"Codes" in the hospital.......

I'm not sure how many are aware of the various codes that exist, particularily in a hospital setting. I know industrial plants etc. also have a few of these codes. Anyway Code Blue (if you watch any t.v. at all then you know what this is) is Cardiac arrest, when a code blue is called, the emerg doctor, an emerg nurse, and various other appointed individuals report to the code. Code yellow is missing patient/missing baby, code black is bomb threat, code red is fire, and the ever popular and sometimes frequent CODE WHITE!!!!!!! VIOLENT PERSON/HOSTAGE TAKING!!! Having a psychiatric ward in our hospital, we hear code whites more often than not. Whenever any of these codes are called, there is a pre-assigned and trained team of individuals who report for these codes depending on what they are.

On one such day, I was working and we had a female in our Seclusion room (a room that is locked where all psych patients go, there is a chair, a two way camera, and a window in the door....NOTHING ELSE)...Anyway, she was there and was being admitted to our psych ward. She is one of many who does NOT want to go there. She was a hefty girl and putting up quite a struggle, so they wheeled in a stretcher and put ankle and wrist restraints on her....For some reason, it didn't matter how tight you put the wrist restraints she ALWAYS managed to get out of them!!!! When a psych patient comes in they must always be medically cleared, then seen by a crisis nurse who determines whether they need to be admitted or not. This girl had been admitted, and was sedated (or so we thought) and was ready to be transported to the Psych ward. AGAIN, muggins here is asked to escort security with the stretcher up to psych.....YES, you guessed it, the SAME security guy again.....and his police officer wannabe partner.....I was a little leary because I had seen her getting out of the restraints for hours, but I was assured that she was sedated enough to be transported....WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We started wheeling her down the hall (at night of course)....a shortcut to psych is through the gastro-intestinal suite (this is where they perform various gastro intestinal exams/tests/surgeries etc....It is like a day surgery.....If you cut through this suite at night, it saves you many, many, many steps and is much closer to the elevator that takes you to where we were going......Sooooooooooo, as we proceed through, about halfway through, doesn't this chickie get out of the restraints!!!!!!!!! She sits bolt upright, grabs onto the curtains that are hanging all over the place in there and announces she doesn't want to go!!!!!!!!! The two security guards grab her arms and I continue to try and push this stretcher through and get us to the elevators....She is fighting, and like I said, she was a hefty girl and quite strong!! Anyway, we get her up to the Psych ward, they let us in, and at this point, I am locked in there with everyone else. Why a psych nurse (who is trained to deal with these individuals) thinks she can talk common sense to someone who doesn't have any is beyond me.....
Anyway, the nurse says to this girl..."If I let you out of the restraints, do you promise to get in that bed for me and co-operate?"....The girl shakes her head yes, as I am standing in the background shaking my head NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm thinking to myself....WHAT ARE YOU SOME KIND OF AN IDIOT....DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK SHE IS GOING TO GET INTO THE BED THAT YOU HAVE FOR HER WHEN SHE JUST TRIED TO ESCAPE ON HER WAY UP HERE....Did I mention that I was standing between her and the door which lead out, or so she thought?? Did I mention that?? No, I didn't think so......I watch in HORROR as they untie the restraints and let this girl free.....She immediately bolts for the door!!! which just happens to be in MY direction!! They stop her of course, but I am not reassured that this is over. Every time this girl looks in my direction, I try to step aside from the doorway that is leading out, I know if she charges, I am DEAD MEAT!!!!!!! Again the nurse talks to her and calms her down, AGAIN she tries to bolt....next thing I heard the nurse say was "Call Code WHITE"...At this point, I'm relieved that the cavalry is on the way, at the same time thinking to myself...HOLY SHIT, I'M LOCKED IN PSYCH WITH A CODE WHITE!!!!!!! YIKES!!!!!!!!!....The security guard looks at me and says...."Go let in the Code White team!"....I race to the doors and peek through the glass to wait for the team....I see TWO FIVE FOOT FOUR NURSES COME RUNNING TO THE DOOR AND STAND THERE!!!!!!!!!!!! I think to myself....THIS CAN'T BE THE CODE WHITE TEAM!!!!!!! My heart starts thumping in my chest, as once again I'm convinced.....I'M DEAD MEAT....I let them in, and behind them trails a 6 footish skinny little male nurse, and I think to myself.....okay well at least there is ONE male in the group!!!!!!! I race back to all the action...So now we have 2 psych nurses, two security guards and the ever popular "code white team".....I am sorta snickering to myself cause I can't believe what I'm seeing (I'm not allowed to get involved in anyway as I am not trained to deal with these situations)...All these people and this girl still can't be restrained....They threaten to give her a needle, and I'm thinking, oh great a needle....and if she gets that off one of you and injects it into God knows what....then what???????? I'm up there for a good 45 mins. at this point...my scrubs hanging off me as I'm dripping with sweat waiting to see the outcome of all of this.....My "buddy" the security guard looks at me.....I notice him staring and it must have been the expression on my face....yep, that proverbial dear caught in the headlights expression that I seem to get quite often while working.....He looks at me and says.....here take my pass card and go back to Emergency, I'll get them off you later.....I grabbed his card and bolted for the door.....I made sure I closed it behind me and that she wasn't running behind me with that look in her face of "let me the hell outta here!!!"....
I was NEVER so happy to see the Emerg department as I was that night....Those guys were up there for HOURS trying to get that girl settled.....Glad I got out when I did!!!!

I have refused to take psych patients up there ever since....unless I'm escorted by two HUGE HUNKY task force men!!! and that hasn't happened yet!!

More later..........