. Been there, done that. :)

Unfortunately MN does not have much for laws that protect workers. If you aren't treated right, go get a new job. (which I will have at the end of June, thank god lol)
 
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I feel for you, Skittle. I'm refraining from calling your managers any names, even if they may deserve them. I hope you're able to find a job with more reasonable people!
 
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Sprout said:
I'm not venting frustration with this one so much as bafflement and disappointment:

Saturday night we had to take Sproutlet #2 to the ER. She wasn't able to sleep for coughing and finally coughed until she vomited just before midnight. She also had a low fever and was wheezing, so we called the on-call at our pediatrician's office and he said to take her in. They tested her for RSV and did a chest x-ray. They gave her a cool mist while we waited. She was a crack-up with the mist. She loved it! She was happy and smiling the entire time we were there, except for the brief moment while the took the mucous culture for the RSV test. She came back clean on both tests, and the doctor told us it was viral and to follow up on Monday with her pediatrician if there was no improvement. Sure, it was a waste of time if we look at it from one perspective, but she did have the symptoms of pneumonia, and she's still young enough that if she had had it, getting her seen immediately would have been very important, so I just chalk this one up to one of those things you go through when you're a parent. After telling us her illness was viral, the doctor launched into a lengthy explanation of why he wasn't prescribing an antibiotic. I good-naturedly rolled my eyes internally and after he left the room mentioned to my husband that it was sad that doctors still had to explain why they don't prescribe antibiotics for viral infections. If anything needs to be said at all, "It's a virus. Antibiotics are for bacterial infections," should be sufficient.

Here comes the vent: The nurse came back in the room to go over our discharge paperwork. She stops in the middle, just after reading out loud the part that says it's viral, and says, "Oh, he's not prescribing anything." I said, "Yeah, she's only 8 months, so she's really still too young for cough medicine or decongestants." She stared at the paperwork for a moment more with a puzzled look and then said, "Oh, I see here that you're supposed to follow up with her pediatrician on Monday. He probably just wants her pediatrician to be the one who prescribes the antibiotics. They may want to wait a bit longer anyway since she's so little. Some pediatricians want to wait ten days after a baby catches a virus before giving an antibiotic." What, what, and what??? There are several things wrong with those statements, but I'll only address the most glaringly obvious one. Antibiotics are useless for viruses. Now maybe I understand a little better why the doctor launched into his whole shpiel. This woman is a nurse, a parent, and a human being. To me, those are 3 great reasons why she should know what antibiotics are for. I realize how condescending I sound, and I honestly don't mean to be, I just think it's a shame how little our general populace knows about their bodies, so when a healthcare provider says something like this, it really concerns me.

She was very sweet, and I don't want to get her in trouble, and she's not a doctor, so she won't be prescribing anything to anyone, but I still keep wondering if I should call the hospital and say something about this. It's one of my pet peeves, so I'm not a good judge on how serious it is to have medical personnel saying stuff like this. Any input? Should I call? Maybe Princess Fiona will weigh in since she's in the medical community. I appreciate anyone's input!

Wow. Just... Wow. This reminds me of my old room mate who was just appalled that I didn't bring my cat to the vet to get antibiotics when my cat had an upper respiratory infection, because the vet gave them to her cat. "He could die! Upper respiratory infections can be fatal to cats!" Yes, they can, and he was very sick and lost a lot of weight, but he didn't have an underlying bacterial infection. If he had green snot he would have gone straight to the vet, but since it was clear the stress of the car ride just wasn't worth it to my sick kitty. The best medicine for him was to keep him hydrated and get some calories in him by making a gruel out of canned cat food and warm water. Anyway, sorry to compare your child to my cat, but he's been my baby for 9 years, so that is just what it reminded me of...
 
Sprout, that's very upsetting. I hope your little one feels better soon.

I would have said something to the nurse and the doctor. She's a potential danger to patients. Who's to say what else she doesn't know?!
 
Saturday night we had to take Sproutlet #2 to the ER.

Poor Sproulet #2. Hugs and Kisses for her!

Here comes the vent: The nurse came back in the room to go over our discharge paperwork. She stops in the middle, just after reading out loud the part that says it's viral, and says, "Oh, he's not prescribing anything." I said, "Yeah, she's only 8 months, so she's really still too young for cough medicine or decongestants." She stared at the paperwork for a moment more with a puzzled look and then said, "Oh, I see here that you're supposed to follow up with her pediatrician on Monday. He probably just wants her pediatrician to be the one who prescribes the antibiotics. They may want to wait a bit longer anyway since she's so little. Some pediatricians want to wait ten days after a baby catches a virus before giving an antibiotic." What, what, and what??? There are several things wrong with those statements, but I'll only address the most glaringly obvious one. Antibiotics are useless for viruses. Now maybe I understand a little better why the doctor launched into his whole shpiel. This woman is a nurse, a parent, and a human being. To me, those are 3 great reasons why she should know what antibiotics are for. I realize how condescending I sound, and I honestly don't mean to be, I just think it's a shame how little our general populace knows about their bodies, so when a healthcare provider says something like this, it really concerns me.

