Why I Don't Want You To Apologize For Calling A Rapid

If you've ever called a rapid response and then said sorry to the team the second we walked in, this one is for you.

I've been a nurse for over 20 years, a rapid response nurse for six, and I've responded to 1000's of rapids. So let me say this as simply as I can. You never have to apologize for calling a rapid.

I think a lot of new nurses feel like calling for help means they're bothering someone, or that they should have been able to handle it on their own before anyone else had to get involved. If that's you, I totally get it. But I want you to hear this from the side of the nurse who actually walks into that room.

In This Post, You'll Learn

• Why I don't want the apology, from the rapid team's side
• What saying sorry can quietly cost you
• What I'd rather you do with that moment instead
• Who the apology actually helps

Why I Don't Want The Apology

I tell new nurses all the time that you don't need to know the whole thing in order to call a rapid. You just need to know something is wrong, and then we figure it out together.

That's what the rapid response team is there for. We show up when there's an emergency or a concern. A concern is enough. You don't need a diagnosis, and you don't need to be sure.

So if you apologize to me for calling, I'm honestly not sure what you'd be apologizing for. Noticing?

Because that's what you did. Your patient is always leaving clues, and your job is to find them. Something looked off, or felt off, or the numbers started drifting, and you caught it. That's one of the most important things a nurse can do, and it deserves a lot more credit than a sorry.

Calling a rapid is asking for help, and asking isn't a favor you're begging for. It's part of your responsibility to your patient. When I'm the one at the bedside calling for help, what I tell my patient is, "I called for help, so a bunch of people are going to be coming in the room quickly." Then the people come. Help showing up fast is the whole point.

What Saying Sorry Can Cost You

I think the apology usually comes from a good place. It feels polite. But it can quietly cost you two things.

It can make you wait next time. If calling feels like something you have to apologize for, then the next time something seems off, it can get a little easier to talk yourself out of picking up the phone. And time saves lives. Things can change in a matter of seconds, so the earlier we're there, the earlier we can start working the problem with you instead of trying to catch up to it.

It can shape the nurse you're becoming. After precepting a lot of nurses, I could spot the strong ones from day one. They weren't afraid to take action. They asked questions. They didn't apologize for asking when they didn't know something.

The ones who struggled weren't less capable. They were waiting. Waiting to feel ready.

When sorry becomes the first thing out of your mouth, it keeps telling you that you're in the way. You belong in that room.

What I'd Rather You Do Instead

Call, and skip the sorry.

Rapids are a puzzle, and nobody expects you to have it solved before you pick up the phone. You're not solving the puzzle alone. You're finding the pieces the team needs, and the very first piece is that something is wrong with your patient and you saw it.

If you want to say something when we walk in, make it about your patient, because your patient is who we came for. We'll figure out the rest together.

And when you're standing there with the phone in your hand, a few things I want you to remember:

• You're allowed to move before you're ready.
• Do the next right thing.
• You're allowed to not know yet.
• Scared and competent is a real thing.

You can be scared and still be the nurse who made the right call.

Who The Apology Actually Helps

Your patient doesn't need it. Your patient needed the call, and they got it, because you made it.

The team doesn't need it. We came because that's what we're there for. Showing up for a concern is literally what we do.

And honestly, it doesn't help you either. If anything, it can make the call feel heavier than it ever needed to be, and hand you one more thing to replay on the drive home.

So the apology isn't really for anybody in that room. It's a habit, and habits can change.

Final Thoughts

The next time you call a rapid, skip the sorry. You noticed something was wrong and you got your patient help. That is exactly what we needed you to do.

Calling us is what a strong nurse does, whether you've been a nurse for two weeks or twenty years. Owning it, without shrinking, is how you start to become the nurse everyone wants in the room.

So tell me, have you ever caught yourself apologizing when the team walked in? And looking back, what were you actually sorry for?