What is the dumbest thing a student/newbie ever said or did??
I ask because I'm starting nursing school in May and want to know what NOT to do!
I thought it could be entertaining as well if not for those of us that are saying "I don't get it...why was that dumb??" than for you more experienced nurses to get a chuckle!
Also if there is anything that a student did that isn't exactly dumb just a BIG no-no please please share!
A few second year students ran NS too fast. They were scared they'd get in trouble so they refilled the bag with tap water. This was brought up at our School of Nursing's Lived Experience day.
A few second year students ran NS too fast. They were scared they'd get in trouble so they refilled the bag with tap water. This was brought up at our School of Nursing's Lived Experience day.
The instructors were not pleased.
To anyone newbie reading this. Please don't be afraid. You can cause more harm hiding it. I had a newbie waste a triple lumen trying to hide that she clotted. I could have saved it but instead she blew it open and the patient had no platelets and no WBC's to have another put in - bone marrow transplant.
.... and as a follow-up to my last letter, since it was about someone else... I'll tell you one of MY dumb mistakes too! :) At some point in our nursing program, we had to get checked off in taking blood pressures. Another student was the "patient" and the instructor had a special "dual eared" stethescope so she could verify my findings. I was a bit nervous, and very carefully placed the stethescope bell in the proper place antecubitally on my co-students arm. I pumped up the cuff, and very slowly let the air out, listening carefully for the sound of a pulse. Horribly, the cuff had completely deflated and I still had not heard a pulse. Knowing my instructor was privy to my findings, and not wanting to "fake it" and possibly be found out, I looked at her in horror and whispered, "I couldn't hear ANYTHING!" She just smiled at me and whispered back, "Put your ears in honey!" In my nervousness, I had completely forgotten to put the stethescope in my ears, and it was still hanging around my neck! :chuckle
A few second year students ran NS too fast. They were scared they'd get in trouble so they refilled the bag with tap water. This was brought up at our School of Nursing's Lived Experience day.
The instructors were not pleased.
One of the most important things is to NOT try and hide mistakes! Take care of them right away so that something worse doesn't happen!!!!! This goes to the post below the one I quoted too! Scary stuff!
We had a new nurse who was hanging TPN, and instead of longlining the lipids in below the pump, she hooked them up as a piggyback. Of course that clogged the filter, so the TPN couldn't run properly, and the pump kept beeping. Not realizing what was wrong, she told the pt to "just keep hitting the silence button":uhoh21::uhoh21:!!!!!! Boy, was her preceptor mad when she found out! IF YOU DON'T KNOW, ASK!!!!!! I don't care if you ask me what's the differnce between IM and SQ, just ask rather than make a mistake!
I've done many dumb things in my time, but I can't think of anything that isn't similar to something that's already been posted by someone else. I'll letcha know when I think of one, though!!!
I must say as a first semester nursing student, this post has helped me alot. Alot of the mistakes were scary and dreadful, but we all learn from our mistakes and it's better to ask than be ashamed and have something deadly happen:D
Okay, the very first day that I was off of orientation, I get report on my ICU patient from an experienced nurse. The report lasted all of five minutes. So, I go into the patient's room and noticed a) he is a prisoner with 5 guards in the room and b) his heart rate is 70...60...30...0! So I yell for help, get someone to start CPR, run to get the crash cart and slap the pads on the guy. I noticed that he is handcuffed to the metal bed so I ask the guard to unlock them quickly. The doc walks in the room, orders 200J, I say "I'm clear, you are clear, everybody clear" and hit the button, just like I had learned in my ACLS class. BUT...I had not noticed that the patient's feet were still shackled to the bed....electrical arcs went everywhere and I smell burning flesh. Not good....the patient did not make it and I tried to console myself with the fact that this patient was not a nice person (child molester). He also had severly damaged his heart with cocaine use and probably wouldn't have made it anyway. Anyway, after contemplating leaving nursing, the nurses on my floor were very supportive and convinced me to keep at it. I had to answer to "Sparky" for quite a few months. This was 10 years ago and I really love my job as a competent ICU nurse now but whew! what a way to start!
not 6 weeks ago me. i was having a shoulder arthroscopy. for some reason they had an awful time starting an iv. student observer says why don't you use her portacath, i feel one right here. i pulled back my gown and in red magic marker i'd written this is a pacemaker-do not stick it . it is not a portacath. student insists it sure looks like "everyone's she's ever seen." my ops nurse says this patient has been an rn for 34 years believe her!
student is still heard mumbling in the background [color=gray]i sure hope she knows what she's talking about.
