Bad days at work come in threes...

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I work on a med-surg unit since graduating in June...and I have not experienced so many bad nights in a row. I am becoming superstitious. For example, no one is allowed to say, "have a good night at work". The term to use now is "adequate". Don't say "quiet". I believe that whenever I work with a certain RT, the night goes to hell...

So, day one. I am orienting to peds. One of the peds that I have almost codes from a PCA and continuous. I have this kid after the event happens and he is still on the PCA for pain control (on a MUCH lower dose). Two of my infants keep desatting down and I am playing with their O2 all night (or at least me and the RT is) Another (adult) patient is developing resp. distress and her doctor ignores my concern and says he will look into it in the morning, and I am thinking that she may have coded by that time.

Day two....I clock on and I am sent to a code. Less than two hours later, the lady that I showed so much concern for the night before, is found in bed. Blue and not breathing. RT and I start bagging and compressions until the code team arrives. So, two codes in one night. I was so upset because I felt that this was going to happen. She doesn't make it.

Day three...One of my patients developed resp distress. No previous resp problems always satting in the high 90's. I go into his room. Find him gray with a SpO2 in the 70's. I called his doctor who would only give me an RT order and nothing else. I kept calling him and just got no real response, no stat Xrays, no labs...nothing. And this guy is a full code. By the end of the night, he was on 100% high flow 02 and 7L per nasal cannula. Meanwhile in another room, a pt develops worse resp distress. He is not my patient that night but is one of my favorites on the floor as I have had him many times during his hospitalization. He sats down into the 60's on I can't remember how much 02. Can't get air...we clear his room to prepare to code him. I stand there with him to give him moral support with my hand on his shoulder, until he gets rushed to the ICU...he dies 10 minutes later.

So, I am pissed off at the doctor. I was put in a bad situation. It was one on one with my patient and I had four other patients that pretty much got ignored thru the night. So, I am writing him up. :angryfire . And I made sure that my charting was as thorough as I could make it, documenting everything. I went in at 7p and pretty much dealt with this my ENTIRE shift.

I told them before I left that morning to not call me cause I won't come in on my days off. You know I really enjoy my job on the night shift, so I know this stretch of bad days is unusual. Jeez...anyone else have a bad week at work?

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I work on a med-surg unit since graduating in June...and I have not experienced so many bad nights in a row. I am becoming superstitious. For example, no one is allowed to say, "have a good night at work". The term to use now is "adequate". Don't say "quiet". I believe that whenever I work with a certain RT, the night goes to hell...

So, day one. I am orienting to peds. One of the peds that I have almost codes from a PCA and continuous. I have this kid after the event happens and he is still on the PCA for pain control (on a MUCH lower dose). Two of my infants keep desatting down and I am playing with their O2 all night (or at least me and the RT is) Another (adult) patient is developing resp. distress and her doctor ignores my concern and says he will look into it in the morning, and I am thinking that she may have coded by that time.

Day two....I clock on and I am sent to a code. Less than two hours later, the lady that I showed so much concern for the night before, is found in bed. Blue and not breathing. RT and I start bagging and compressions until the code team arrives. So, two codes in one night. I was so upset because I felt that this was going to happen. She doesn't make it.

Day three...One of my patients developed resp distress. No previous resp problems always satting in the high 90's. I go into his room. Find him gray with a SpO2 in the 70's. I called his doctor who would only give me an RT order and nothing else. I kept calling him and just got no real response, no stat Xrays, no labs...nothing. And this guy is a full code. By the end of the night, he was on 100% high flow 02 and 7L per nasal cannula. Meanwhile in another room, a pt develops worse resp distress. He is not my patient that night but is one of my favorites on the floor as I have had him many times during his hospitalization. He sats down into the 60's on I can't remember how much 02. Can't get air...we clear his room to prepare to code him. I stand there with him to give him moral support with my hand on his shoulder, until he gets rushed to the ICU...he dies 10 minutes later.

So, I am pissed off at the doctor. I was put in a bad situation. It was one on one with my patient and I had four other patients that pretty much got ignored thru the night. So, I am writing him up. :angryfire . And I made sure that my charting was as thorough as I could make it, documenting everything. I went in at 7p and pretty much dealt with this my ENTIRE shift.

I told them before I left that morning to not call me cause I won't come in on my days off. You know I really enjoy my job on the night shift, so I know this stretch of bad days is unusual. Jeez...anyone else have a bad week at work?

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

I sympathize with you

you should try ER

however at my age

I am no longer superstitious

even though a lot of these young ones are

maybe its because we thrive on bad nights

we are strange in the ER

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

I sympathize with you

you should try ER

however at my age

I am no longer superstitious

even though a lot of these young ones are

maybe its because we thrive on bad nights

we are strange in the ER

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:D Yeah, I agree you ER nurses are a pretty strange lot, so I would probably fit right in. But as a newbie, I think I better just get my crap together before venturing outside of med-surg. Morbid, but I actually like going to codes and traumas...just so long as I don't have to code one of my own patients.
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:D Yeah, I agree you ER nurses are a pretty strange lot, so I would probably fit right in. But as a newbie, I think I better just get my crap together before venturing outside of med-surg. Morbid, but I actually like going to codes and traumas...just so long as I don't have to code one of my own patients.
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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.
I told them before I left that morning to not call me cause I won't come in on my days off.

You have hit upon the key to remaining sane as a hospital nurse :).

(I do believe that no good deed goes unpunished, and some of my worst shifts have been the ones I agreed to come in extra for.)

You've probably done your share of bad nights for this time period. Hope the storm clouds move away from you!

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.
I told them before I left that morning to not call me cause I won't come in on my days off.

You have hit upon the key to remaining sane as a hospital nurse :).

(I do believe that no good deed goes unpunished, and some of my worst shifts have been the ones I agreed to come in extra for.)

You've probably done your share of bad nights for this time period. Hope the storm clouds move away from you!

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A word about the superstitious thing... I CRINGE every time someone walks into the unit saying "sure is quiet in here!". It is a sure bet that it won't be for long. Also, I have found that 9 times out of 10, if the trauma room is completely set up and the light is on--we don't get a trauma. If the room is dark and is missing the bed or equipment--at least one will roll in. I jumped all over a PCA for turning the light off in the unused trauma room and she thought I was really weird. She's a believer now!

I have noticed that our brain aneurysms are coming in threes lately...Hmmm. Neurosurgeon says it is common, something about when the weather changes.:uhoh21:

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A word about the superstitious thing... I CRINGE every time someone walks into the unit saying "sure is quiet in here!". It is a sure bet that it won't be for long. Also, I have found that 9 times out of 10, if the trauma room is completely set up and the light is on--we don't get a trauma. If the room is dark and is missing the bed or equipment--at least one will roll in. I jumped all over a PCA for turning the light off in the unused trauma room and she thought I was really weird. She's a believer now!

I have noticed that our brain aneurysms are coming in threes lately...Hmmm. Neurosurgeon says it is common, something about when the weather changes.:uhoh21:

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Specializes in Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

We never, NEVER say the "Q" word- it is the kiss of death (sometimes literally)!

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Specializes in Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

We never, NEVER say the "Q" word- it is the kiss of death (sometimes literally)!

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