Dreaming About Work

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I'm off of work for a few days in a row, but my mind can't seem to leave work in my sleep! I just thought I would share two of the weird dreams I had this week.

I was caring for a patient who has been chronically in and out of my unit over the last several months and quite debilitated. I wanted to ambulate him around the unit. My unit secretary (who, in real life, I feel often oversteps her bounds as a unit secretary and is a know-it-all with no real knowledge or experience to back it up) told me I should have 2 people and have the patient use a walker. Telling her I knew better than her, I walked him with no assistive device and just myself. He fell and broke his front teeth. I guess the lesson here is better safe than sorry, and don't let pride get in the way of safety.

In my second dream, I was caring for another one of our chronic patients when I was watching the cardiac monitor and he was having all kinds of ectopy. I thought that was odd as he had previously been quite stable. I watch some more as he goes into SVT and then pulseless v-tach. I start CPR and call a code and as I'm doing compressions ask the wife if she has any idea what could be going on, if he complained of anything recently. She tells me that the head doctor came in and asked if he was sick of living like this and the patient had said yes, so he said he would be back in with something to put him out of his misery. The wife proceeds to tell me that he's now a DNR. I tell her that the paperwork hasn't been fully signed yet and continue CPR. He dies. Afterward, I check the pyxis and find that every opiate and benzo was totally emptied out of it under the head doctor's name. I panic and try to sign out of the pyxis before anyone links me to it or gets me in the middle of the affair.

I woke up from this dream literally in a cold sweat. I don't see what the point of sharing it is other than that it was eerie and I wanted to share it with people that might understand.

Specializes in Oncology.

Pretty realistic response from the on coming nurse. Day shift always has and always will think night shift does nothing ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds.

My strangest one was my agitated, intubated patient turned into a lion and ran out of the unit.

hahaha! That's funny

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology, Med-Surg.

when i was a new grad, i had a recurring dream that my manager kept accusing me of not graduating from nursing school or having a lisence. she was so angry, she and the other nurses tore my scrubs off me. for some reason i stayed and worked the shift in my underwear. the dream goes on and on, starting iv's and changing dressing in my underwear. Inferiority complex? LOL.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It seems like your unconscious cannot let you off the hook about your work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I routinely have dreams that I'm working with no pants on, and somehow I'm the last to notice my pants are missing. Another common dream is that I'm working the floor alone with 15-20 patients and running my butt off. I'm a fairly new nurse though, so hoping they get better once I am a little more experienced. Stress dreams about work are the worst!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology.
when i was a new grad, i had a recurring dream that my manager kept accusing me of not graduating from nursing school or having a lisence. she was so angry, she and the other nurses tore my scrubs off me. for some reason i stayed and worked the shift in my underwear. the dream goes on and on, starting iv's and changing dressing in my underwear. Inferiority complex? LOL.

I used to dream that my high school realized I was missing a few classes and I had to go back to high school. Thankfully, time and two more degrees has subsided this one.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.

I used to dream that my high school realized I was missing a few classes and I had to go back to high school. Thankfully, time and two more degrees has subsided this one.

Ditto, except I still have this one anytime the stress ramps up in my life, and I'm always at the end of the semester with no idea what is going on in any of my classes. My work dreams stopped fairly early in my career though!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Ambulatory care.

Uhm I only have bad work dreams its late to work dreams or i'm already at work and working this is the worst cuz it means i've over slept and still am sleeping. Dreams where i'm making mistakes, med errors, don't know anything nursing related. i'd have lost my license if it was real. All of it ends the same way. I wake up in a panic, upset and relieved to find out it was a dream. Then panic once again because now that i over slept, i'm running late and will be late if don't get out the door.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I'm off of work for a few days in a row, but my mind can't seem to leave work in my sleep! I just thought I would share two of the weird dreams I had this week.

I was caring for a patient who has been chronically in and out of my unit over the last several months and quite debilitated. I wanted to ambulate him around the unit. My unit secretary (who, in real life, I feel often oversteps her bounds as a unit secretary and is a know-it-all with no real knowledge or experience to back it up) told me I should have 2 people and have the patient use a walker. Telling her I knew better than her, I walked him with no assistive device and just myself. He fell and broke his front teeth. I guess the lesson here is better safe than sorry, and don't let pride get in the way of safety.

In my second dream, I was caring for another one of our chronic patients when I was watching the cardiac monitor and he was having all kinds of ectopy. I thought that was odd as he had previously been quite stable. I watch some more as he goes into SVT and then pulseless v-tach. I start CPR and call a code and as I'm doing compressions ask the wife if she has any idea what could be going on, if he complained of anything recently. She tells me that the head doctor came in and asked if he was sick of living like this and the patient had said yes, so he said he would be back in with something to put him out of his misery. The wife proceeds to tell me that he's now a DNR. I tell her that the paperwork hasn't been fully signed yet and continue CPR. He dies. Afterward, I check the pyxis and find that every opiate and benzo was totally emptied out of it under the head doctor's name. I panic and try to sign out of the pyxis before anyone links me to it or gets me in the middle of the affair.

I woke up from this dream literally in a cold sweat. I don't see what the point of sharing it is other than that it was eerie and I wanted to share it with people that might understand.

OK, in general, the times I have had this happen, it was when things in the unit/s were incredibly stressful or overwhelmingly bad--like multiple kids deaths, parents wailing in grief, incredibly gruesome acuity. It was a sign to me to take care of me in whatever way possible. It's like your subconscious is telling you that your are reaching critical mass. Find a way to limit your stress or do things to ameliorate the impact of stress, such as increasing your exercise, meditation, you know. All the healthy stuff. Spend more time with love ones. Reassure yourself that you are doing the very best for your patients, but you just canNOT control every outcome. As nurses we take it so hard--we feel that somewhere we might have done something wrong--or that we were too short-staffed--or whatever. We internalize so much. Also, if there has been a lot of deaths or gruesome events, your hospital should supply counseling and debriefing. You have to unload and de-stress, or you will not be any good to yourself or anyone else. Listen to your subconscious and take the appropriate steps. If you can get some time off, do it. Try not to wait or put off taking a break, if at all possible. IMHO, nurses often need more mental health days that those in other lines of work.

Take care of YOU.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I never dream about my job ... Ever ...... I feel so left out ... Waaaa

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

I always dream my patients are spread out all over, say at SeaWorld in different parts of the park, or the airport in different terminals. I also dream about the "patient I didn't know I had". And I Have been on the floor for almost two years!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have had those didn't meet requirements to graduate hs or college. somehow i missed a class and after all these years someone figured it out. lol. i have also had the forgot a pt dream or the ones where i can't keep ul and everyone keeps going bad (happens). I discharged a pt that wasn't supposed to be discharged. i had a dream that one shift was so bad i just left and another nurse told my manager who reported me to the board. somehow i came back and was crying pleading my case that it was just a few hrs and the pts were fine. I had a dream that I woke ul late and was super late to work. hours and hours and now all those meds, assessments, qnd wound care was late. crazy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment