Interaction today:
I tried to cannulate a chubby baby with very few, thready veins. Baby has had several cannulas already so many of the veins are bruised and unsuitable for cannulation. Baby also has severe eczema, meaning the skin is flaky and thick, making seeing and hitting a vein even harder. Baby also needs IV antibiotics for an infection.
I tried twice and failed. I phoned my resident, who came and got the cannula in about 30 mins later.
Mum seeks me out afterwards. Mum is a teenager with all the haughty, disrespectful attitude one could stereotype in a teen -- she has sworn at a healthcare assistant on a previous admission on arrival on the ward.
Interaction as follows:
Mum, quite abruptly: Are you a doctor or a nurse?
Me: A doctor.
Mum: How could you not get a cannula into Baby? Were you even trying?!
She didn't even check for my name nor confirm with me that it was me who tried to cannulate her baby. It had been... luckily for me.
Me: I assure you I was trying. Baby's veins are small. They're not easy to hit. Even with adults, we don't always guarantee a hit the first time.
Mum: Didn't you even look properly before trying?
Me: I assure you I did. Apologies for any distress caused.
Mum: I demand a different doctor to try!
Me, thinking that was basically what I already did... an hour ago: Sure. You're entitled to that. Anything else I can help you with?
Mum: No. *storms off*
I mean, I'd offer her the cannula so she can try herself, considering how easy she seems to think it is. Unfortunately the onus to be professional and polite is on me, and not on her. At all.
ESTÀS LLEGINT
The Doctor Will See You Now [Non-Fiction]
No-ficcióTrue accounts from a junior doctor. From bargaining with a child using stickers in exchange for a blood draw to complex, sickly elderly patients to dark medical humour between healthcare professionals, being a doctor is a rollercoaster of a calling...
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