Did you have a "can't belive my eyes" moment?

Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN · Sep 17, 2009

In a perfect world, nurses and CNAs would be responsible for only 1-2 people a shift like a student, but alas, when one is responsible for 15-30+ by herself, this does happen, unfortunately.

jschut, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2009

Mine was just this past weekend. A client returned from the hospital before I arrived for my shift. What I got in report was that he clients left arm was a bit swollen. When I assessed the client, the left arm was not just swollen, it was wrapped with kerlex and ACE bandage, hand and fingers edematous to the point of looking as if they were about to burst, and the palm and fingers were black.

A bit more than "a little swollen", don't you think?

rich8ames · Sep 17, 2009

It really is a shame that we are so understaffed and our patients can't get the care they need.

Tattooedtonya24 · Sep 17, 2009

I thought this was funny. BUT I probably would have said something to the supervisor because 2 hours is a long time ti be sitting the commode, even 45 mins is a bit long, but sometimes you get caught up with the bells ringing, the lights going off and helping your co-workers. I am a CNA (going for my LPN) and I understand what its like to have so many residents to take care of you kind of lose your mind. :icon_roll:

GOMER42 · Sep 17, 2009

Man on a bedpan for 5 days sounds like a stretch...

justiceforjoy · Sep 17, 2009

Man on a bedpan for 5 days sounds like a stretch...

Yeah... I think the "can't believe my eyes" moment would have been the amazingly large and grotesque ulcers this person would have had on his rear, paired with the amazing balancing act he managed to pull off for 5 days by not falling off from it or letting it slip out from under him.

I'm still virgin-eyed, I guess you could say. My first moment would be turning around on my first practicum day at the hospital to a stark naked man staring at me. GOOD MORNING!

The other time would just be the female classmate I had that wiped back to front in the most mechanical way possible. She sort of went in straight-armed, scooped in an upward motion (no poop, thankfully), then finished off with her arm bent, by her side, with her hand still up in the air. All the while with an uncertain look of "hmm, when's my lunch break?"

Front to back, front to back. We just had an exam on this and an assessment. You own women bits, actually. Front to back!

nursesRbeautiful · Sep 17, 2009

You will see a lot more of this in the nursing home area. I have seen this and the best thing to do is know that your license is important don't worry about making friends take charge. what I did was when I did my med passes I checked my rooms I checked diapers even marking them. When working you will learn the good CNA's and the lazy ones they can give you trouble or they will be your best worker find out who you working with by observation. It's not always the CNA's who are lacking in their jobs either, Here is one of my moments: I worked on a med surg floor in a area in MS and the sharp container was full in the room where I had just given an lovenox inj.( I was an agency nurse here.)So i decided to go to the room right next door and waste it in that container but it was full, I went to the room next to that and it was full and had a syringe with blood in it laying on top of the container. I walked out went up the hall with my syringe in my hand still and said what the hell do you not have bio containers in this place this is just unsanitary. So the nurse get up and we drop my syringe off finally in the med room it was well above that 3/4 line but it was enough to get it out my hands so we walk around andfind that not a one room on that hall had containers that were actually usable I was disgusted and I told them they needed to call housekeeping or somebody because that was ridiculous.