Most shocking thing you've seen another nurse do?

Nurses Relations

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SNF. RN supervisor summoned (overhead, at about 0300) me to one of her rooms. She was attempting to insert an NG tube in an alert man, about 40, alcoholic, with varices. Told me she felt a 'blockage'. She was holding the tube as though it were a fork, and she was 'stabbing' something. She rammed the tube down, pulled back, then rammed it again- until blood exloded out the tube. I suctioned him really quick and the suction tubing, canister and filters became packed with blood. I ran out and called 911, came back told her "Get the **** away from him! What are you DOING"?. I was suspended, for allowing her, an RN, my supervisor, to be so incompetent. Was told I should have known she was incompetent, and should have 'taken the NG from her and inserted it yourself'. Oh, really. Yes, he died. She was 'asked to resign', because her son was the medical director of the place. The panic on that man's face is clear today, and that was 25 years ago. BTW- I don't think an LVN should insert NG tubes, it's as crazy as giving TPN. Out of bounds, my opinion.

Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.

A multip patient came in and delivered a full term, viable baby en caul in the triage room. You could clearly see thick, particulate meconium floating all around the baby. Unfortunately, the lady was in the triage room so there weren't any delivery instruments on hand (and no doctor on the unit). The nurse ran out the door. I thought she was running to go get supplies. Nope, she just ran away. Maybe she'd never seen a baby en caul before. Maybe she was really supersitious about cauls. I've really wanted to run and hide in the bathroom before, but I've never actually done it. So, the charge nurse sent me to go get supplies and call the doc, and she went in the triage room muttering about travelers under her breath. I was a travel nurse, too, so I really didn't appreciate the behavior of the runner. Baby was fine, the mom was freaked out. Runner never returned to the unit. :rolleyes:

One day during 1200 med pass...I was chatting with an elderly pt ( patiently waiting for her to take her 27 different meds) and I noticed another nurse was giving her meds PO with some custard to her elderly pt. What I saw next literally made me YACK! She had her meds crushed and had just spoon fed them to her pt...then she must have noticed that the chocolate custard looked awfully appetizing...because she took the SAME spoon ( yes! The one her pt just had in his gob!) and helped herself to a spoonful of the pt's custard...straight into her mouth!! Ok...so this was revolting enough....but then I looked over at the pt...and he was one of those elderly gentlemen that always had a mouth lined with schmegma and crusty bits dried on his lips!!! ( you know the type...sweet ol' fella that has no problem taking his dentures out after a meal to lick them clean)

All nursing standards aside....This made me gag something terrible for nearly an hour!!!!:***:

Suffice to say...I NEVER accepted little cakes and treats from her again!!!

One day during 1200 med pass...I was chatting with an elderly pt ( patiently waiting for her to take her 27 different meds) and I noticed another nurse was giving her meds PO with some custard to her elderly pt. What I saw next literally made me YACK! She had her meds crushed and had just spoon fed them to her pt...then she must have noticed that the chocolate custard looked awfully appetizing...because she took the SAME spoon ( yes! The one her pt just had in his gob!) and helped herself to a spoonful of the pt's custard...straight into her mouth!! Ok...so this was revolting enough....but then I looked over at the pt...and he was one of those elderly gentlemen that always had a mouth lined with schmegma and crusty bits dried on his lips!!! ( you know the type...sweet ol' fella that has no problem taking his dentures out after a meal to lick them clean)

All nursing standards aside....This made me gag something terrible for nearly an hour!!!!:***:

Suffice to say...I NEVER accepted little cakes and treats from her again!!!

That is sooooo gross

Specializes in Pain, critical care, administration, med.

I think I need a Xanax after reading this stuff. The most recent thing I know of was a nurse calling my office to check on how to irrigate a chest tube. This nurse was the smart one to check but it was the other nurses that did it because the MD wrote the order.

Responding to early response calls I often found patient alarms turned off!!!! Really! Why monitor?

A multip patient came in and delivered a full term viable baby en caul in the triage room. You could clearly see thick, particulate meconium floating all around the baby. Unfortunately, the lady was in the triage room so there weren't any delivery instruments on hand (and no doctor on the unit). The nurse ran out the door. I thought she was running to go get supplies. Nope, she just ran away. Maybe she'd never seen a baby en caul before. Maybe she was really supersitious about cauls. I've really wanted to run and hide in the bathroom before, but I've never actually done it. So, the charge nurse sent me to go get supplies and call the doc, and she went in the triage room muttering about travelers under her breath. I was a travel nurse, too, so I really didn't appreciate the behavior of the runner. Baby was fine, the mom was freaked out. Runner never returned to the unit. :rolleyes:[/quote']

What is caul?

Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
What is caul?

"En caul" is when a baby is delivered with the sac intact and the baby inside it, I believe.

Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.
"En caul" is when a baby is delivered with the sac intact and the baby inside it, I believe.

Spot on, and correct!

"En caul" is when a baby is delivered with the sac intact and the baby inside it, I believe.

It is believed to be good luck in some cultures :D

Saw a nurse who went against protocol and pulled 'Tylenol' for a patient and gave it without using our electronic MAR (scan pt, scan med) and gave the pills... she went back an hour later to scan it, she gave 2 lopressor pills instead of 2 Tylenol..

This thread is making me nervous to graduate in May. All these crazy errors that kill people. :-\ Hope I never give someone a story like these to tell.

I've recently started working as a nurse, and trust me, I feel the same! The best thing us to have a constant fear, so that way you always double check yourself. And the biggest rule is NEVER ASSUME!! If u have any doubt, don't be scared to ask. I'd rather people think I'm stupid than be a murderer..

Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.
[COLOR=#003366]Baubo516, Hopefully this helps answer your question and makes sense :sorry:

In my facility we often get orders to replace the amount of a patients NG tube drainage. The order will say to replace 1/2 of the NG output with NS IVF over 8 hours and will show up in the MAR at 1400, 2200, and 0600 and Here's how it goes:

NG tube drainage was 600 cc over 8 hours

Divide the 600 cc in half and then divide by 8 hrs = 25 cc/hr

Titrate Pt 0.9 or NS IVF to 25 cc/hr to help replace fluids lost from GI system

*The replacement fluids may be the primary fuid or piggy-backed into the primary fluids in which case only the replacement fluid is titrated and if piggy-backed into a primary IVF, that IVF stays the same.

I have got to be missing something...600 divided by 2 then divided by 8 = I don't get 25, what am I doing wrong? I've got an eye for figures and it didn't seem right so I actually did the math and didn't get 25. Even if you wanted to double check yourself and figured 8 x 25 it should come out to the original half...it doesn't.:banghead:

I know this is only an example but it could stick in somebodies mind as correct. That is if it is correct.

Specializes in Educator.

"En caul" is when a baby is delivered with the sac intact and the baby inside it, I believe.

I have never heard that term before. When I worked L&D my first precip delivery was "under the veil" as they called it. Took me a few seconds to figure out why the bulb syringe couldn't enter the nose or mouth. The membranes were transparent. I was told it was supposed to be good luck. Different strokes for different folks I guess!

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