My best orientation mistakes

[skicoachrn]

I am week 4 in a 6 week orientation as a new RN in LTC/Rehab. I have done some really stupid stuff so far

Highlights:

10)__ Tried to hook up an IV antibiotic with kangaroo (g-tube) tubing!

9)__ Unhooked a suprapubic catheter to flush without pinching the tube. Hello pee! I love pee!....just not on my shirt and shoes.

8)__ Tried to draw up insulin in a 60 cc syringe using an 18 gauge needle!

7)__ Stood around feeling really clueless.

6)__ Asked a s/p CVA pt. with right sided paresis to squeeze my hand....with her right hand.

5)__ Hid in the bathroom when asked to flush that dang suprapubic catheter again.

4)__ Had daily fights and arguments with the IV pump. "There is no freakin air bubbles you stupid machine I finally did it right this time. Stop beeping!!!"

3)__ Said to a Pt: "I really like how your member looks". so embarrassing....but at least the ulcer on it is healing!

2)__ Hid in the bathroom for 14A's flush again......

1)__ Tripped and fell into a Pt's bed landing pretty much fully on top of him! talk about a laugh.

I have never felt so stupid, clumsy and DIS-oriented ever in my life as I have in the last 4 weeks of orientation.

[DA314]

During clinicals one day, I was assisting a group of nurses to put a condom cath on a sedated patient. The nurse put mastesol all over the member, then looked and me and said "Blow on this to help it dry" She was totally kidding, but me, being new and wanting to follow directions, started to take a deep breath. then I realized what she was asking me to do! I about died laughing. There were about 5 other nurses in there. It was so embarassing.

[regularRN]

"You know those step in baths, where you sit upright and have the water swirl up around you? Did you know you have to let the water drain OUT before you unlatch the door to have the pt step out again? Well, I sure learned that one"

Apart from opening the door before the bath has drained, these baths are so cool-people who have previously had no access to a bath can relax in the tub with bubbles etc. :redpinkhe

[beckster_01, BSN, RN]

When I was a tech I was helping the nurse turn a patient, and I could have sworn she was a woman. But when we turned her to clean her up, what did I see but a very edematous scrotum? I was so confused and did several double takes. The nurse I was working with noticed how puzzled I looked and promptly explained that this woman had a prolapsed uterus. Who knew?

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

I was caring for an elderly patient who had suffered a stroke, I took her blood pressure at 1500 and it was 130/78, nothing out of the ordinary. I return 15 minutes later to do a blood glucose, explained the procedure to the patient and when the accucheck machine read 23, I ran to the nurses station looking for the nurse. She put her arm around my shoulder and walked with me to the room. Then she said "why did you check a blood glucose on a dead person" She had died in the 15 minutes between the BP and accucheck... She was a DNR.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i was caring for an elderly patient who had suffered a stroke, i took her blood pressure at 1500 and it was 130/78, nothing out of the ordinary. i return 15 minutes later to do a blood glucose, explained the procedure to the patient and when the accucheck machine read 23, i ran to the nurses station looking for the nurse. she put her arm around my shoulder and walked with me to the room. then she said "why did you check a blood glucose on a dead person" she had died in the 15 minutes between the bp and accucheck... she was a dnr.

wow. just . . . wow!

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

* I was working with a very sweet, very SOUTHERN CRNA one day. She was moving to Texas, and wanted to learn spanish. One of our scrub techs was from the Dominican Republic, and was coaching her one day as the CRNA was extubating. He taught her to say, "Breathe deeply", which is "Rispirar profundo" in spanish. She didn't quite get the gist of the inflection, and the ST was laughing uncontrollably. The CRNA was good hearted and assumed that the ST was laughing at her incredibly strong southern drawl. When the ST finally caught his breath, he told her that she was saying, "Rispirar puta", which translated into "breathe, whore!"

*I didn't realize how messy Lymphazurin was. Nobody ever told me NOT to put air in the vial before drawing it up. I was labeled, "Blue Devil Girl" after the dye exploded all over my face when I drew the needle out of the vial. Can't wash that stuff off easily!

[Chixie]

Ive got a cracker of one! Id been on the ortho floor for three weeks and i asked a fellow nurse what the difference was between a cemented and uncemented hip replacement was. She looked at me as though i was crazy and said 'well....erm cement you twit'

I felt so ******* stupid!

[kybreyes54]

I'm still trying to figure out where you work that gives 6 weeks orintation in LTC Facility??....Where I work, you be good to get 3-4 days to know all and be shown all....But loved the experiences you have had so far..

[evelyn27]

That's hilarious! It happens to the best of us, thanks for sharing. :)

[evelyn27]

Lol I did that as well....I jumped about a foot, too!

[pma.rn]

Same goes for me too. Maybe I'll post my disoriented moments on my training.

[uRNmyway, ASN, RN]

My very first day of orientation on what I thought was my dream job mother-baby department (turned out not to be at all, but that is a whole other story!). I was trying my darned best to look like a competent nurse. Walk out of a patient room with the nurse I am shadowing, and reach for the disinfectant bottle at the door. This was before they had the foam stuff. I think you can guess where I am going with this. In front of my mentor and a bunch of flustered new dads, got a big squirt of antibacterial in my eye. Tried to play it off as best I could "I'm fine, really I am!". But when my eye went cherry red, they made me go to the ER to get my eye flushed. Spent my first lunch hour lying on an ER stretcher getting my eye irrigated. I was SO embarrassed when I went back to the floor!