what would YOU have done?
When I got my job I signed a paper saying that I understood that if I ever transported my patient or his family (on or off the clock) that I would be fired.
It seems simple enough, but last night I was very tempted to do it anyway.
So my little 9 year old guy was discharged from the hospital at 8:30pm (keeping in mind that he and his twin sister go to bed at 8pm). They have no car and therefore his mom asked me to transport their truckload of boxes of medical supplies since there was no possible way of taking it all on the bus with them. So I took the supplies and went and waited for them in the parking lot of their appartment complex. They arrived at their home 90 minutes after I arrived which I was feeling bad enough about. But to make matters worse, when they arrived home the mom discoverd she was locked out. I waited with them in the cold (high 30's) with no coat for an hour and a half while we tried various ways of getting in. The kids were extremely tired, cold, and the little girl wet her pants because there was nowhere to use the bathroom and she wasn't willing to find a bush so she was WET too. The little boy needed medical things (feeding tubes and IVs) attached but I didn't have what I needed to do it. At midnight my supervisor who I had been talking with on the phone instructed me to just leave them and go home (my shift was over at 11pm). However, the had tried EVERYTHING to get in without success and had absolutely no one to call and nowhere to go. They were all wearing light coats and had a throw blanket the hospital had given them and the mom said she was thinking her only option was to just wait it out until morning when the management office opened so she could get a key.
Option 1: Follow my supervisors instructions and go home and DO NOT transport them anywhere
Option 2: Think of somewhere (but where?) to take them where it would at least be warm for the night....but then how do they get home in the morning....?
It was a tough choice but after the direct command from my supervisor on the phone instruting me to go home that is what I did. I called to give them the # to a locksmith at 1:30. I don't know if she used it or not. She is one of those people who can afford to eat out every meal every day, but yet can't afford a car.
Steve thinks I should have gone against what my supervisor said. What would YOU have done?
It seems simple enough, but last night I was very tempted to do it anyway.
So my little 9 year old guy was discharged from the hospital at 8:30pm (keeping in mind that he and his twin sister go to bed at 8pm). They have no car and therefore his mom asked me to transport their truckload of boxes of medical supplies since there was no possible way of taking it all on the bus with them. So I took the supplies and went and waited for them in the parking lot of their appartment complex. They arrived at their home 90 minutes after I arrived which I was feeling bad enough about. But to make matters worse, when they arrived home the mom discoverd she was locked out. I waited with them in the cold (high 30's) with no coat for an hour and a half while we tried various ways of getting in. The kids were extremely tired, cold, and the little girl wet her pants because there was nowhere to use the bathroom and she wasn't willing to find a bush so she was WET too. The little boy needed medical things (feeding tubes and IVs) attached but I didn't have what I needed to do it. At midnight my supervisor who I had been talking with on the phone instructed me to just leave them and go home (my shift was over at 11pm). However, the had tried EVERYTHING to get in without success and had absolutely no one to call and nowhere to go. They were all wearing light coats and had a throw blanket the hospital had given them and the mom said she was thinking her only option was to just wait it out until morning when the management office opened so she could get a key.
Option 1: Follow my supervisors instructions and go home and DO NOT transport them anywhere
Option 2: Think of somewhere (but where?) to take them where it would at least be warm for the night....but then how do they get home in the morning....?
It was a tough choice but after the direct command from my supervisor on the phone instruting me to go home that is what I did. I called to give them the # to a locksmith at 1:30. I don't know if she used it or not. She is one of those people who can afford to eat out every meal every day, but yet can't afford a car.
Steve thinks I should have gone against what my supervisor said. What would YOU have done?
Comments
How far are you from their place? Maybe bring them back a sleeping bag and tent and some coats?
Tough choice. No easy answers.
I live about 20 minutes from them--the sleeping bag idea would have been a good one (too bad I didn't think of it-- my brain was obviously frozen).
I think I would have taken them to a motel before I brought them to my own home. Turns out, she's a drug addict.