Most Embarassing Nursing Moments

There was an elderly gentleman admitted to my floor with a TURP. The doc wanted his three way foley removed. I went into the room where he and his son were watching tv. I let them know what I was there for and the patient looked concerned when I pulled a 40cc syringe out of my pocket. (About this same time, a tech had entered the room to fill pitchers, put up hourly round sheets, etc.) He asked me what the syringe was for and I explained to him that there was a 30cc balloon in his bladder and the fluid had to be removed from the balloon so the catheter could slide out... He replied, "So that's what keeps it in there. I had been so worried it would slip out." To which I replied something like "No, as long as that balloon has fluid in it, it won't slip out... and if it did, you'd know it..." As we talked, I was setting up all my stuff.
He says "Well then you better make sure you get all the water out of it before you go pullin it out!"
And me and my big mouth says "Don't worry, hun. I'll suck it dry for ya!"
...
I didn't even pay attention to what I had said. The son replies "I know where I'm coming for my surgery!"
I still had not caught on and figured he was complimenting the fact that I was making sure the balloon was good and empty. And as if I hadn't already dug a good hole I replied "Well, thank you. I try to take good care of my patients!

I finally looked up at the son who was cheesin big time and the tech who was in the corner losing it. I had to leave... I was mortified. They all got a good laugh out of it and it has been a joke on the floor ever since.

Before I give my patients their insulin I always say "just a little prick, like a bee sting". Well one day I wasn't thinking and all I said was "little prick" as soon as I said it the darling little old man goes, "well, I've never been called that before" I was so embarassed I began appologizing and he just smiled and said "although there are times I have deserved it!" We had a good laugh about it and he was really sweet, but I have NEVER made that mistake again!!!

Okay, you all asked for it:

I was making rounds by myself one afternoon because the day shift charge nurse had to leave early. I had a pen and clipboard and was supposed to write down anything amiss. Well, I get to this little old man's room and peered in the doorway; he was sitting in his wheelchair facing away from me and was being very still. Thinking the worst, I approached him just as he threw his head back with his eyes rolled back into his head and was grunting. I threw my clipboard into the sink and ran out into the hall, and grabbed a male nurse aid. I said, "Help me quick, he's having a seizure, we have to get him to bed stat!" We both ran back into the patient's room and he was just fine, except I noticed what I thought was spittle all over this man's pants. Upon closer examination, however, spittle turned out to be semen. I had walked in on this guy masturbating and having his orgasm. The male nurse aid bolts out of the room and runs to the nurses' station to tell everyone.

Top that!

Blessings, Michelle

I've got several more if you all are up to reading them!

share please!!!!!

I definitely can't top the one above, but here is another:

At this one nursing home I worked at, there were 2 halls with 30 residents apiece. Either an LPN or CMT worked the halls as "charge" with the RN being the shift supervisor over both halls and employees. Well it just so happened that I was RN supervisor one night when I got paged "stat" to the residential care area which happened to be in the basement of the facility. To get there, you had to go through these heavy fire doors and either take the stairs or the elevator. I chose the stairs, so I had to run down the main entrance hall and through the fire doors and down the stairs. While I was running I felt something rip...my underwear elastic had ripped and my underwear was falling down inside my pants. So I grabbed my crotch in an effort to keep them up while running, thinking no one is around to see.

When I got back to the regular facility, all the nurses and aides were at the nurses' station rolling in the floor. I said "Well, what's so funny?" and they pointed to the video camera TV's on the wall. In my hurry, I'd forgotten all about the video cameras...and they saw the whole thing! Me grabbing my crotch and running and all!

Blessings, Michelle

I love that story. Sounds like something I would do.

Okay, here is another...now, this one happened to a good girlfriend of mine in RN school, but is funny nonetheless:

We were feeding patients in the hospital on clinicals. My friend, "Patty" was helping this elderly man. She said he only had liquids on his tray, so she started off with the broth. She stirred up the cup, then was spoon feeding it to him. With each bite, he gave her a funny look but she thought he was just being nice, so she gives him the whole cup. Then she moves on towards Jello...underneath the Jello bowl however, was the broth powder; she had fed this guy nothing but a hot cup of water! (No wonder the funny looks from the man)

Blessings, Michelle

Okay, here is another of mine: The very first facility I ever worked in as a licensed nurse had an Alzheimer Unit and I worked evenings and nights, and usually 16 hour shifts to cover both. We had about 12 residents this night and one nurse aide, then me. There was a beautiful gorgeous courtyard in between our unit and the regular ICF side. That was where my nurse aide always chose to go have her smoke break. I usually went out too for some air...but I would walk around the courtyard to get away from her outflow of smoke. It was very dark this night and very quiet, almost spooky-like.

The nurse working the ICF side was one of my very best friends and my mentor (we were both LPN's at the time). During this timeframe, some paramedics had been teaching the staff at our facility CPR, so those CPR dummies were in the back break room. Oh, also, one of our terminal cancer residents had like 5 wigs on styrofoam heads all over her room.

Well, my aide decided to go out on break as per usual and of course I came with her. Well, as I was walking around the courtyard with very little light, I thought I saw a dead animal; I saw something furry and very still...on closer examination though, I could've sworn I saw arms and legs like that of a person. I freaked...ran back into our unit and down the hall, counting residents. All ours were there, sleeping soundly. I ran and paged the ICF nurses' station; no one there. I paged over the intercom to have my LPN friend to come to AU stat. She comes running over and I dragged her outside to the sidewalk. My nurse aide had already freaked out and wouldn't go near this "thing" we could see on the other side of the courtyard. My "friend" pretends to panic, but starts laughing, she just couldn't help herself. She and her staff had taken a CPR dummy, put a wig on the head part and dressed the dummy in nightclothes and stuffed pillows into PJ pants to look like legs. Hence, the reason I couldn't get them on the phone...they were all watching me out the windows. I literally thought a dead person was laying there in our courtyard! She apologized but I told her she better watch her back after a prank like that. It was so long ago I can't even remember if I ever got her back!

(I'll have to email her and ask her if I ever got her back or not)

She is still my very best friend and mentor to me despite her being an LPN and now I'm an RN....she taught me a lot about primary care nursing; I love her to death, no pun intended.

Blessings, Michelle

Right before applying for my SSDI, I worked as an aide at a home care place. During orientation, my boss wanted to make sure I could handle a Hoyer lift and a 1 person transfer with that patient. We got through that exercise okay, then he asked me if I could do it on a quadraplegic. Not thinking straight or not hearing him right, whichever, I said "Will he fight me?" to which my boss looked at me very condescendingly I might add and said "I just told you he is a quadraplegic" I felt my face get very red and I muttered "Sorry I thought you said something different" but I felt so stupid after that. And he was such a jerk he would treat me like dirt under his feet. I loved the job but could barely stand to be around him so I resigned.

Blessings, Michelle