The Way Forward

by an elderly MD who was long passed his retirement time:
Our hosp. was already full when a snow storm hit. Some patients made it in, but most of the staff couldn't.
Working as the 'charge' nurse on the night shift, I had 27 pre- and post-op female patients and one 19 yo brand-new LPN to help me.
The ER sent us a new patient with threatened abortion. (I had not had obstet, labor or delivery rotation and did not know what to expect or do.
Fortunately, the pt. had been medicated in ER and seemed comfortable on admission to the ward.
However, when she turned on the call light and I answered, I knew I was in trouble. (Could not get a supervisor as they were tied up with other serious problems.) Trying to stay calm, I checked her and seeing a lot of blood and what I thought to be tissue, I gloved, picked up the tissue and put it into a specimen cup with alcohol. Then, I cleaned her up, re-medicated, made her as comfortable as possible and tried to reassure her she would be o.k.

When this MD, who had been trapped in the hosp. by the snowstorm came by to ck. one of his patients, I told him what I had done.
After he had told me that he thought everything would be o.k., he told me that in life I would face many situations that required my making a decision and the only thing I could do was to use my judgement and do what I thought best.

Then he said, "Experience had taught him that when in a 'damned if you do and damned if you don't; it is always better to be damned for doing than don'ting."