I just got a fantastic passive-aggressive phone call from our OR OIC, btw. As literally the only provider to schedule a full day of OR time today, and after working with the C and D teams today, she calls to tell me not to worry because they put the path orders in for my tonsil specimens. Let me assure you that her tone couldn't be taken as helpful.
Well, I wasn't worried because I've never done that before. My circulating nurse does it. Just like every circulating nurse I've ever worked with at 4 Army Hospitals and 5 civilian hospitals in 6 states. But as I was working with the D team, the circulating nurse I had just sat on her can through half the case instead. So I said, "oh ok." And seeing that I wouldn't take the bait, she said "I hope they'll be ok with it downstairs." And I say "I'm sure they will, I've never put the order in before." Which is followed by her: "Oh, your nurse spoils you so much. None of the other services get that." Well, all those services but one have residents and the last one has their own nurse who comes with them and undoubtedly puts in those orders.
Again, 9 hospitals including this one - who knows how many tonsils, let's say a lot- never done it unless there were extenuating circumstances or it was a cancer case. But then again, like 99% of Army nursing OICs, her entire job has always been to advocate for doing as little as physically possible. It's her top priority to try to make sure her nurses do as little as possible. And it's not just the one thing - I already do about 5 jobs that are OR related that are all done by nurses at every other hospital. And I'm sure our nurses have more BS paperwork to do than the civilians, but not more than the other military nurses. And again, I know my nurse spent at least an hour on Facebook during the cases -plus her breaks- whereas I literally had to run to the john between turnovers so I could catch up on consults. That's why the nurses do this stuff at other institutions. But even after all of that, if they would have asked me to do it, I would have placed the orders. But instead the answer is passive aggressive phone call.
And that genre of BS seems to happen in one way or another at every military facility I've worked (albeit not that specific point). The culture is that when it comes time to take credit or a pat on the back, we're a team. When it comes time to assign responsibility or blame: it's entirely on you, buddy. And I already feel like the buck stops at me with patient care, but it sure as $#!t would be nice to feel like I'm getting a little basic support.
