do any of you like codes??

Nurses Men

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i have a confession...i like codes, ok, i love codes.

i don't like that i like them, because, i know it means a human being is in big trouble. but my heart gets pumping, pin point pupils, adrenaline racing, my entire being focuses intesely on the moment....just thinking about it gets me excited.

even when they are over, the after glow keeps me going for hours. sometimes when the floor gets slow, i "almost" want a code.

my moral compass tells me this is wrong. i should not "want" a human to code. but i know they will, and the hospital is the safest place on earth for it to happen, and i want to be there when it happens.

does any body else feel this way??

i should also point out....i get very anxious and nervous when pt's expire. and aftercare makes me shake for about a day or two. i don't like death.

any meaningful comment would be appreciated.

Specializes in Respiratory Care/Step-down.

I'm not a big fan of codes, fortunately we don't have nearly as many as we could, or maybe should on our floor. I used to dread them before I got my ACLS, now I feel comfortable with them. Unless it's someone who really is being kept alive and is really in pain or has no quality of life I hate the idea that people who code don't come out the same for the most part.

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Specializes in CTICU.

I used to love codes, wanted to be part of the code team, wanted to do compressions, push drugs, zap the crap out of people. LOVED THE RUSH.

Ten plus years later I still enjoy the rush, not nearly as much but the enjoyment is still there, but I enjoy calm days as well. I also really enjoy preventing the code. In ICU you can focus your attention on a few patients and catch things that might be missed elsewhere.

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i have a confession...i like codes, ok, i love codes.

i don't like that i like them, because, i know it means a human being is in big trouble. but my heart gets pumping, pin point pupils, adrenaline racing, my entire being focuses intesely on the moment....just thinking about it gets me excited.

even when they are over, the after glow keeps me going for hours. sometimes when the floor gets slow, i "almost" want a code.

my moral compass tells me this is wrong. i should not "want" a human to code. but i know they will, and the hospital is the safest place on earth for it to happen, and i want to be there when it happens.

does any body else feel this way??

i should also point out....i get very anxious and nervous when pt's expire. and aftercare makes me shake for about a day or two. i don't like death.

any meaningful comment would be appreciated.

I agree, it seems wrong somehow to like them, but I think people have hit the nail on the head, it's a chance to do what you've really trained for. I was a tech in the ED of a Level I Trauma center before nursing school and I used to LOVE a good trauma resus. It seemed really morbid to me until someone explained it like this.

People code, people get hurt bad. I'm not wishing it to happen to anyone, I'm just wishing that WHEN it happens, it's on my shift. :-)

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Specializes in Open Heart.

A patient I was taking care of today coded. He was post CABG and there was no time to get back to the OR, so the doc opened the chest up in the room. It was my first open chest code and I was damn scared. I was kind of pushed out of the way by the more experienced nurses, which was fine with me. I'm sure I'll get my chance to really get my hands dirty in a code situation, but I can tell you it's not something I hope for.

I do, however, hope that I am prepared enough to handle it when the situation does arise.

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I prefer to spend my shift with an extremely sick one on drips and try to stay ahead of a code happening. Just my preference....not to say that I don't enjoy participating in a code though.

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In place of getting your adreneline pumped over a code. Why don't you take up sky diving. This way the only person that may suffer is you. A good nurse prevents a code, by recognizing the signs and symptoms. When the unit is quiet it means everyone has done a good job keeping the patients stable.Next time you are in a code and you are pumping on someone's chest do what I do, in your head say the Lord's Prayer. I am not a religious fanatic, just respectful of the infirmed.icon3.gif

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Specializes in gen icu/ neuro icu/ trauma icu/hdu.

pa, I don't think anyone is being disrespectful of the individual who has coded. The common theme is that for those who feel challenged in a positive manner by being in a code that it is sad that someone else is in trouble. While we all strive to prevent codes they will continue to happen regardless of how good you and your team are. Why ? Simple people with irritable hearts will code, people with uncontrolled blood and fluid loss will code. people with massive electolyte shifts will code, simply becase they are so sick and these changes can occur more rapidly than even the best team can accomodate. Personally when in a code i'm beating my brains to think of probable causes and the treatment.... and wondering what the patient really wants.

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Specializes in He who hesitates is probably right....

At first I thought it was kind of exciting. After a couple of years, it's become sort of routine. One of our new orientees told me that she hoped that someone would code so that she could see what it was like. I explained to her that it was our job to make sure that our patients didn't code. Alas, she got her wish within her first 4 hours.

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sometimes the best code of all. Is no code at all

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

Or... the best code is the one that doesn't inevitably happen right before shift change.

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Specializes in Med Surg, ER, OR.

I think I already posted on this, but i do like the adrenaline rush during codes. I somehow do my best under pressure, and can still keep it all together.

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Specializes in ICU. Med/Surg: Ortho, Neuro, & Cardiac.

I can understand and somewhat agree, without hoping to sound sick, with the OP.

Of course, as a CNA, my role in a code is usually chest compressions...but it is an 'amazing' feeling to know that you could possibly bring a person back to life. I'll never forget my first code. The coolest (for lack of a better term) feeling was when the lab tech was drawing blood and could only fill the syringe if I was doing active compressions. So it was then I realized that I was the one pumping the blood through the pt's body...even though I knew that was the purpose of compressions, it still felt wonderful to see it.

I absolutely detest codes. It's probably due to the fact that I work in a nursing home, where codes are rarely successful when performed on elderly hearts that are already diseased and/or enlarged.

I get where you are coming from. I work in a hospital, but the last time I saw a code blue was about a month ago. I just got done changing the pt and I go back in 15 minutes later to take his 0400 v/s. Well, he was in full cardiac arrest when I entered the room. As the first responder, I pulled the code switch, bagged the pt, and started compressions. Poor guy was 86 years old. :-(

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