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:

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

9. Refusing to do CPR because "my card expired".

What are the implications of a nurse doing CPR with an expired card? Can the nurse be sued?

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I dealt with a Private Duty Caregiver who put A&D ointment in a resident's lady parts because "it looks red."

[diane227, LPN, RN]

These events occurred over a 32 year time period at different facilities. The majority of the nurses I have worked with have been wonderful, safe, sound minded people who just wanted to do a good job.

[rachelgeorgina]

I had a new intern order IV Tylenol once. :trout:

Is this not common? On my last clinical every second patient was on IV infusions of paracetamol in the post-op period while they were NBM.

[thehipcrip]

One night in the ED, a tetraplegic patient who manages her bladder with a Foley and had previous experiences with nosocomial UTIs, was on a gurney while waiting for a bed in Med/Surg. Patient noticed her collection bag was full, and asked that someone come empty it.

CNA arrives and, without washing her hands or putting on gloves, reaches to empty the bag. Patient stops her, explaining the hx of UTIs she's caught while hospitalized and asks the CNA to either wash/sanitize her hands or put on gloves before touching the collection bag.

The CNA proceeds to argue with the patient about washing her hands, telling the patient how "all that hand washing makes her skin too dry" so unless the patient can provide her with hand lotion, CNA will not clean her hands.

When patient holds her ground (telling CNA that patient does indeed have lotion, but the CNA is free to glove up if hand washing is too harsh), CNA finally relents and dons gloves, but continues to complain about having to follow protocol.

The CNA's parting words to the patient? That she was "far more likely to catch something nasty from the patient than the patient was from her."

[pca_85]

One night in the ED, a tetraplegic patient who manages her bladder with a Foley and had previous experiences with nosocomial UTIs, was on a gurney while waiting for a bed in Med/Surg. Patient noticed her collection bag was full, and asked that someone come empty it.

CNA arrives and, without washing her hands or putting on gloves, reaches to empty the bag. Patient stops her, explaining the hx of UTIs she's caught while hospitalized and asks the CNA to either wash/sanitize her hands or put on gloves before touching the collection bag.

The CNA proceeds to argue with the patient about washing her hands, telling the patient how "all that hand washing makes her skin too dry" so unless the patient can provide her with hand lotion, CNA will not clean her hands.

When patient holds her ground (telling CNA that patient does indeed have lotion, but the CNA is free to glove up if hand washing is too harsh), CNA finally relents and dons gloves, but continues to complain about having to follow protocol.

The CNA's parting words to the patient? That she was "far more likely to catch something nasty from the patient than the patient was from her."

Wow. Someone's so in the wrong line of work.

[cardiacmadeline, RN]

I once got a post-op that had a bronch done during surgery. PACU tells me that they had to put him on CPAP because of breathing difficulties. He comes down to me, I listen to his lung sounds, and he has no lung sounds on his right side! Contact the MD who performed the bronch, orders CXR, R lung collapsed. Patient got a chest tube soon after and was off of CPAP soon after that.

I have seen a couple of nurses administer ordered prn IV narcotics, but because the patient is still in pain, they administered it an hour early or gave them a "little extra"--without a doctor's order.

One of our CABG patients had a low BP, the charge nurse goes in the room and finds IVF infusing at 200ml/hr. The nurse decided to turn up his IVF to help his blood pressure. I don't believe she notified the doc, but knowing the charge nurse, she probably made the RN call the doc and let him know.

This one drives me nuts. Holding coreg per nursing judgment for a patient with CHF, because the RN felt SBP in the 90's was too low. If you are unsure of giving it, then notify the MD! This just shows lack of knowledge and that is why I think it drives me nuts. Same thing with holding Lantus without notifying the MD.

This was during clinicals. I asked a CNA to help me get a patient who just had hip surgery out of bed. She goes in the room, grabs him by the ankles, and pulls him to the edge of the bed by his ankles! Needless to say, the patient was not happy and he ended up staying in bed.

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

Is this not common? On my last clinical every second patient was on IV infusions of paracetamol in the post-op period while they were NBM.

In the US, acetaminophen (your paracetamol) is not available IV/IM. It comes in an oral form only.

[VegetasGRL03RN]

In the US, acetaminophen (your paracetamol) is not available IV/IM. It comes in an oral form only.

Don't forget about PR! :)

[maestrotee]

I saw a nurse sniff and then lick her finger and exclaim... "Yep, it's Jevity"... she touched goop that was around the stoma of a G-tube.... I damn near stroked out

WHAT THE ...?!?! I think I just threw up in my mouth a little! Blechhhhh!!!

[meluhn]

This one drives me nuts. Holding coreg per nursing judgment for a patient with CHF, because the RN felt SBP in the 90's was too low. If you are unsure of giving it, then notify the MD! This just shows lack of knowledge and that is why I think it drives me nuts. Same thing with holding Lantus without notifying the MD.

I do hold coreg for this reason all the time, I dont see the problem. I think holding it is a better option than letting the pt bp bottom out. Unless the pt is tachy, I don't see the problem with holding it. Beta blockers used to be contraindicated in chf, this one is used for tachy arrythmias. I hold it and then notify the md when I get around to it, chances are they will get it again later anyway. :redbeathe If you know otherwise, please enlighten me.

[belgarion]

When I was a student an RN one of my classmates was shadowing drew up an IM injection with a blunt and then forgot to switch needles. She somehow managed to force the thing through the patient's skin to give the injection. She then blamed the student for not catching her and in the interest of "maintaining the school's relationship with the hospital" the student received three demerits. I might add it was only our third week of clinicals.