Bad Habits Nurses Develop

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I don't know about you, but out in the "real world" I've seen a lot of things that would not fly in school! Here are a few:

Pre-popping pills

Not using MARs on med pass

Not washing hands/using sanitizer between patients

CNAs not wearing gloves to clean up BM

Not wearing gloves to do fingersticks

Like I said, these are just a few. Can anyone think of anything else???

Specializes in Family.

My worst habit would have to be circling the oncoming shift like a vulture cause I'm ready to GO!! I do however get report from them asap when I come in cause I'm ready to get to work.

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Asking a lot of questions and details about the patient's condition during report (according to my co-workers).

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I am guilty of forgetting my patient's names when I look at the obits.

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I gotta admit, I've worked many a "Full Moon" and they truly sucked!! Ha Ha

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Specializes in Neuro ICU, Neuro/Trauma stepdown.
Asking a lot of questions and details about the patient's condition during report (according to my co-workers).

what's so wrong with that?

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Specializes in Neuro ICU, Neuro/Trauma stepdown.
I gotta admit, I've worked many a "Full Moon" and they truly sucked!! Ha Ha

in the LTC where i work as an aide, we have a new moon crew also that never lets us down, it's strange really...

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Specializes in ER (new), Respitory/Med Surg floor.
Asking a lot of questions and details about the patient's condition during report (according to my co-workers).

what's so wrong with that?

When you are trying to give report and your coworker consistently cuts you off to interject through it. Especially if it's details you can already see on our report sheet or that is not necesary such as I'll say this pt's from a nursing home and right off the bat I get "well whic one" when it doesn't matter b/c the bed is lost and being placed for another NH that case management's working on. I try to give/take report then ask/recieve questions after it. It is also suppose to be a short succinct update. If anything I do go longer then normal but a few of my coworkers it's almost as if they are dictating report and not letting me give it. And it's not me they do it too it's everyone. These nurses have been nurses for over 20 years. Some of my coworkers I get a couple words out: "why is he on this" then I explain that try to get back into report then another question and ruins entire flow as I'm trying to give it. What's funny is I am incorporating all things into my report and half the questions I'm getting there they I'm interrupted and I have just a hard time giving it then. They get excited or if it's really busy like admissions are comming the cutting off is work. It's either as if they are in a hurry they feel it goes faster, they only want the information they want not realizing hey maybe I'm telling you something else that is more important not even really listening to me, or burned so many times with work left over they jump the gun to ask you if things are done. Sometimes I laugh at it sometimes I get really annoyed b/c our report is suppose to be given on 6 patients in about 15 min and sometimes with the questions takes me 40min it's crazy! These are wonderful nurses but help me! This same nurse I'll give report and mention what was done previously on nights then I get cut off and she procedes to go into her ENTIRE shift all excited. I get it but I want to go home! :uhoh21:

I know a lot of times I'm late with medications routine ones usually b/c something emerges that I have to take care of such as resp distress. I hate that.

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Specializes in ER (new), Respitory/Med Surg floor.
My worst habit would have to be circling the oncoming shift like a vulture cause I'm ready to GO!! I do however get report from them asap when I come in cause I'm ready to get to work.

OH that made me laugh! "Vulture!"

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Specializes in ER (new), Respitory/Med Surg floor.
Starting evey sentence with "I'm sorry but............."

I am a BIG sorry person. Not exactly like the sentence above. Just I'm allways saying sorry. Sorry. I'll be like I'm sorry this, I'm sorry this, someone will bang into ME in the hallway and I'm ooh I'm sorry! And then worse, I read it is a bad form of communication because you're not confident. Well that's me!

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School is one thing, real world nursing a whole nuther world. Personally I would like to see more nurses worrying about our OWN practice vs looking so much at OTHER's.

So...IMHO,a bad habit nurses develop is thinking they have a right to overly engage in CRITIQUING each other. Starts in nursing school unfortunately and is likely part of why new grads feel 'eaten' when they turn out.....they 'critique' the wrong person at the wrong moment.....CHOMP. ;)

Well said. :argue:

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Specializes in cardiac med-surg.

being too quick to judge the previous shift

swearing like a freaking truck driver

not putting a new cap on the end of antibx iv tubing each time[and sticking the end back in the iv system][this drives me crazy][wait...i am crazy]

eating waaaaayyyy tooooooo fast

not answering callbells in a timely fashion[duhhh...your patient is ringing becoz he needs something...you can finish your charting after you answer the bell]

20 min verbal report when we write report on the kardex[don't waste my time just becoz you like to listen to yourself]

et cetera

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Checkin to see if there is a full moon.

:rotfl:

That's so funny, you know we do that, lol.

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