Dumb things new nurses do....

Nurses New Nurse

Published

Drew routine labs from a PICC that was STILL infusing TPN..

Got a call from lab with a critical Blood Glucose of 900.

Learned my lesson, turned off TPN, FLUUUUUSHHHHED the line, re-draw labs...:cheers:

Specializes in HIV, Psych, GI, Hepatology, Research.

These are hilarious!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics.

Basically the first day we were allowed to take patients in clinical I was about to help a fellow nursing student do a bed bath on her patient. I filled up (and I mean FILLED) the plastic bucket with warm water. I started walking over to the table with the bucket while my friend was getting her patient ready, but the bucket started twisting in on itself because it is flimsy plastic and I filled it way too high with warm water and I wasn't close enough to a table to put it down, so I ended up dumping the entire bucket of water on me! I was soaked for awhile although luckily my uniform dried quickly. Pretty embarassing especially since I wanted to make a good impression to my fellow nursing students, brand new instructor, and the nurses on the floor--I couldn't even fill a bucket to give a bed bath without spilling it! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

um, in report the other day, the night nurse told me that she gave my patient who had been having daily multiple episodes of liquid diarrhea Milk of Mag because he c/o stomach pain. *****!?! And she did it at 0600. So, yeah, he was incontinent of stool 5 times before 1000. Poor guy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg.

Another thing I'm great at is forgetting to clamp a piggyback med when I switch it out for a new one. I've done this more often than I should. :o

One more very valuable lesson I've learned is to flush the secondary port on the primary tubing after infusing blood. Our blood tubing is run as a secondary. I had a pt that was getting blood and had no other IVPB meds ordered. After the transfusion, I took vitals, took down the tubing and blood bag and went on my way. Well, of course, she ended up on a mag protocol, so at like 5 am I had to go in and hang the mag. I was smart enough to try to flush the port, but not smart enough to realize that it would have clotted by then. So, at the busiest time of the morning, I have to prime new primary tubing . Whoops. Now I flush right after the transfusion.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

maybe thread would be better named "dumb things we did as new nurses", because it looked sort of mean to me, like it meant "those new nurses on my floor".

And I've done many, many of the things I'm seeing here, if not all of 'em.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I did this a few weeks ago: It was that long vile of morphine and to withdraw it into my syringe I thought "well I'll push in some air first like with the insulin vials, that way the vacuum is released. The bottom of the morphine vial popped off and hit my poor preceptor in the face just barely missing her eye! I was so mortified and terrified I just looked at her with my mouth wide open and could not utter a sound, and she began laughing uncontrollably and what a relief!!!! We both laughed so hard and I felt so stupid and inadequate but my preceptor is so kind and understanding! Thank goodness for her forgiving nature!

I did this same thing (minus hitting somebody in the face)!!! My preceptor had just told me to put air in vials before drawing it up so I thought that applied to all vials. Nope, didn't work with the morphine and the little tiny med room stunk like morphine all afternoon. :p

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

Mixed prostat protein packages with pro-biotics. It's like those volcanoes that you make in elementary school.

Shot a half-mixed vial of Merrem across the room. Everyone got a shower.

Attempted to spike a new bag of fluids -- without taking the semi-empty old bag of fluids off, first.

Pushed NG meds without first clamping the part that goes to the bag. NG to pt was plugged. The tube feed burst everywhere.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in SICU.
maybe thread would be better named "dumb things we did as new nurses", because it looked sort of mean to me, like it meant "those new nurses on my floor".

And I've done many, many of the things I'm seeing here, if not all of 'em.

Nah- i like the name. FYI I believe i spoke in first person so that was ME who was dumb enough to do the TPN/LAB mistake...

p.s this is a FUN THREAD:cheers:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

this is a great thread!!

i am still a nursing student and do have a serious question though...

we learned that with peg tubes, we crush meds and mix them with 5-10ml warm water and then pour the mixture into the peg tube? am i confusing this with something else or does this make sense? that way the meds wont cause any clogging because of the warm water? AH! i graduate in may and don't know anything.. hahah can't wait til i can add to this awesome thread!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

last semester we did a 1 day rotation up to the hospice unit (during fundamentals)...anyway I cleaned up a patient who'd had a rather shall we say large poop and it took A LOT of wipes! So I go to flush the contents of the bed pan and it didn't go down all the way - so in my idiocy I tried to flush again and flooded the toilet, the entire patient bathroom and out into the hall!!! Apparently the wipes they use on the regular med surge floor are flushable and the ones on the hospice unit were not...

I walked out to the nurses station nearly in tears - the hospice nurses were all nonchalant and not worried - they called maintenance and housekeeping and the rest of my clinical group (who was still down on the regular floor) nearly cried with laughter!!! Fortunately my CI was not up there or the top of her head would have blown right off!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED.
I did this a few weeks ago: It was that long vile of morphine and to withdraw it into my syringe I thought "well I'll push in some air first like with the insulin vials, that way the vacuum is released. The bottom of the morphine vial popped off and hit my poor preceptor in the face just barely missing her eye! I was so mortified and terrified I just looked at her with my mouth wide open and could not utter a sound, and she began laughing uncontrollably and what a relief!!!! We both laughed so hard and I felt so stupid and inadequate but my preceptor is so kind and understanding! Thank goodness for her forgiving nature!

LOL did the exact same thing first time drawing from a carpuject - I injected the amount of air in Mls that I was planning to draw - right???!! Blasted morphine all over the med cart and the wall - mortified - told my preceptor and she just burst out laughing at the horrified look on my face!

Oh well, livin and learnin!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
I misread the bedside o2 machine. I thought my pts o2 sats was in the 60s. I pull out a non rebreather and was cranking the o2 when a physical therapist comes by and just points at the machine. I was looking at HR! His o2 sat was really 99% I was so embarassed!

I did that once with my first vent patient. Thank god the RT had a sense of humor and knew I was new.

As for the IV showers, they are rites of passage, and I'm proud of my first one. :lol2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment