Have you ever thought about where the pen you just picked up has been?
Throughout our day, pens are used for many purposes and passed from one clinician to another, in and out of patient rooms, employee offices, pockets and hands.
You found the “ideal” pen first thing in the morning on the conference room table. A great size, fine point and a spongy gripping surface—what a find! You pick up the pen and admire its attributes. You show it off to other nurses, proud of your find, and place it carefully in your pocket. You use the pen to jot down notes, and reminders on ‘your brain” as you begin your day. A physician comes in and sits down across the table from you to begin writing orders. He fumbles around looking for a pen, and looks longingly toward the new pen you have in your hand. You notice the wanting glance and you’re thinking there is no way he is getting your cool pen.” To secure your find, you place it strategically into the bun on the top of your head and without saying a word, reach into the desk drawer and pull out a boring generic pen for the physician.
As you enter your patient’s room, Bob, the respiratory therapist,
is trying to troubleshoot an annoying ventilator alarm. After a great deal of searching, the therapist decides the ventilator’s heater alarm is malfunctioning and needs to be reset. Bob fumbles around looking for a “tool” to use to depress the reset button, but can’t find one. The alarm is beginning to agitate your patient, his heart rate soaring and his oxygen saturation plummeting. Frustrated, you take your trusty pen from your hair and “loan” it to the therapist. He uses the pointed end of the pen to depress the alarm and then absent-mindedly places the pen in his pocket. Deep in patient assessment and relieved of the annoyance you do not notice the subtle theft of your prized pen. Problem solved, the respiratory therapist leaves the room and walks out of the ICU towards the cafeteria.
Before getting to the cafeteria, Bob stops to buy a raffle ticket from Ethel, a volunteer. Ethel asks him to put his name and phone extension on the raffle ticket; he complies using your “cool pen” and leaves the pen on the table as he walks away.
Ethel’s next customer is Jane and her three-year old son Billy. Although Billy has a cold this morning, Jane needed to be at the hospital for a mandatory staff meeting, so she had to bring him along. Billy spotted the pen, his eyes widened; he coughed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand before reaching on to the table for the prize. Billy placed the pen in his backpack with his other prized possessions.
During the staff meeting, Billy played on the floor with his cars and the “cool pen” before tiring and falling asleep in Jane’s lap. After the meeting ended, the pen was left sitting on the conference room table, next to the snacks, and papers from the staff meeting.
An hour later, Dr. Jones entered the conference room. Notorious for mooching staff snacks, Dr. Jones grabs a cookie with one hand and the “cool pen” with the other, and heads out to see his next patient for consultation. Dr. Jones enters Mrs. Wright’s room. Mrs. Wright is an unfortunate eighty-year old woman with a change in consciousness. Dr. Jones begins his assessment. He takes your “cool pen” from his pocket and strokes the bottom of Mrs. Wright’s foot to assess for a babinski reflex. He returns to the desk to write out his preliminary report and talk with the family. Dr. Jones needs to perform a lumbar puncture and needs permission to do so. He fills out the form and takes it to Mr. Wright for signature, with your “cool pen”. Fumbling with paperwork, and Mrs.Wright’s personal belongings, Mr. Wright puts the pen in his mouth, until he can arrange everything to sign the paper. He gives the paper and pen back to the physician, who carries it directly to the ward secretary Flo.
Evelyn the runner arrives to deliver the blood Flo requested ten minutes ago. Evelyn’s shoe has been bothering her all day; the sole on the right shoe has something stuck to the bottom of it. Before going any further she decides to do something about it. Grabbing your “cool pen” from Flo’s desk, Evelyn uses it to pry the thumb tack from the bottom of her shoe. After solving the problem, Evelyn leaves the pen on the desk, it rolls off and lands on the floor.
A tedious, stressful shift is almost over. Patients were unstable, families were difficult, and to top it all off
—you lost your cool pen.
You can’t wait to get home to enjoy a long bath and a glass of wine. In an effort to finish your charting, you look for a quiet corner in the nurses’ station to sit and chart. Fumbling for a pen, you feel your hair and your pockets to no avail
—no pens to be had. You look around the desk and on the floor you find it …your cool pen! I guess this hasn’t been such a bad day afterall.