What have other nurses done that have freaked you out?

Nurses General Nursing

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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: :madface: :madface:

1. A nurse running dopamine and dobutamine for unstable patient in the same IV line.

Specializes in CRNA.
1. A nurse running dopamine and dobutamine for unstable patient in the same IV line.

Why would you freak out? There is nothing wrong with this.

My first nursing job in a LTC as a charge burse, the other charge nurse (an RN), would leave ink all over the nursing notes. Found out when she would fall asleep while writing, her pen would make ink trails all over the pages.

This same nurse gave 35 units of NPH insulin to a 90# debilatated resident...and he WAS NOT a diabetic. He died 2 days later. Nothing was done to her. No write up, no reprimand, no firing!! :confused:

Years later, I tell a colleague that our boss could go **** himself, I get fired a day later! Go figure!!:eek:

Specializes in Mostly geri :).
My first nursing job in a LTC as a charge burse, the other charge nurse (an RN), would leave ink all over the nursing notes. Found out when she would fall asleep while writing, her pen would make ink trails all over the pages.

This same nurse gave 35 units of NPH insulin to a 90# debilatated resident...and he WAS NOT a diabetic. He died 2 days later. Nothing was done to her. No write up, no reprimand, no firing!! :confused:

Years later, I tell a colleague that our boss could go **** himself, I get fired a day later! Go figure!!:eek:

OMG! Doesn't sound like a place worthy of you anyway. Yikes.

Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

A nurse who falsified assessments and vitals on a patient on pressors. When caught, the nurse said "Well I forgot to take them, but I just guessed about what they might have been." That nurse is no longer with that hospital, needless to say.

Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.
My first nursing job in a LTC as a charge burse, the other charge nurse (an RN), would leave ink all over the nursing notes. Found out when she would fall asleep while writing, her pen would make ink trails all over the pages.:eek:

Haha. This alone doesn't make someone a bad person or nurse. Sometimes I have a little bout of narcolepsy in the afternoon while charting. I chart on computers and sometimes I doze off for a minute and it looks like thissssssssssssss#$^&*(KKK

LOL

Of course I can fix it before saving it. I am so afraid someone will think I am a drug addict or something. Does this happen to anyone else?

Specializes in LTC, Acute care.

I read all the posts and I laughed at some and shuddered in horror at the others. The most disgusting tale here which has also left a permanent bitter taste in my mouth and grossed me out to no end is the one where the nurse 'sniffed and licked' the substance around patient's stoma. Ewwwwwwwwww!

I've been a CNA for 6 years now and I remember the nurse I worked with in the nursing home would give me meds in the little medicine cup to give to residents. I thought it meant the nurse thought I was trust-worthy but now that I know what I know, the memories of those days make me shudder.

I've also worked with CNAs that did not clean poopy residents with gloves nor did they wash their hands. I knew one that only washed her hands, even after she cleaned people that had soiled themeselves, only when she got to the end of the round. Such people I avoid and I make sure I accept nothing from them or let them touch any of my things.

Specializes in LTC, Acute care.

As someone preparing to start a career as a nurse, after reading all these stories, I guess the most important thing I gleaned from these stories is that I have to be very careful as nurse and never become complacent or think there's ever a stage I get to that I'll automatically know it all.:nurse:

These stories are TERRIFYING!! How did some of these people get their licenses?????????

I have a few... One new RN on our subacute floor had a new admit that was a post-surgical pt. He had lovenox ordered but it wasn't in from Pharmacy. I told her to get on the phone to pharmacy and get it ordered and sent out stat. He hadn't had the lovenox in 18 hrs. I assumed she had done it as she said she was on it. (HER pt. btw, not mine.) Next night I come in and again NO lovenox. She didn't bother to do anything! :confused: :eek:

I don't want to sound like a complete jerk, but I used to work at Cedar Point and they sent us all through a particular training, so I thought I'd pass this training along to you...

When you page someone, request something, etc. and you need it sooner rather than later, you use the acronym ASAP. This means it's not something that is life or death. If the patient will not die or lose a limb NOW, then you will need this drug ASAP.

If a patient is literally getting ready to crump, they have low compensatory ability and are dyspnic and/or Vitals are crashing, AND the med will hopefully will remedy this problem, then you definitely need the order STAT.

