I was a very naughty student during my nursing college days. Does not follow the appropriate uniform at times, always arrive late during our scheduled clinical rotations, does not listen to endorsements and sometimes instead of giving appropriate quality nursing care I'll end up spending my duty hours on a "complete bed rest" mode (e.g. sleeping)...
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Once, during a clinical rotation in a medical-surgical ward, a doctor asked a volunteer to check the CR (or the cardiac rate) of an unstable cardiac patient. Willing to impress my instructor because of my earlier mischief during that day (arriving 30 minutes late for our clinical rotation)...I volunteered to do that simple task.
The doctor instructed me to check the CR (cardiac rate) for 1 full minute and to report back to him at once. So, full of confidence and pride at my abilities, I went to the room of the patient. Unfortunately, during that time I dont know what CR meant in the nursing profession. But I know one thing, in the Philippines there is an another meaning for the C.R. abbreviation: Comfort Room.
Now, instead of checking the cardiac rate of the patient, I went directly to the patient's comfort room and assessed his toilet bowl for 1 minute to see if it is functioning properly.
After 1 minute of "proper assessment", I went back with a sense of accomplishment of achieving something out of nothing and I am imagining at that time that my clinical instructor will be proud of me and my past mistakes to her will be forgotten.
After arriving at the nurses station, the doctor asked me "Is my patient's CR (cardiac rate) okay?". I replied her on a matter-of-fact: "Doctor the patient's CR (comfort room) is A-okay, the toilet is flushing and you could use it if you want too."
After saying that I noticed that the doctor, my group mates and most of the nursing staff are laughing at me and my clinical instructor's face is flushing with shame and anger.
My Clinical Instructor pull me at one side of the room and told me that the doctor instructed to check the CR (Cardiac Rate) of the patient not his CR (Comfort Room).
So because of that incident, I spent 4 hours of payment duty at that ward during that day as my payment for my mischief and I was known in our graduating class as "Mr.C.R."
On our exams, regarding common Nursing Abbreviations ( e.g... ac= ante cebum? before meals), we were asked the meaning CBR s BP ( Complete Bed Rest without Bathroom Privileges). not knowing the meaning what BP stand for... I answered: CBR s BP= Complete Bed Rest without Blood Pressure....
