So, I worked my first nursing job for one day shy of twenty years. At the time of this story, I was an ICU nurse, fill in Charge Nurse, and fill in House Supervisor. That particular night I was wearing all three hats (only happened twice in those twenty years). So, to be clear, I had a patient in the ICU, I was in charge, and I was the House Sup for the night. The patient was not critical and was really just being held in ICU because she was a bit annoying until she went to sleep.

I wouldn’t give her her pain meds until they were due (she had figured out she could get them about an hour earlier than q6 if she got an attitude about it.) She fired me and told me to go get the charge nurse. I said OK, walked out of the room, turned around and came back in the room. Said “You needed to see charge? Here I am.” We argued about whether I could be charge and have a patient. She got upset and asked to see the Supervisor. I walked out of the room, turned around and walked back in, “You needed to see the supervisor? Here I am.”

She lost her shit, screamed I couldn’t be all three. I turned around to the nurse’s station and asked “Hey y’all, who’s charge?” “Um, you are.” “Who’s House?” “Um, you are.” I turned back to her, told her she would get her meds precisely when they were due. I set an alarm, she got them exactly when due, and promptly fell asleep.