Hospital social worker 101:
Read the chart before going in the room to visit the patient.
Because as I mentioned this week, people lie to you. Oh, yes. They do. They lie, lie, LIE about how much they drink. About how much they pop pills. About how many times they've been to the hospital. About how many times they've attempted suicide. About why they're in the hospital to begin with.
Come to find out, most people out there don't really want to go to the psych ward. Not a picnic, the ward. And when the social worker comes in to talk to you, well....it's a pretty good bet said social worker has the power to send you packing.
And I will send you packing if you got drunk, told your boyfriend you were tired of it all, and then took two handfuls of pills. Which consequently sent you to ICU for the next two days and you needed a tube in your throat to help you breathe.
That is, I'll send you if I read the chart first. As opposed to making some grossly inaccurate assumptions about the situation based on what the nurse told me on the phone. As opposed to getting sucked into the fairy tales the patient told me during the assessment. As opposed to really listening to the nurse after I finished said assessment (and made up my mind this was mearly another accidental drug overdose).
Oh, I did read the chart. Eventually. In enough time to change my mind and ED her without any real harm done. And the overall situation was essentially the same: she was long time drug abuser who really needed drug treatment. There was just that small little matter of her swallowing enough pills to require intubation. And I don't care how drunk you are, if you ingest enough pharmaceuticals that within 10 minutes you're non-responsive (so said the chart)? Well, you need some help and I'm making you get it. For 72 hours, anyway. ->
Read the complete post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/tXCM/~3/lFlmFVch7Ek/stupid-social-worker-tricks-episode-15.html
Posted
9 Jul 2009 3:04 PM
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Trench Warfare
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