STAT will get it sent to the front of EVERYTHING. EVERYBODY'S meds will get postponed b/c pharmacy has to stop their well oiled machine to take care of your request. ASAP will be put in front of the "regular" orders, which will have more pharmacy techs and pharmacists available to fulfill your request.

If a patient is in acute and severe fluid overload and you need a dose of bumex, resp neb tx, and possibly some ativan, then you need these meds STAT. A patient will not die from not having lovenox RIGHT THIS MINUTE. (I'm assuming probably for DVT prophylaxis in a post-surgical patient). This means that ASAP should be used, and should be administered as soon as possible, but should not be confused w/ a patient that is bleeding uncontrollably, a patient that can't breathe, a patient that is having chest pain, etc.

Final thought... 9/10 times you do NOT need a medication STAT. It took me a long time to get that through my skull. Almost EVERYTHING that you need is "ASAP" (and if you've looked ahead far enough, you will need the med "In 2hrs" (which the pharmacy like the most, and will probably send up faster sometimes ... especially if you order something like lovenox "stat")

OTHER final note: Lovenox continues to work for 24+hrs depending on a patients renal function and creat clearance/GFR. Therefore the patient may have been slightly subtherapeutic more than usual, but they still at least have SOME of the med in their system.

Again I'm sorry if I came off rude or obnoxious, it's just something I see people write all the time and think it's something that every hospital should address w/ their staff at some point in orientation.

Specializes in LTC.
I don't want to sound like a complete jerk, but I used to work at Cedar Point and they sent us all through a particular training, so I thought I'd pass this training along to you...

When you page someone, request something, etc. and you need it sooner rather than later, you use the acronym ASAP. This means it's not something that is life or death. If the patient will not die or lose a limb NOW, then you will need this drug ASAP.

If a patient is literally getting ready to crump, they have low compensatory ability and are dyspnic and/or Vitals are crashing, AND the med will hopefully will remedy this problem, then you definitely need the order STAT.

STAT will get it sent to the front of EVERYTHING. EVERYBODY'S meds will get postponed b/c pharmacy has to stop their well oiled machine to take care of your request. ASAP will be put in front of the "regular" orders, which will have more pharmacy techs and pharmacists available to fulfill your request.

If a patient is in acute and severe fluid overload and you need a dose of bumex, resp neb tx, and possibly some ativan, then you need these meds STAT. A patient will not die from not having lovenox RIGHT THIS MINUTE. (I'm assuming probably for DVT prophylaxis in a post-surgical patient). This means that ASAP should be used, and should be administered as soon as possible, but should not be confused w/ a patient that is bleeding uncontrollably, a patient that can't breathe, a patient that is having chest pain, etc.

Final thought... 9/10 times you do NOT need a medication STAT. It took me a long time to get that through my skull. Almost EVERYTHING that you need is "ASAP" (and if you've looked ahead far enough, you will need the med "In 2hrs" (which the pharmacy like the most, and will probably send up faster sometimes ... especially if you order something like lovenox "stat")

OTHER final note: Lovenox continues to work for 24+hrs depending on a patients renal function and creat clearance/GFR. Therefore the patient may have been slightly subtherapeutic more than usual, but they still at least have SOME of the med in their system.

Again I'm sorry if I came off rude or obnoxious, it's just something I see people write all the time and think it's something that every hospital should address w/ their staff at some point in orientation.

I don't think your post was rude or obnoxious; however, there is a difference between how STAT is used in long-term/skilled nursing facilities and how it's used in hospitals. In LTC, when we order a med or x-ray STAT, it is generally understood that it will be done within four hours and it is understood that b/c it's not a hospital, it's not literally life or death. I'm assuming that the post you're addressing is referring to a skilled nursing facility that is more along the lines of a "nursing home" type setting (OP referred to is as sub-acute).

The RN, who happened to be a nun, was orientating me when I noticed she emptied a urinal with no gloves, did not wash her hands...we then went on coffeebreak & she peeled & ate a hard boiled egg...still after not washing her hands, EWWWWWWWWW!

Specializes in Telemetry, Neuro, Renal, Ortho.
A nurse crushed Percocets, mixed with water, and gave it through a central line IV.:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Wow!!! That's freaky..

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