Confess! Whats the craziest force of habit you've done in the "Real World"

Nurses Humor

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I have heard some of the craziest things nurses have done out of force of habit in the "Real World". Aka out of the hospital.

I've heard that some sign their checks with first initial, last name RN.

Someone ran to aisle four in the grocery store because of a "code blue! clean up! Code blue!"

Knocking on the door before entering, any door, your front door.

Answering your cell phone "Nurses station"

Admiring someones veins.

Holding your invisible steth when leaning over.

Wheres the weirdest place you've fallen asleep?

Confess!

Specializes in LTC.
I have to admit as a NICU nurse I look at adult veins in public and think WOW I could start an IV in that with my eyes closed. When I saw my new niece for the first time my first though wasn't "Oh, she's so cute", it was "Look at those veins - I could start an IV in those."

I have answered my cell phone "NICU this is _____, how can I help you" only to hear my sister laughing at me when I finished.

I have also signed First inital, last name & RN on checks and a number of forms without thinking.

As for the funniest place I've ever fallen asleep, no comment.

I have answered the phone at home. " --- unit this is dajulieness"

Specializes in NICU.

I am also a NICU nurse and I have the habit of looking for "toaster head" in every one I see and telling my husband "he/she was a preemie!" and trying to figure out what syndrome kids have when I go places like my kids' school! Horrible, right?!

I also check all newborns I see for indicators of syndromes!

I also have the habit of listening to my kids breathing and feeling their pulse when I hug them!

I have not signed RN on anything that wasn't supposed to have t yet, but I do use medical abbreviations like c and the delta sign when writing out lists!

In the past I have written directions for babysitters and my kids' grandparents to give my kids medications PO and in ml instead of using the "normal" tsp measurement!

Specializes in School Nursing, Ambulatory Care, etc..

I am constantly patting myself down in search of a pen. I start with my top left pocket and then the front pockets. If there's nothing there, I move on to my cargo pockets. BTW, I do this no matter what I'm wearing - scrubs, jeans and t-shirt, dressed for church...doesn't matter. :rolleyes:

I am always admiring my boyfriends veins. they are amazing

A few weeks ago I went to my orthodontist to get my regular adjustment done. I went directly after work, it had been my last of 4 12hour nights in a row. I kept falling asleep while they had their instruments in my mouth. Finally, they put something in there to keep my mouth open and woke me up when it was over. Quite possibly the most embarrassing thing I've ever done. I knew I slept like a rock, but this took it to a whole new level.

I always go for my left hip when asked for the time, as this is where I pin my fob watch.

Where I live is card access, and have repetedly tried to use my I.D to get into my flat, and also tried using it instead of my bus pass.

I also unwrap presents a-septically, opening the furthest away edge first and handling thee wrapping carefully. (Luckily Mum's a nurse too and just laughed at me)

I'm just now reading these. So funny. I almost always dial 9 on my home phone. Try to clock into the ATM occasionally. Always use military time. KMart freaks me out announcing Code on Aisle 3. I get there quicker than anybody and it's usually a busted mayonnaise jar. Guess they have a KMart code team to handle that. I do get very upset at House, etc. Dr. H to the ICU, stand back, he's gone. Code lasts 6 seconds flat!!!

Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.
a few weeks ago i went to my orthodontist to get my regular adjustment done. i went directly after work, it had been my last of 4 12hour nights in a row. i kept falling asleep while they had their instruments in my mouth. finally, they put something in there to keep my mouth open and woke me up when it was over. quite possibly the most embarrassing thing i've ever done. i knew i slept like a rock, but this took it to a whole new level.

i used to fall asleep standing up on the bus or el coming home from work when i lived in chicago. i'd be sooo sleepy and eventually it would happen. twice i woke up when the bus finished its run and was back at the garage, but usually some kind person would wake me up. eventually people would remember about where i got off and poke me then.

Specializes in ICU, MS, BHU, Flight RN, Admin.

I have answered the phone at home "This is Gina, can I help you?"..especially if I see "Wise ICU" on the caller ID. It triggers something. Otherwise..I have woke up listening for call bells thinking I have fallen asleep on the job(my personal biggest fear-never done it-never want to), I have signed checks and permission slips and report cards with my work signature. I have tried to log i at work using my ID from home or my pw from my home email. I have knocked on doors in my own home while I was the only one home. I have (inadvertently) taught my kids to diagnose and treat certain illnesses and conditions. The teacher at school asked my 9 year old about hypothyroidism...and she told her(but she IS hypothyroid) My kids treat wounds and handle trauma cases on the playground. No one in my house gets squeamish at the sign of blood, though, I am the only one who can observe poop and finish swallowing what I was eating.

You realize...we don't work as nurses....we become nurses. That's who we are and it is deeply ingrained in us. Consider also, though, there is some reason we sought this. There is some part of us that needed this to fulfill who we were to be. For some of us, it was a child or parent who needed medical care, and we thought, "I want to do that" or "I can do that". For some, it was a family member who did this, and that person was an inspiration to us, and we wanted to be like them. For some, it was an ideal. A distant faint image of who we believed we wanted to be int his world. For some, it was simply providence. We are all here doing this for a reason.

Don't let the bad days get to you...you were put here to do even the bad days. It HAD to be you.

Specializes in ICU, MS, BHU, Flight RN, Admin.
I have to admit as a NICU nurse I look at adult veins in public and think WOW I could start an IV in that with my eyes closed. When I saw my new niece for the first time my first though wasn't "Oh, she's so cute", it was "Look at those veins - I could start an IV in those."

I have answered my cell phone "NICU this is _____, how can I help you" only to hear my sister laughing at me when I finished.

I have also signed First inital, last name & RN on checks and a number of forms without thinking.

As for the funniest place I've ever fallen asleep, no comment.

It's funnier when you do this and THEY have to hold the phone away from their head to recheck that they didn't jsut call you at work(again) because the first time mom's baby coughed ...again.etc.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Float Pool, MICU, CTICU.

I LOVE this thread!

I'm really excited about what I will encounter in my nursing career! I can't wait to develop these habits lol.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Float Pool, MICU, CTICU.

I'm a cna, so my habits are pretty limited so far, but I do empathize with all the door knockers :)

Even when the room is empty, I still knock hahaha. It happens too when I go and get something from the supply room!

Other habits:

I value lotion more than the average person would. When you are washing your hands 89,393,847,755,758 times per shift, your hands can get pretty dry. I NEVER leave the house without my own personal bottle of lotion.

PENS! I'm always carrying at least an extra pen around just in case one of the nurses needs to "borrow" one. That is usually the last time I ever see it lol!

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