Funny Student Bloopers

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Specializes in ICU/Cosmetic Sx/Lasers/Education/School/.

Okay, I just had to start this thread to see how many funny nursing student bloopers you've encountered.

1. I had a student that I put with a pt that has an AV fistula. She was doing her assessment to Feel the Thrill and Hear The Bruee. She felt the Thrill, but tell me why she leaned down, put her ear over the fistula and tried to listen to it, without a stethoscope. :chuckle

She realized what she did and told me she was having an off day! And then she said, "I guess I need my stethoscope don't I?" We grinned at each other. And we discussed it at post conference. Talk about a good laugh. I laughed so hard until tears came out. And I still laugh about.

Same Student

2. Student was watching the nurse insert a foley. Pt was allergic to iodine/shellfish. So the nurse asked me to go get the sterile wipes and just at that time the student said, Oh you would use alcohol instead. I can get some. :bluecry1: We looked at her and asked her if she was sure about that. Another student was in the room too and looked at her crossed eyed. She realized she said something wrong. Well, she said why not alcohol. I told her to think about it. She still looked puzzled. All three of us at the same time said, "Would you want someone putting alcohol on you down there?" OMG! She said. I was clearly not thinking, or trying to think to hard and not assessing the situation. She laughed about it and said no way I would want alcohol down there. :no:

I would love to hear some of your FUNNY BLOOPER moments with students.

Oh, these are second semester nursing students, first time doing clinical in the hospital setting.

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Specializes in Critical Care/Teaching.

I teach 3rd semester RNs and today one of my students asked me how to put a patient on a bedpan!! I was shocked!!

Brandie

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I had a small group of students just starting on a urology unit so I was showing them the various types of equipment they might see. I came to the CBI set up and said it uses a 3-way catheter. Before I could say anything else, one of the girls giggled. I stopped my presentation and looked at her, wondering what I might have said that was so funny. Seeing that she had everyone's attention she proudly blurted out, "Let's see ... you can put it 'in' and you can take it 'out' -- so, Mrs. B, what exactly is the third way?" Everyone roared and she thought they were laughing at me. Imagine the look on her face 30 seconds later when her friend finished whispering the explanation in her ear. (It was part of the reading assignment that they were to do the night before.)

:chuckle

(And, yes, I altered my future presentations skip to a full explanation of the catheter before calling it a '3-way' for the first time.)

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1. had a student who was an auto mechanic. first time insertion of an indwelling catheter. student charted "foley installed". :)

2. helping a student formulate a nurse's narrative note when another student interupted with a question. i answered that student's question and re-focused on my student who was writing a narrative note only to find that this student had written my answer to the other student's question in the chart. :)

3. had a student who warned me that she was particularly sensitive to odor of BM. i suggested that she put a little tooth paste under her nose. she did. it worked. the only thing is hse forgot to remove the tooth paste as she goes walking down the hall. :)

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Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).

Just today I had a student tell me in post-conference that her patients' first degree perineal laceration (OB clinical) had been steri-stripped! :rolleyes: On further questioning (from me), she realized she had confused her post-partum lady partsl delivery with her post-partum C-section patient.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

I have had to remind several that when describing a purulent wound it is best not to add the -sy when trying to explain that the wound is full of pus. :roll

Another favorite was the student who wrote of an 83-yr-old male pt "Pt states he has 16 children and claims to have been sexually active in the past"

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Specializes in NICU Level III.
I teach 3rd semester RNs and today one of my students asked me how to put a patient on a bedpan!! I was shocked!!

Brandie

We actually never learned this in school and I never did it in clinicals. My first time was when I was working as a tech and lemme tell you, 300 lb men on a bedpan is not an easy task!

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Specializes in medical.

I can see these stories somewhat funny, and hope that you laugh together with the students. On the other hand, it's not nice to ridicule poor nursing students, do you really consider yourself that superior? Or did you forget when you were a naive nursing student yourself? Maybe that makes you feel better.

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Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).
I can see these stories somewhat funny, and hope that you laugh together with the students. On the other hand, it's not nice to ridicule poor nursing students, do you really consider yourself that superior? Or did you forget when you were a naive nursing student yourself? Maybe that makes you feel better.

It NEVER approaches ridicule.....and I have the student evaluations (high scores on "sense of humour" and "attitude toward students") to prove it!

On the contrary, I am quick to make fun of (e.g. ridicule) myself, when I pull "bloopers" of my own.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

It's important (IMHO) to teach students to have a sense of humor, too. Sometimes ya just gotta laugh--much better than getting all stressed!

All these stories mentioned the student laughing once s/he "got it".

I especially liked the former mechanic "installing" a Foley!

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i usually share some of my own "bloopers" with students -- and i call them "kodak moments" to be cherished as memories that will add levity to their "worst night".

i always reassure students that we all have our stories.

on that "worst night" when everything has broken loose and everything seems to be going wrong, you will finally gather a few minutes of quiet alone -- and in that moment, one of your cherished kodak moments will bring a smile to your face and a laugh to your heart -- and everyone around you will wonder what you're up to. ;)

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

If you can't laugh at funny things done by students, your peers, yourself, you are in for a long life that has no humor. No one here indicated that they viewed themselves as superior. No need to attack others for finding humor in the everyday occurrences. I find your statement especially odd considering your previous posts in which you call a patient "stupid" and refer to new nurses as "naive," and in a third post state that many people are "dumb, ignorant." I think I prefer seeing the humor in simple things than a need to attack those who don't share my views by name calling. To each his/her own.

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