The Va Never Forgets

[Missouri_Vet]

Something interesting that could raise some eyebrows... Many of you that go to the VA like I do watch the doctor, nurse, tech or whomever open your records on the computer screen in front of you. On mine there is a box that is surrounded by aterisks * and it says in the box that it is sensitive or secure. I asked one day what all that was about and the person told me that the only reason the box is there is because if you have ever been violent or a problem, or if you have ever worked for the VA. She asked me jokingly "which one i was"? which I replied " Which one do you think i am"? Truth be known ive worked at a va before and ive been a problem so both i guess but, dont you think this is kinda a violation of rights as a patient? I mean i have been to several VA's and it shows up on everyone one of them, and everytime i get that look from em....and i just say ive worked at a va before and then they are nice again. They already have a predetermined outlook on my visit that it is going to be bad or that they have to be wary of me or something. I worked for VA 20 years ago, and the inccident prob happened 10 yrs ago... The VA never forgets and I think it affects outcomes of VA care, CNP's etc....

[Bonzai]

I was flagged once, but it went away after I switched to a different hospital and my psychiatrist asked me why I was flagged. I explained that at the Domiciliary I was in, there was an overbearing little chit employee, who believed he could treat patients any way he wanted to. One time he demanded I do something, and since it was silly and unnecessary, I refused. He became very irate, red-faced and started screaming at me, while I calmly looked at him. But when he took his finger and poked it into my chest, I grabbed it, dropped him to his knees, and made him apologize to me in front of the witnesses that were there. I waited until another VA employee arrived before I let him up. (I think that's the part that got me flagged ) There was a review of the incident, and since he touched me first, I was not charged with assault - and of course neither was he, they were just looking to charge me, but too many witnesses.

A couple of years later, after I explained this to my new psychiatrist, he had the flag removed. I do not believe in violence, but I am able to respond if the situation demands it.

[free_spirit_etc]

OMG Bonzai! You are so lucky you had witnesses!

I worked in health care for years (geriatrics) and it was amazing how many times nurses would get a patient all agitated and then document in the patients record how it was the patient's fault. Or it was always amazing how no one seemed to notice with all the "incident reports" (i.e. patient became combative with staff) that it was the SAME staff in most of those reports. It seems like they would have made the connection. Hmmm, I wonder why everyone wants to hit so and so...

I did some sitter work for awhile - which was basically sitting in the hospital with patients that needed someone with them all the time.

I had a NOT easy job of sitting with a guy that was pretty drunk in ICU one night. It wasn't easy because he just talked and talked and wanted to argue all night. I absolutely hated when the nurses came in. They would bring in this whole team and get him all worked up - which made my next half hour less pleasant.

Oh.. and he would grab his catheter like he was going to pull it out. That was his big power play. When he did that when the nurses were in the room, they all went running over, one tried to hold the catheter while the other ones tried to pry his hands off - just a downright battle.

When I was in the room alone with him and he got upset and grabbed his catheter and looked over to challenge me - I wasn't going to wrestle him over it. I just said "I wouldn't pull that out if I were you, it will probably hurt real bad." SO he quit pulling that stunt with me.

Anyway - I took a short break - came back in 10 minutes and there were several nurses in the room and all kind of commotion AND a security guard with his TAZER GUN out - saying "You want me to tazer him?"

??????

The guard didn't tazer him, but the nurses wanted to press charges against him for assault. BUT they were told they could not press charges as long as he was a patient in ICU. So they were calling his doctor trying to get him released from ICU in the middle of the night so they could have him arrested.

Geez. You would think someone who had to be in ICU really shouldn't be spending the night in jail instead.