Good Working Relationships

Right now I am rotating at a hospital where I spent time working in the ICU. More specifically, I was the ICU resident for two consecutive months covering the surgical patients and vented medical patients in a Med/Surg ICU. I took care of the day-to-day stuff with the surgical patients while the surgeons were in the OR, rounded with the surgical team, talked with the families, helped with vent issues in the medical patients and put in/supervised line placements. I responded with the Rapid Response Team and the code team. I got to know the nurses there very well (12 hr days, five days a week, plus at least 6 hr saturdays for two months will do that). I treated them with respect and earned theirs by the way I treated my patients. Recently, I reaped the benefits of that relationship.

I had a case in the OR, the patient was elderly (over 80 yrs) and was having a routine but not minor procedure. There was a larger than expected blood loss (almost 2L) and the patient required large amounts of fluids and blood products. Given the patient's age, type of surgery and the fluid resuscitation required, the surgeon and I decided that the patient would be better served by spending the night in the ICU rather than on the surgical floor. So as the surgeons started closing, I got on the phone to ICU and asked for the charge nurse. I told her we needed a bed and why. She said to give her five minutes, send someone over for the bed, and call report. As I was wheeling the patient over, I saw the charge nurse. I thanked her and told her I wouldn't have asked if the patient didn't really need the bed. Her response was "I know, that's why I didn't argue with you."

And that is why it pays to treat the nurses with respect. If you do that and they respect you, better patient care can be had by all.