Blatant Nursing "No-No's"........what's your worst???

[anndoodle]

All of us at one time or another have seen or heard of a nurse doing the most idiotic or blatantly stupid thing that goes against our grain of "good nursing". What's the worst you've ever heard? Here's one for you:

At a LTC where I worked, (this was LONG ago...) we had one nurse on 3-11 shift that all the other nurses kept complaining about because it was "common knowledge" that she always gave her 4 pm meds with her 8 pm meds. Of course, I never actually saw this happen and rarely ever worked with this woman. However, no one else would dare to approach this nurse as she had worked there "forever", and always got her way with whatever she wanted. She would leave the building and not clock out for her breaks, and spend a couple of hours at Walmart then return to work. I was told once that a family member approached her about a resident who thought was having a heart attack and this nurse told them "I'm not her nurse, you need to inform someone else"....this while she sat at the nurses desk filing her nails. Anyhow, one evening our DON just "happened" to check this nurses med cart...and guess what. Supposedly, all the 8pm meds had already been given (or at least they weren't in the med cards) Needless to say, she doesn't work there anymore. Actually, I believe she retired!!!

I don't understand how some nurses can be so PLAINLY unprofessional - not even attempt to hide it! EDIT: Just a reminder, this is what I had heard, not what I had witnessed. Had I witnessed anything close to this you better believe I would be on the phone with someone...and fast!!!

[ADS RN]

I was working on a Skilled Nursing Facility and had a Rn who graduated from the same school I did (how I'll never know!!). He passed meds and came to tell me that this one G tube was clogged. Thinling I'll drepart some new tips etc. we go in and here he'd pushed a BIG GEL CAP INTO THE TUBE!!! So much for the coke method! I had to really work to get the pill out. When I mentioned that you syringe the med out 1st then inject it into the tubr you'd have thought this was something new to him!! It didn't help that the DON picked him to be her special project to make him a good nurse. Later I heard from someone who knew him when he worked at a nursing home, that he clogged a G tube(go figure) and tried to clear it with a COATHANGER!!! Scarey that some of these people are walking around out there!!

[Roy Fokker, BSN, RN]

Wow! Reading all these stories....

*nervously tugs at his collar*... I hope I never screw up like that!

[NewWestNurse]

I saw a nurse draw up 10cc of phenobarb for a baby, to be administered IM. The charge nurse intervened before the dose was given. Hint: If the syringe is the size of the patient it is probably too much to give.

LOL! Gotta remember that one.

[mattsmom81]

Peachy, I'm so sorry for the loss of your Maw maw and I'm sorry the staff didn't communicate better with you. Your post is a good reminder to practicing nurses to look at situations from the family's perspectives more often. (((HUGS))) and good luck in your studies.

[NewWestNurse]

Worked with a nurse who administered 5 times as much Codeine syrup as ordered to a patient... she thought it was a 1:1 ratio when it was really 5:1. The patient expired. The 5 R's are there for a reason people! 5th = right reason. :)

[Roy Fokker, BSN, RN]

Peachy :: I have always believed that what goes around, comes around. My mother is a firm believer of this and credits all the good things in her life as rewards for her good deeds in her past.

Your prayers for that staff won't ever go un-noticed! That was a lovely thing thing to do!

Take care!

[sjt9721, BSN, RN]

Telling on oneself can be quite cathartic...:imbar

Was in the ED and had to give a patient an soapsuds enema...(the only place I've worked that did enemas in the ED). Anyway, I get it all ready, the bag is hanging on an IV pole, & I head to the patient's room. She's about my age (late 20s at the time). She asks if she can do it herself. I know from her history that she has given herself enemas in the past & she said she had used this particluar set up before as well. She heads off to the bathroom with the "enema pole" and a magazine. I checked on her after about 5 minutes & she said she was fine.

Twenty or so more minutes go by & now she's back in her room. Said she didn't get much results, "it was just watery". I go to the bathroom to retrieve the pole and clean any mess. As I threw away the enema bag, I noticed that the BLUE PLASTIC CAP wasn't in the trashcan. Surely she didn't flush it...

After a few questions I discovered she HADN'T REMOVED the 2 INCH LONG BLUE PLASTIC CAP!! A quick KUB...yep, there it is on the X-ray...here's your 2nd enema...

Moral of the story? Anyone? :imbar :chuckle :imbar :chuckle

[General E. Speaking, RN, RN]

I have been an LVN for 15 years and we had a suspicious nurse working on our Med-Surg floor. Her terminology wasn't quite right. She would say things in report like, "the patient is in sinus rhythmus" or "the patient has O2 @ 2 liters per nasal canoola"-almost correct but not quite right. I told my supervisor that someone needed to watch her...

The next day, she infused a bag of 25,000u/250cc bag of Heparin in 1 hour because she thought it was an antibiotic! Needless to say she was fired and the pt was ok.

Also, one day while working on pediatrics I hung an antibiotic on a 10 year-old and soon after she started complaining that it was hurting. Thinking it may be infilltrated, I stopped the infusion and upon closer inspection realized the pharmacy had slapped the correct antibiotic label on top of a 20 MEQ 100cc bag of potassium!!! Lesson learned...don't just look at the label, peel the label back and inspect the fluids carefully!!

[madore57]

I used to work with an RN who thought she was so much better than the rest of us because she had her Degree. Well, I worked with her one night and I was soooo tired. She came back from her break - pulled up a Geri chair - grabbed a warm blanket and cuddled up in it and went to sleep in front of her patients bed (in ICU). She insisted that she was awake and could take care of her patient and mine while I went on break. The other RN's watched her patient while she slept. I called my patient's family in to come in and sit with my patient (who was confused and wild) while I took my break. That was 15 years ago. This RN is now a Nurse Educator at the the same hospital.

Then there was the non-Degree RN who was teaching a Nursing Student in this same ICU. I watched her place her hand on the patient and tell the Nursing Student "his temp is 37.5 - I can tell by touching him". I went to her and insisted she turn her patient and get a rectal temp. She did and wouldn't you know it - his bloody temperature WAS 37.5. So much for trying educate two people at once!

Eilleen.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I once witnessed a nurse--- who had years of experience--- OPEN WIDE an IV of LR with 40mEq of KCL in it! ("to rehydrate her") ZOINKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS !!! She was on potassium therapy, and it was known.

I did stop her and explained WHY this was probably not a good idea, esp with a pregnant woman. "Killing two birds with one stone" need NOT apply in OB nursing. Needless to say, the MD and Nurse Manager were brought in the loop, too. I understand today, she is no longer in their employ. Who knows what else she did; I moved away not long after that incident.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I have not made a major error..............yet

but did hang the wrong med on the wrong patient while a bunch of LPN students were watching me. Reallllly embarassing, SCARY and humiliating to have them watch me have to call the doc, make the incident report and then teach them FIRST HAND why the 5 rights do indeed exist! stupid me. Fortunately, no harm was done to the patient.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Peachy I am sorry about the loss of Maw Maw! I am very sorry for what you all went through.