She was very sweet, and I don't want to get her in trouble, and she's not a doctor, so she won't be prescribing anything to anyone, but I still keep wondering if I should call the hospital and say something about this. It's one of my pet peeves, so I'm not a good judge on how serious it is to have medical personnel saying stuff like this. Any input? Should I call? Maybe Princess Fiona will weigh in since she's in the medical community. I appreciate anyone's input!

:ohmy::ohmy::wacko::ohmy: WHAT? Obviously she doesn't even read the literature out there for patients explaining why anti-biotics are not given for viral infections.

The house manager of the hospital should know about this. This is a nurse in serious need of re-training.

More hugs for Sproutlet #2 and some for #1 And a few for you!
 
What a day this has been. RN who got me ready for dialyzing today did it right this time. Last time several weeks ago he goofed it up so bad that they had to use one needle and the other my perm cath. This bugged me no end but I let it go. I am so anzious to have this thing out wellllll, Today my kidney doctor came in and asked this jackanapes his idea on taking out the perm cath???? Here is what he got for an answer. This from the RN who doesn't like the Doctor who put in my graft. Oh no it's not ready yet, he the doc needs to see it. blah,blah,blah, Here is what I got me who thought wed. another RN was going to call for me for an appointment.My kidney doc wants me to wait 2-3 more weeks. I could just scream...I haven't been able to swim since 07 and now this crap. I've about had it all the way around. Guess I'm being to fussy but need to vent big time.Everything is piling up on me and my patience is about shot.
kades
 
Sprout, I just reread your post. If you weren't knowledgable yourself, and the doctor hadn't explained why no antibiotics, her statement to any other parent who wasn't as knowledgeable, could have left them feeling less than confident in the doctors diagnosis and recommendations. Definitely report her. All she was supposed to do was relay (what you already knew) the doctors recommendations. Her remarks went beyond the scope of her job. Unless she sees something that is potentially life threateninig to a patient, she should not be relaying information that is not on that discharge sheet. And even then, she should speak directly to the doctor if she finds something wrong. And in private. Not to the patient or parent.

How many times have you asked a nurse a question and she has replied with, "The doctor will speak to you shortly." Or some such thing. It's the doctor's place to dispense such information. And he did. Her remarks were not only wrong, but not in her job description.

Correct me if I am wrong PF. :ermm:
 
Sprout, I just reread your post. If you weren't knowledgable yourself, and the doctor hadn't explained why no antibiotics, her statement to any other parent who wasn't as knowledgeable, could have left them feeling less than confident in the doctors diagnosis and recommendations. Definitely report her. All she was supposed to do was relay (what you already knew) the doctors recommendations. Her remarks went beyond the scope of her job. Unless she sees something that is potentially life threateninig to a patient, she should not be relaying information that is not on that discharge sheet. And even then, she should speak directly to the doctor if she finds something wrong. And in private. Not to the patient or parent.

How many times have you asked a nurse a question and she has replied with, "The doctor will speak to you shortly." Or some such thing. It's the doctor's place to dispense such information. And he did. Her remarks were not only wrong, but not in her job description.

Correct me if I am wrong PF. :ermm:

I agree with you, Addie. The nurse should never question why, unless it's to voice her misgivings to the doctor. Not the patient.
 
What a day this has been. RN who got me ready for dialyzing today did it right this time. Last time several weeks ago he goofed it up so bad that they had to use one needle and the other my perm cath. This bugged me no end but I let it go. I am so anzious to have this thing out wellllll, Today my kidney doctor came in and asked this jackanapes his idea on taking out the perm cath???? Here is what he got for an answer. This from the RN who doesn't like the Doctor who put in my graft. Oh no it's not ready yet, he the doc needs to see it. blah,blah,blah, Here is what I got me who thought wed. another RN was going to call for me for an appointment.My kidney doc wants me to wait 2-3 more weeks. I could just scream...I haven't been able to swim since 07 and now this crap. I've about had it all the way around. Guess I'm being to fussy but need to vent big time.Everything is piling up on me and my patience is about shot.
kades

Oh, Ma! I know how much you were hoping to get rid of the cath. I'm sorry! More Hugs!
 

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