Well, so often I read stories of funny things that patients have done. I mean, we do deal with them at their most vulnerable moments. But, I do think that that, in turn, gives us, as healthcare providers, our own sense of vulnerability. Having said that, I will admit I am a clutz. I define the word. I am not graceful in any sense of the word and I have accepted this.
So, there I was, working a typical 12 hour shift in a small hospital ER when a call came in about an attempted suicide. Another nurse came from the floor to help me. I was about 8 months out of school and was working with a rather intimidating doctor,
so I needed all the help I could get. We prepared the room with what we would need and shortly thereafter the patient was wheeled in on a stretcher with his eyes closed, still breathing (and I think a little upset to find himself in this situation).
We moved him to the cart and I began asking him questions. The ambulance crew reported that he had taken his full bottle of atenolol--which the label read "25" pills on the side and it was filled about 3 days prior. The patient's BP and pulse were, of course, on the low side, but holding steady. I was then informed that the patient's wife was in the waiting room and I proceeded to let her in and explain what was going on.
At this point, the second nurse was on the phone with poison control and I was preparing to initiate another IV to administer medications while the first IV was bolusing the patient. The second nurse hung up and came over to start the paperwork (charting, consents, etc).
She located herself on the patient's left side, while I, on the patient's right, was searching for another site for an IV. The patient's wife was to my left (at the head of the bed) talking with patient and crying.
On a side note, I'm a big believer in wearing comfortable shoes and had been talked into buying these "swiss" orthopedic clogs that added about 2 inches of height to me, but had no strap on the back. I had found out, the hard way, that if I got to walking too fast that I would just kick them off. So, I learned to watch my step and kept wearing them nevertheless.
Anyway, I decided to put the siderail down on the cart so that I could get a better vantage point to start an IV on this patient (who was still stable at this point). I leaned to my right towards the end of the bed to release the locking mechanism on the side rail. But, for some unknown reason, my left foot began to twist inwards, thereby leaving me no support with which to hold myself up--having been leaning to my right anyway, I proceeded to fall in that direction.
I found myself desperately trying to cling to gravity, as well as the anything within my reach. What came into my grasp was the exam room curtain. This slowed down the descent, until I realized that the curtain was movable. I fell.
The curtain opened. The wife of the patient reaches for me "Oh my god are you ok" (and for just a minute, had stopped crying long enough to let out a little giggle).
As I was getting up, I looked across the bed to the other nurse, who was looking at me over the brim of her glasses. She would have looked genuinely concerned, had I not seen her shoulders bouncing from laughter as she continued to chart. The doctor, who had been standing in the doorway, witnessed the entire event. He never said anything, but wore a smirk on his face the rest of the day.
The patient never responded to this and in the end--was sent home. At the end of the day, all that was hurt was my pride.
Would you like to comment?
I work for my parents practice, Pediatric Heart Care. I am to obtain a ECG on all patients. Seven years I have worked with the elderly and the experience I have with pediatric's is my three kids, which did not prepare me for this position as I assumed (so wrongly)it would. I think I became more frightened I would frighten the children with my explinations on what I was doing until I came up with this: When I was trying to keep a six year old child from getting frightened, I asked him what his favorite cartoon was? He responded like most kids, SpoongeBob. Like I have told all the kids that say SpoongBob. So I started, "first I am going to put stickers on your chest, then place the cords to the stickers, then you'll look like sqiudward, with all his tenticles. He liked the idea, but when I begin to say "I'm going to push this button and the machine," he cut me off and said "It will make me turn blue?." I think I still need much practice.
I'm not sure if I could express myself that clear because english is not our first language but I will try my very best.... 
. 
as if theres the survival of the featest going on inside. Our hospital that time is still very conservative using the uniform of florence nightingale 
. so we still have the traditional white cap and wearing white stockings and skirt. ha ha ha. Since im a more conservative type, i still wear a white thin short inside that is a silky type or jersy type of cloth. One night i had a terrible busy night duty.... Ho ho ho! All i want is to get over my duty and finish my work. so after a night of usual nursing, ngt feeding for 3pts, handling 2 pts in convulsion and asthmatic attack of 1 where i need to roll the big oxygen tank to bedside because the orderly is not around...i felt very exhausted and drained. i was not able to notice that while i was endorsing and we're making our rounds to the rooms, my thin silky short is already going down because the garter broke!!! Lo and behold, i just noticed that its hard for me to do the walking and one of the father of our patient is chuckling so much but i still kept on endorsing and doing the talking.after finishing the endorsement on the last room, i almost tumble to the ground because my short are already on my knees ! 
instead of looking back, i hurriedly go to the bathroom and remove my shorts! after that night, i had 2days absent and asked the staff on duty first if all the patients are discharged already so i could get back to work. I can never ever really face them. And everytime I go to that room, I can't help myselflaugh at myself and now as a clinical instructor, i always tell my students, although you are very busy, find composure and time for you to fix yourself before the endorsement time.
