A Challenging Work Situation, Essay Example

As an LPN in a long-term care facility, I usually expect challenges to occur at any time. The nature of the work, however, is such that any nurse may be caught off-guard. We may think everything is under control, but this is not the case. This happened to me once during my 3:00 to 11:00 p.m. supervising shift. I had checked to make sure that all the patients were fine, and then gone on my break. Returning to the floor, I heard someone calling in distress and I rushed back to discover the problem. What had happened was that a very obese patient had tried to use the commode by herself, even though she knew she required assistance. I found the woman trapped between the bed and the commode, trying to raise herself back to the bed and failing. She was breathing extremely hard in the effort and, given her weight and the situation, she was losing her ability to breathe at all. I immediately called for help. I was able to get her into the bed, but her condition was clearly dangerous. I started CPR while waiting for the ambulance, and I was relieved that it was successful.

Despite my immediate efforts, however, the woman died after being admitted to the hospital, and I have since gone over in my mind many times what I could have done differently. I believe I responded as a nurse should, as I lost no time in either calling for help or performing the CPR I saw as necessary. At the same time, I feel a critical situation could have been avoided. Patients know better, but they will still place themselves in danger when there is no one to watch over them. This being the reality, I no longer take breaks away from my station, or I make sure that someone is always in attendance if I have to be away for any time. I also make extra efforts to make sure those in my care understand their limitations, so that they do not accidentally place themselves in danger. As I learned, even the simple act of using a commode can be life-threatening in certain circumstances, and my experience reinforced my awareness of the need to fully watch over all patients.