What have other nurses done that have freaked you out?

[texas_lvn]

What have other peers done intentional/unintentional to freak you out? Good or bad. Happy or sad.

On my FIRST day as an LVN, (LTC) a res was screaming in her room as I was walking out to leave. I went in to see what was going on. She was having an anxiety attack and severe pain (post stroke). I pulled the call light, and no one came. Uggg.

So I peeked out the door and saw my CNA walking down the hall, and told him to come sit with res. I went down to get her a Xanax and a pain pill, well relief nurse was in the restroom, and relief CNA (with call light still going off) was sitting behind nurses station reading a newspaper. I told CNA to tell the nurse to get a Xanax and pain pill for res. She said OK. I go to relieve my CNA. Said goodbye to him, and stayed with res. after 10 minutes, CNA COMES INTO ROOM WITH XANAX AND MORPHINE PILL. She is soooooo shocked to see me still there, she hands me the pills and RUNS to the relief nurse. I could NOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW!!!!

(I did immediately call DON and tell what happened. Luckily, my CNA was still checking on another res, and saw the whole thing.--------they got a slap on the wrist! that was it!!!) :madface: :madface:

[banditrn]

While working in a small hospital in rural eastern Kentucky (culture shock for me as I'm orginally from Miami) I was called down to the ER to assist with a patient. At the time I was the house supervisor. When I got there and asked what the problem was the ER RN indicated she needed an IV started on a patient that needed blood. I asked what size cath had she already tried and she indicated she hadnt attempted any sticks. When I asked her why she indicated that the patient was "black" who had been passing through our area and she couldnt recall ever having a "black" patient nor ever starting an IV on an african american. Needless to say I didnt understand her not trying to start the IV. She also wanted to know about the blood as she asked "How can I tell what color the donor is before I give it?" Again I was like "HUH?" Her response was "Well I always understood you had to give the same race of blood as if you give a white person black blood they will turn black and I dont know if it's the same with blacks! I dont want to give it not knowing so you'll have to do it" Now this was the charge RN who had been there for over 10 years. It took all I could not to ask her where the heck did you get your degree from!!! I just couldnt believe the ignorance. And she did this all in front of the patient!!!

Lacie, you would almost have to wonder if she was joking!! I'd have probably laughed at her - or hit her - the poor patient!!

[Lacie, BSN, RN]

She was very serious as I initially thought this has got to be a joke although a very poor one. Contrary to what I initially thought she was dead serious. I did correct the ignorant opinion and she was truly embarrased after I had explained to her how untrue her information was. Surprisingly she did apologize letting me know she had never had any exposure outside of the very small community which was also rural with mostly coal mines besides nursing school for most of her lifetime (appalachian areas). I'm talking dirt floors and 8 year olds with chewing tobacco in thier mouths. This was back around 1982 for me. She was an older nurse so I'm guessing her education was in the early 60's but still.........

[EmerNurse, BSN, RN]

I remember Archie Bunker back in the 70's worrying about JUST this same thing! He had some sort of operation and got blood from a black man and was worried he'd turn back. I recall Mike and Gloria have a real hoot with him on that one!

[SillyLilly]

While working in a small hospital in rural eastern Kentucky (culture shock for me as I'm orginally from Miami) I was called down to the ER to assist with a patient. At the time I was the house supervisor. When I got there and asked what the problem was the ER RN indicated she needed an IV started on a patient that needed blood. I asked what size cath had she already tried and she indicated she hadnt attempted any sticks. When I asked her why she indicated that the patient was "black" who had been passing through our area and she couldnt recall ever having a "black" patient nor ever starting an IV on an african american. Needless to say I didnt understand her not trying to start the IV. She also wanted to know about the blood as she asked "How can I tell what color the donor is before I give it?" Again I was like "HUH?" Her response was "Well I always understood you had to give the same race of blood as if you give a white person black blood they will turn black and I dont know if it's the same with blacks! I dont want to give it not knowing so you'll have to do it" Now this was the charge RN who had been there for over 10 years. It took all I could not to ask her where the heck did you get your degree from!!! I just couldnt believe the ignorance. And she did this all in front of the patient!!!

:eek:

I cannot believe that someone can be that ignorant in the US with a nursing degree. I dont know, I guess I still have a lot to see in this country.

[twotrees2]

While working in a small hospital in rural eastern Kentucky (culture shock for me as I'm orginally from Miami) I was called down to the ER to assist with a patient. At the time I was the house supervisor. When I got there and asked what the problem was the ER RN indicated she needed an IV started on a patient that needed blood. I asked what size cath had she already tried and she indicated she hadnt attempted any sticks. When I asked her why she indicated that the patient was "black" who had been passing through our area and she couldnt recall ever having a "black" patient nor ever starting an IV on an african american. Needless to say I didnt understand her not trying to start the IV. She also wanted to know about the blood as she asked "How can I tell what color the donor is before I give it?" Again I was like "HUH?" Her response was "Well I always understood you had to give the same race of blood as if you give a white person black blood they will turn black and I dont know if it's the same with blacks! I dont want to give it not knowing so you'll have to do it" Now this was the charge RN who had been there for over 10 years. It took all I could not to ask her where the heck did you get your degree from!!! I just couldnt believe the ignorance. And she did this all in front of the patient!!!

roflmao - sorry i just couldnt stop laughing -maybe thats what happened to michael jackson? ROFLMAO

[KMM2006]

this note was printed twice

[KMM2006]

