You, The Expert; Share Your Story?

psu_213, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2011

I realized I had more experience than a nursing student when he charted "adequate PO fluid intake" on out pt. BTW, pt was a dialysis pt and on a fluid restriction. Not sure if his instructor had read his note before he charted it...I had some (very pleasant) words with him and then I wrote an addendum to his note.

A friend of mine (who, at the time, had been a nurse for just over a year) when a med student asked if he (the med student) could watch him (my friend) insert a Foley so he (the med student) could learn.

BrookeeLou_RN · Mar 18, 2011

After working one year at Johns Hopkins High Risk L&D, I moved to Fl and got position in community hospital L&D.. Within 2 weeks I realized I knew more than any of them. I was scared to death because I could not really just say that. One night they were using mag sulfate for preterm labor and doing it wrong..Not my patient but finally I just stood up in Nurses station and said "you are doing it wrong and she is going to seize" ad as I said the word seize,, she did..very large woman on very small gurney in recovery room for lack of better place to put her.. She ended up in neuro ICU .. very bad scene. They all looked at me but not one person said a word. Not the Doctor, charge nurse, other staff no one.

I tried to fit in but after working in one of the country's top teaching centers I could not forget what I learned there.. They were 20 yrs ahead, and I imagine they still are. I ended up leaving that hospital and L&D all together which broke my heart as it was the reason I became a nurse.. But even if I had to do it over I would never give up that awesome experience

NPvampire, MSN, RN, APRN · Mar 18, 2011

I watched our licensed NP actually order us to hold a patient and stick him with Phenergan after he vomited one single time on purpose so that the HST would have to clean it up. I called myself about even on that one...the MD on the unit gave her "the look" and told her to write it PRN for future vomiting episodes.

roser13, ASN, RN · Mar 18, 2011

I realized it on my first job on a Med/Surg floor in a large teaching hospital. It was mid-July and all the newly minted interns were scurrying around in their short little white coats, pockets bulging with reference books (15 years ago - no smartphones).

I was fresh out of nursing school, but a non-traditional new grad - i.e. old. So the interns routinely flocked to me, assuming I was greatly experienced and could give them advice. Scared the crap out of me. It's not so much that I realized that I knew more than they, it was that they didn't know all that much or at least were terribly inexperienced at this point in their career, yet were responsible for so much of the patient care.

It really made me buckle down and try to learn, learn, learn as quickly as I could. I knew I needed to be on my toes to protect my patients from well-meaning, inexperienced MD's.

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Mar 18, 2011

Lol @ the idea of any nurse being more knowledgeable than an attending physician.

Other than that caveat, I'd say my progression to expert was a just gradual growth curve. I never had a proverbial "light bulb moment" when I suddenly thought I reached some pinnacle. Not yet anyway.

OCNRN63, RN · Mar 18, 2011

Lol @ the idea of any nurse being more knowledgeable than an attending physician.
Other than that caveat, I'd say my progression to expert was a just gradual growth curve. I never had a proverbial "light bulb moment" when I suddenly thought I reached some pinnacle. Not yet anyway.

This.

Mulan · Mar 18, 2011

Is anyone an expert?

There is always more to learn.

There is always someone more knowledgeable than you.

roser13, ASN, RN · Mar 18, 2011

Is anyone an expert?
There is always more to learn.
There is always someone more knowledgeable than you.

I think OP is just asking for those light-bulb moments when we all realize that "Wow! We're all professionals here, and I may just have something to add to the situation that no one else has thought of!"

I don't imagine that she's asking anyone to divulge that they are the be-all and know-all in any situation.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2011

Is anyone an expert?
There is always more to learn.
There is always someone more knowledgeable than you.

It's "not a once and forever" thing, more of a comparative thing. We can never say we know everything there is to know on a certain topic. But we do often find ourselves working with students and newer grads from various disciplines and, compared to them, we really are much more experienced, more expert.

And it's not a pride issue, not if we keep in mind what I said at the beginning - that there is always more to learn.

RNKPCE · Mar 20, 2011

I agree no expert but seasoned with lots of experience.

Attending a rapid response and a nurse a year out of nursing school was pushing atropine for bradycardia and pushing it slowly. I said you have to push it fast and she said " I don't know" and I said you better push it fast or you are going to have more problems, she still was pushing it relatively slowly like over 1 minute and before long the heart rate was going lower and lower. Bet she will always push it faster in the future.

psu_213, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2011

I agree no expert but seasoned with lots of experience.
Attending a rapid response and a nurse a year out of nursing school was pushing atropine for bradycardia and pushing it slowly. I said you have to push it fast and she said " I don't know" and I said you better push it fast or you are going to have more problems, she still was pushing it relatively slowly like over 1 minute and before long the heart rate was going lower and lower. Bet she will always push it faster in the future.

I'm not posting this to make you feel like less of an expert, but I was bothered by the issue of how fast you push atropine. My drug book says that IV atropine should be pushed over "at least 1 minute." The next bullet point, however, states "be aware that slow I.V. infusion may cause slowing of the heart rate." Now, I would slam it if it was a pulseless arrest...