Funniest thing the nurse FORGOT to tell you in report

[Rapheal]

I introduce myself to the patient than go back to check the chart. Yep, this is the correct patient- but the nurse forgot to tell me that this elderly female patient had a beard and mustache. Thought she was a gent. lol

First spare minute I got- I gave her a shave.

[ktwlpn, LPN]

Originally posted by etmx5313

Well, lately my best one would be when I had a lady getting TPN in the LTC where I work.....anyway, got report-after frequent interruptions, I walked by her room on the way to get something out of supply and happened to notice that her TPN was SHUT OFF!!!!!! I went to the desk where the 2 LPN's were and said, "Why is so-and-so's TPN off?" The reply, "Well it ran out!" Well how freakin long has it been off???? YIKES!!! They were both so calm about it, like "what's your problem." These are LPN's that are well aware of what can happen with TPN. There were two RN's working in the office at that time that they could have asked to change it. Took a blood sugar and it was okay, but good lord, I wonder what would have happened if I didn't walk by the room at that time. Lord knows how long it could have been off before I checked it. NOTHING was said that it was low, almost empty, needed to be changed......NOTHING!!!

Maybe because it was assumed that the nurses responsible for hanging it would have SOME clue as to when it would run out? Sometimes we are damned if we do and damned if we don't...I don't know how many times I have reminded nurses covering for me about tasks that I can't perform and gotten my head bitten off in return-but usually the very conscientious nurses kept an eye of the aspects of care that they were responsible for and did not wait to be reminded....I have also seen TPN allowed to "run out"in acute care because they docs had not updated their orders-with no adverse effect..

[greeneggsnham]

I was helping out a co-worker who had gotten far behind one night. She told me to go down and get this patient's temp. This lady was combative and had dementia, so I attempted to do a rectal. THERE WAS NO HOLE!. Turns out when she had her colostomy years before that it had been closed surgically. :imbar

[findingmywayRN]

Years before I went to nursing school I worked as a floating nurses aide at a local hospital. I was sent to a floor and started my rounds doing vitals when I entered a room of a patient who seemed to be sleeping. As I got closer to check his temp I noticed he wasn't moving at all and ran immediately to the nurses station. Well, it turns out he had expired a while earlier and they just "forgot" to tell me!

[findingmywayRN]

actually, my previous post should not go under "funniest" thing not mentioned in report, but "most glaringly obvious thing that should be mentioned but wasn't" ...

[Cletus]

As a new Rn on orientation I was sent to get vitals on a expired patient. The Rn who sent me said "Guess you couldn't get them huh" I wanted to make her expire