I have been a nurse for 19 years and have seen a lot of things but one that really stands out happened in a family practice office. One of the other nurses in the office had a patient that needed 4 units of Regular insulin to be given while in the clinic that day. The only thing I can say for the nurse is, thank the Lord she had enough sense to have her dose checked before she gave it. She asked me to look at it and she had drawn up 4cc of insulin. All I could say a the time was "Are you sure that is the right dose?" It took her three looks before she realized what she had done.:rotfl:

[HyperRNRachel]

A new nurse went to push 20mg. of Labetolol into a patient who was not on telemetry nor did she have the patient hooked up to a vital sign machine. She was just going to push it in...all at once! Thank goodness the charge nurse stopped her, got the patient hooked up to a vital sign machine, and instructed the nurse to push 5mg a times over 5 minutes. To be on the safe side the charge nurse also had the nurse wait 5 minutes in between 5mg. pushes.

I gave report to this nurse(the same nurse who went to push the Labetolo), I will call her RN M, about a patient who had just had chest tubes removed during the day shift. The patient was lethargic most of the day and kept trying to get out of bed, but pulse ox was 98% on 2L-O2-NC, resp rate 18, blood pressure stable, chest x-ray stable. I just had a bad feeling. I called the MD and resp therapy(to get a second pulse ox reading while the patient got scheduled breathing treatment), both thought maybe the patient was given too much morphine by RN M the night before. The MD dc'ed all narcotics. Since the patient was restless, I told RN M to keep a close eye on the patient, which is easy to do on our unit because the nurses station is the center of a circular unit. When I returned to work I found out the patient had died, in fact, she was found dead in the bed by the am x-ray team. Apparently the patient had tried to get out of bed during the evening (she was found with her legs hanging off the edge of the bed), pulled off her NC-O2, de-sated and died. RN M is no longer working at my hospital, but it took numerous incidents before management took action.

A float LVN, he has been banned from numberous units in our hospital, gave a fresh post op patient with a resp. rate of 10 50 mg of demerol, because the daughter of the patient stated her mother "is in pain and the OR nurse said you would give her pain meds when she needed them". Charge nurse had to take over, push narcan, and explain to the patient's family that we, as nurses, medicate the patient after proper assessesment by a nurse not the family members. Our charge nurse has told our unit director that she will sell her body on the streets before she ever works with this nurse again. Actually that is a nice summary of what the really said. Actually what she said included something about thigh high boots, bright red lipstick, and a colorful array of four letter words.

Night nurse who did not call to get a foley ordered for a patient who said they needed to pee but couldnt. I found the patient with a very distended bladder. Thank goodness the patient's MD was doing early assessments. Got an order to cath patient and got an immediate return of 1000mls of urine. The nurse said she didnt think the patient needed a foley because she had a hx of renal insufficiency! This actually happened twice by the same nurse, the second patient I placed the foley and got an immediate return of nearly 1800 mls. MD said not to worry about hypotension to just let it drain off.

TPN running without a pump. PCA's without proper tubing. NG tubes not functioning properly....wonder why patient is vomiting?

Get AM report, nurse states patient has resp rate of 16, looks kinda funny, is acting odd, maybe I should put O2 on him. Keeps givng report and stating "yeah that patient has me worried". He is kinda a funny grey color. I am getting worried. I stop report, go to the patient, place O2 on him, get stat VS, get MD orders with stat this and that. Crap patient is hypotensive. Start bolus, patient transfered to ICU within 30 minutes.

On a funnier note, a fresh post-op hip patient had order to get out of bed TID and abductor pillow at all times. The patient had to get up during the night to use the bedside potty. The nurse, somehow, did this while leaving the abductor pillow in place! I get a picture of Gumby!

MD who ordered Ambien 10mg. every 4 hours . I read it, gave the chart back to a very sleepy looking doctor who made the corrections without even taking the time to say "thank you for catching that ". Funny thing is the order was noted by my charge nurse and was put onto the patients MAR by pharmacy.

It makes me nuts how long it takes to get idiotic, uneducated, careless, nurses fired.

I cannnot remember who wrote it (she must be a genius), but, I too, would rather work with a nurse who is willing to ask questions than with a nurse who thinks she knows it all.

I know I am not perfect, so please do not think I am a know it all. I am a new nurse (even after doing this for a year), but I know when to get HELP from someone with more experience. Never any shame in that. Never.

[JeepgirlRN]

How about this... A pt has a low blood sugar and a RN goes to get some D50.. Only instead of grabbing D50 she unlocks the narcotics cabinet, gets out an amp of morphine (for PCA), signs out the morphine and gives it to the patient... A whole 50 mg of morphine pushed for a low blood sugar.

[twotrees2]

I cannnot remember who wrote it (she must be a genius), but, I too, would rather work with a nurse who is willing to ask questions than with a nurse who thinks she knows it all.

.

i think several folks said that an i wholehertedly agree - id rather be asked ,or ask, then work with someone who wont ask or wont answer. a good team will help each other and that makes everythings oo much smoother.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

How about this... A pt has a low blood sugar and a RN goes to get some D50.. Only instead of grabbing D50 she unlocks the narcotics cabinet, gets out an amp of morphine (for PCA), signs out the morphine and gives it to the patient... A whole 50 mg of morphine pushed for a low blood sugar.

YIKES!!

[teletechboy]

How about having your stupid RN co-workers blurt out "Dirty lady parts" over and over in Tagalog and think it's funny at the workplace. These Golden Girl jaded nurses need to check themselves.