I'm a student and I'm sure the dumb mistakes I've made so far won't be my last. I've made many so far and hope I get a lot out of my system before I graduate.
My latest: opening pill package in patients room with gloves is hard plus I'm generally clumsy - opened the package and the package and pill flew across the table and onto the floor. So embarrassing, had to tell the nurse what happened and have the nurse to reorder from the pharmacy. I'll be more careful next time, at least it was only one of the many pills for this patient, I'd have hated to have the nurse reorder all those she was taking!
.... and as a follow-up to my last letter, since it was about someone else... I'll tell you one of MY dumb mistakes too! :) At some point in our nursing program, we had to get checked off in taking blood pressures. Another student was the "patient" and the instructor had a special "dual eared" stethescope so she could verify my findings. I was a bit nervous, and very carefully placed the stethescope bell in the proper place antecubitally on my co-students arm. I pumped up the cuff, and very slowly let the air out, listening carefully for the sound of a pulse. Horribly, the cuff had completely deflated and I still had not heard a pulse. Knowing my instructor was privy to my findings, and not wanting to "fake it" and possibly be found out, I looked at her in horror and whispered, "I couldn't hear ANYTHING!" She just smiled at me and whispered back, "Put your ears in honey!" In my nervousness, I had completely forgotten to put the stethescope in my ears, and it was still hanging around my neck! :chuckle
OMG, this one made me laugh and wake up my little guy sleeping on my chest!! I had a somewhat similar experience when taking my CNA exam (a few years back). I was not a CNA, never took a class, did one of those "mobile CNA instruction" units that come to town every six months (which by the way they dont' allow anymore). Well the day before the exam you come and she instructs what to do so you can have a visual...the next day you come and test. She was a GREAT instructor and meant business. She said most of us would fail but she does it primarily for those that need to get their license renewed. I was the only one that did it without training.
I was so nervous the next day I had to be "the patient" for several students. I hadn't taken my turn yet and slowly each student failed one by one during this scenario. Every time they took my vitals they were getting worse. My temp went from 97.5 to 100.6, my BP went from its normal 100/58 to 130/70!!! We finally stopped after the 4th student failed and the teacher said, are you coming down with something right before my eyes??!
I said, "no I'm just so nervous because I haven't gone yet and everyone is failing!" So she laughed hysterically, pulled herself together and let me go. I was one out of 6 people that passed out of 48 students that day. She told me NOT to drive home right away because I was shaking from low blood sugar and insisted I walked to the IHOP and get something to eat.
So embarassing but she got a kick out of it. Oh and she checked my BP/temp again and it had gone back to normal by the time I left!
"Every time they took my vitals they were getting worse. My temp went from 97.5 to 100.6, my BP went from its normal 100/58 to 130/70!!! We finally stopped after the 4th student failed and the teacher said, are you coming down with something right before my eyes??! "
I forgot to add that my pulse stayed above 100bpm the entire time. I felt like I was running a marathon.
hmmm, well when I was a student I was pulling back on a 10 cc saline syringe to pop the air seal and when I went to push the air out I accidentally pushed too hardand shot the whole 10 cc's across the room. Patient and the nurse watching me about died laughing! I was so embarassed.
than for you more experienced nurses to get a chuckle!
:uhoh21::uhoh21:!!!!!! Boy, was her preceptor mad when she found out! IF YOU DON'T KNOW, ASK!!!!!! I don't care if you ask me what's the differnce between IM and SQ, just ask rather than make a mistake!
She told me NOT to drive home right away because I was shaking from low blood sugar and insisted I walked to the IHOP and get something to eat. 
tanthalas
119 Posts
A few second year students ran NS too fast. They were scared they'd get in trouble so they refilled the bag with tap water. This was brought up at our School of Nursing's Lived Experience day.
The instructors were not pleased.