When will people learn NOT to say the "Q" word...

[OnlybyHisgraceRN]

Its 6:35pm, census is 6 patients on a 16 bed icu.... Just as I'm about to give report, the oncoming nurses states how "quite" the unit is. Before the nurse can even finish her statement my patient who was given transfer orders goes into 40 beats of bigeminy pvcs and is symptomatic.

People please, don't say the q word, especially around a new grad rn ICU nurse....

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Are people really that superstitious?

I wasn't until I became a nurse. The Q word has some power to it. And things are especially crazy on a full moon. Also, when the weather is nice, people like to go out and get hurt and shoot each other.

[FurBabyMom, MSN, RN]

Woah, some of you need to RELAX. I thought some commenters were just kidding. Believing that saying, "slow, quiet, bored" will lead to a crazy night isn't any more concerning than a nurse believing in god/s or anything else . Plenty of science based professionals go to churches, mosques and temples...... just like some of them will never say, "sure is a quiet night !"

Also , has anyone else experienced that working with a certain combination of nurses will ensure a disaster shift each time?

You know, you're right in all of your comment. I have learned not to say some of those things because most likely, of a bizarre coincidence of people saying stuff like that and bad stuff happening. I just don't say stuff like that at all. I worked as a floor nurse at a level 1 trauma center this past year, and I'm now working in a procedure area elsewhere (again level 1). I suppose more than anything I just avoided saying stuff like that to avoid tempting fate. I also prayed a couple of nights - to make it out okay the next morning. Most of the nights that were horrible coincidentally did have the same specific group of nurses. Surprisingly though, one of the nurses I thought hated everyone was the most helpful to me during a crisis situation with a patient of mine.

I believe that nursing and medicine / healthcare should be practiced as evidence based as much as possible. But that doesn't mean that sometimes crazy stuff doesn't happen at work anyways. Where I worked as a floor nurse, we had a ghost in one room occasionally (some of the nurses had seen it, some of the patients had too). It doesn't make me less of a nurse because I don't categorically deny the claims others made about the ghost. It doesn't make me less of a nurse because I'm a practicing Catholic, or because my patients sometimes hold very different beliefs than mine about religion (generally I only know about their beliefs because of having completed their admission assessment and/or they request I contact someone from their clergy for them). That's usually about it. Doesn't mean I don't use science to help me take care of my patients.

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

Nothing wrong with noting a recurring correlation between 2 events, even if we can't explain it. It's not necessarily unscientific-just something that we don't as yet have the capacity to understand/ explain.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

i worked with a nurse who tied her sheets in a knot on the corner of certain unstable patients to "tie them from moving on" . i never had the fortitude to untie them;) for the nurses i saw who did....had a code.

it's all fun and games and learned behavior. if you think to make a better night by not using the q word then i hope you have a good night. no harm,no foul.

I worked with nurses who did this too! I used to wonder why when it was usually an elderly patient who was ready

"No day but today"

[ComeTogether, LPN]

I had an orientee who felt like that, until he said it repeatedly just to tempt the gods and we got a 3 month old code. A week later he tried to prove he was still a nonbeliever and we got an 8yo drowning. Now he still says it's hogwash, but he respects my desire to NOT hear that word when I'm working.

I actually don't mind so much if a coworker says "quiet," but it ****** me off when a visitor remarks on how quiet it is. 1) They don't have a clue what's going on behind closed doors, 2) They usually say it in triage right before they want to know how long the wait is, 3) They don't realize how completely/utterly insane it can get within 90 seconds, and stay that way- what they see does not reflect our reality, so butt OUT. I know I'm unreasonable, but that's how I feel. If outsiders had to deal with the physical and emotional effects of a bad shift, well they'd have more respect!

Here's the thing though... The drowning was already happening when the words were said. Soooo I don't get it.

"No day but today"