5.11.2008

Nauseated

I once worked in a fairly small hospital somewhere in the South. Most of the employees and patients alike were either white or black. But there was one RN who was Filipino with a thick accent. She was a very good nurse and pretty quiet. She never complained and always helped out the other RNs, LPNs or CNAs without even being asked.
One night she had a patient who was nauseated and had vomited several times. When she ran out of anti-emetics, she put a call in to the MD to see about getting something else to help this poor patient who had been feeling awful all night. She told the MD what he needed to know expecting him to order another antiemetic. She hung up the phone with a confused look on her face. He had ordered a bisocodyl suppository. (The kind that helps you have a BM.)
Another RN had said maybe he was still sleeping when she talked to him and she offered to call him back. So she did and they got an order for a different medicine to help stave off the nausea for this patient.
The next morning, the sweet Filipino RN was called in to the office with the Vice President of nursing in regards to the conversation she had with the MD the night before. Apparently the MD was mad that she called at 03:00 just because a patient hadn't had a bowel movement that shift. He also said he didn't appreciate how she told him. When the VP asked the MD what she had said his reply was that she had told him the patient "no shitted" all night long.
If you know anything about some Filipino accents, you will understand how this southern talking MD thought she was saying "no shitted" instead of "nauseated".

When the word got out, everyone had a laugh including the RN and the MD. He actually came up to her once he found out and hugged her and apologized. She thought it was especially funny and told that story many times.

9 comments:

Lisa said...

That is a cute story. You've got to love it.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad everyone understood what happened eventually. I love your blog, I think you have a lovely way of writing. I think you are HIGHLY underrated and everyone on the planet should link to you :)

NocturnalRN said...

Awww. Thanks!

BillyBob said...

Heh, when I woke up on August 16th 1981, and found myself in US NAVY boot camp, I thought it was some kind of joke,like candid camera, because all the drill instructors were Filipinos. Hard core veterans of the Vietnam war, all with 15 or more years of service, and I could NOT understand them. My company commander kept yelling to "peaboat" and I didn't know what he was trying to say., I had to do MANY push ups until I got his accent. He was saying"when you turn, you PIVOT on your heel!". Ha.

RN2B said...

I could read your stories all day! They are great! Thank you for sharing :)

Surgeon in my dreams said...

Hope everything is okay. Miss your presence here.

NocturnalRN said...

Everything is great! Just a little wrapped up in the summer time. :)

Anonymous said...

i work with some girls with accents just like this and can hear them in my head trying to say "nauseated". haha! I'll have to test it out some time :)

www.callacode.blogspot.com

Sahaisis said...

You have a wonderfull blog, I'll come back lots and lots of times for more stories like this one..;)