Dumbest thing you've done in nursing??

[lisa41rn]

I'm new in nursing and tend to reach out for advice often. You've all been great!! Now, because I feel more stupid than I would like, please help me and others by telling us what the dumbest thing has been in nursing that you've done. I make annoying mistakes, nothing dangerous, but some are really dumb. I want perfection! One instructor in our education dept said "if you aren't making mistakes, you're probably not doing enough." I think she's right, however, we've always been told to ask for help if you're not sure what you're doing. I have no problem asking for help even when it annoys some nurses. I'm really mad at myself this time because at report a nurse said she'd be hanging a bag and never did. I went in to assess the patient, the nurse was still around, I ASSUMED she would hang the bag as she stated, I ended up getting stuck with a new admit, three other demanding patients and barely stopped in to check on that first patient. Well a good part of the shift was over before I saw the bag was never hung. This wasn't a patient with major issues. In fact the doctor came in to see him and said there was no reason for him to be here. The bag was to infuse at a fairly slow rate and he could have easily drank more than what was to be infused. His output was still more than usual, but still I'm so mad I missed this. I mean, how could anyone miss something like this? I had patients on heparin drips, safety issues, etc and they all tied me down that I couldn't spend much time with this patient. No excuse, but I feel bad. I ended up hanging the bag right when I realized what happened and that was it. I know nurses make many mistakes and don't fess up or cover it up, (some far more serious) but I'm wondering what is the biggest thing you've done wrong?? I'm sure much of these errors are due to being so overloaded with patients!!

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

Not put my thumb on the side port of a G-tube before I try to flush it... YUCKY...:barf01:

Been there...have done that...yucky is right!

[NY-RN_Kay]

I was chaperoning a pelvic exam and the very tired doc said to the pt, "I'm going to put my lips on your lady parts now." I hurt myself holding in the laughter.

LOLOLOLOLOL OMG! That was hilarious!:chuckle

[BearyPrivate]

I followed a second shift nurse years ago. She told me in report she had to place a Foley in one lady, when the Foley was placed all that returned was yellow fluffy stuff. She asked if I would go look at it with her so I did. She put the Foley in the wrong place. The patient had a gastric tube instead of urine tube. LOL

[moosemadness]

When I was a brand new nurse, I was trying not to disturb this man who had some bad GI problems and had had lots of narcotic pain meds. I noticed he had somehow got his IV line wrapped around his neck in a way that didn't look safe, so as I go to pull the IV line over his head, his tupee came flying off at me, then I tried to put it back on and got the IV line Under the tupee (not sure I spelled that right, but...) you get the jist. Anyhow, i went to the diry laundry room and was laughing so hard i had tears in my eyes and all the seasoned nurses thought I was crying. When I finally was able to tell them they all laughted too.

[Babs0512]

Oh my, where do I begin:..... I remember taking an order from a physician over the phone to adminster Lactataed Ringers 125 mls / hr. So, per policy, I ready back the order that RACTATED LINGERS AND 125 ml/hr - he said "What?" so I realized what I had done and repeated it properly, making him thik he heard me incorrectly.

I have documented things like "No complaints this "****" (other word for poop) instead of "shift" , abdomen clear without rales, ronchi or wheezes ( got razzed on that one), my all time stupid statement: Pt remains dead, awaiting funeral director to pick up patient.

I've documented "Iv infusing at sexty mls/hr." - And worst of all "patient ambulated with steady gate, did have some cofusion with erection" (direction).

[LVNwannaBE2007]

this didnt happen to me but a coworker of mine the other night.....

she drew up some phenergan with a filtered needle then went to give it to the resident... she came back talking about how cheap out needles were and it was so dull it wouldnt go in her skin so she would have to get a new needele and try it again... when she showed it to me i had to point out to her she never changed the needle and was still using the filtered one.. oops

[moosemadness]

I have a new one, from yesterday. We were in a fetal distress situation and I'm trying to get an IV in the lady, and it went right in and all of a sudden I realized I had the IV started but forgot the fluids!!! So, i'm standing there smashed into a corner w/ this IV and feeling real stupid when the baby's head delivered and I was told never mind. I felt sooooooooo stupid.

[jlmb214rn, BSN, RN]

I haven't really goofed TOO big yet.... knock on wood. But I have a problem with forgetting to unclamp the roller clamp on my piggybacks. I've done it a few too many times and then have to document a missed dose antibiotic cause the patient has a primary and I dont realize the mistake until I go to hang the next dose. Sucky feeling.

BUT, I have a contribution to the thread.... a good one, at that. Didn't happen to me, but I was there and charge nurse on the shift.

Everyone knows about the whole "MRSA epidemic" by now right? Well our facility is getting very very strict on the isolation for patients with MRSA or even a PAST history of MRSA. It is now madatory for any patient coming from another facility, jail, nursing home, or homeless shelter, or any patient admitted for joint replacement or dialysis to have a nasal swab on admission to check for MRSA. So, keeping that in mind....

We get a direct admit from the Dr's office, a patient that frequents our floor because of poor control with diabetes and resulting non-healing foot wounds. The patient comes to the floor and hands the unit clerk her orders. I assign the patient to one of the staff nurses. I notice that with the orders there was a brown paper sack. The clerk looked at the sack and then at the orders and set the sack aside on the desk. I didn't ask anything about it. I was busy with something else, figured it was a wound culture to be taken to the lab. The nurse comes to the desk and asks to see a copy of the orders. She's reading and looks up at the clerk and says "hmmm, thats wierd... do you have the culture tube that was sent with this lady?" The clerk hands her the bag and the nurse takes off down the hall. I was curious at this point as to what she thought was so wierd so I grab the chart and look at the orders and there was a few of them. Toward the end was written:

Wound culture to r/o MRSA. (Swab sent from office)

Okay, pretty cut and dry... nothing wierd in that order set.

The nurse makes her way back around to the desk and asks the clerk to print her out a label for the MRSA nasal swab.

The clerk looks at the chart and says "There's no order for a nasal swab"

The nurse grabs the chart and says "Yeah, right here... 'Wound culture to r/o MRSA. Swab sent from office!'"

As she says this she goes pale.....

She thought the office had sent her the swab to do the nasal culture (which would be wierd).

NO!!! The office sent you a wound culture.... already done.... to send to lab! She had taken that dirty, purulent swab and swabbed this womans nose out with it.