08/08/2024
My time line of not trusting the healthcare systerm:
1. Worked at St Francis hospital a woman came in and gave birth to a 25 week baby that didn't survive. We gently wrapped the baby up and gave her to her she was admitted. Two hours later she comes down through the ED to go to another hospital because they didn't take her insurance.
2. I worked at UCONN Nicu that wanted me to do mandatory overtime, I refused because I felt I would not be safe after working a 12 hour shift with a complicated neonate; was switfly disciplined and I continued to refuse and had the department nursing staff totally against me until I quit. Written up multiple times and was threatened to get fired
3. I worked at Aetna in the disabiity department and watched as people suffered while the company refused to pay disabiity to those who were truly disablbed, I left.
4. I worked at a Federally Funded clinic whose owner gave out cash to multiple people as they misused funds that were large grants to do work, I left.
5. I worked at Hartford hospital as a case manager and the hospital was more interested in length of stay then they were about whether the person was truly ready to leave. I went to the EDas a manager and was told not to follow readmssions because they were a revenue source. Few years later Medicare told them if people were readmitted with the same condition they wouldn't get paid. I watched a resident overdose a patient she woke up to CPR they had already mised the fact that she had guillian barre and was wheelchair bound. I got her record and they documented she was allergic to anesthesia that will now follow her for life; and she is not.
6. I worked at a community college as a clinical instructor to watch permanent staff bash students the moment they walked in the door to fail them even though they should have stayed.
7. I worked on a surgical unit where doctors did rounds and did not wash their hands. I would tell my patients that they can ask them to and gave them pen and paper for the doctors to write their names on and where they were from. I got in trouble and yelled at by the Chief resident, got written up and told to stop.
8. I had a patient recently at Hartford Hospital where the resident decided to give him 40 mg lf Laxis IV twice a day for shortness of breath. His chest x ray showed COPD no swelling to legs and no fluid in his lungs. When I asked what they wre doing as his kidney functions were creeping up to a dangerous level indicating he was dry I was told I was just a nurse yes with 25 years more experience than allof them put together. When I got nephrology involve they were mad at what cardiology did took him off all diuretics, gave hima liter of fluids and sure enough his kidney function tests went down to a normal range. This same gentleman had meds changed and ordered two different ones. No one asked if he had prepacked meds which he did. If he had gone home and taken the two medications added and continued to take the medications that were prepoured he would have died.
We now have doctors incentivised to see more patients, implement that the patient can only talk about one item and need another appointment to talk about th eother items. All about revenue because the doctors get a salary and a bonus based on how manypatients they see.....It's ot about the patient, if the patient has a problem its 6 months out to get an appointment and they drie people to go to the emergency room when its not an emergent problem which again is the most expensive door in medicine and more revenue.
When people think I'm a bit** I'm not. I went into nursing to care for people, I am ethical, I'm knowledgeable and direct in my responses of what they might be doing wrong. THIS should terrify everyone and why there isn't better control over care. Integrity and care has been lost and money has taken over. As our hospital admiistrators continues to make millions in salaries and benefits and bonus as the worker bees have to shut up or they will get fired. Unions are coming, I once got fired as a manager in a home care agency because we had a speaeker who asked if we were uion and I said "Not yet"...two words kicked me out the door. If we don't do the right things for staff and patients if we let them continue to put money into the wrong places if we continue to allow them all to be non profit you need to hope you die in you bed. Because I know of no one who has ever had a good experience being hospitalized as sick. They don't get elderly patients out of bed and they get deconditioned quickly and now need rehab which will be directed to only the ones they own.
Sorry it's so long I'm just ao disgusted with all of it andregret being a nurse which was my true calling as the profession has not done the right things in speakig up regardless of the outcome...they are part of the ool aide and that is truly sad.
