Embarrassing moments?

stephi57 · Oct 5, 2001

I had a nursing instructor who turned beet red during a lecture on the importance of good perineal care--she told us that we couldn't get by with "a lick and a promise". The entire auditorium roared and the lecture ended early that day! :eek:

NurseDennie, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2001

Hi. I've got an embarassing story. I'd had a bad muscle tear in my lower back (NOT due to faulty mechanics on my part, I hasten to add.) I'd taken a day or two off, and come back to work because I didn't want to use up my sick leave, and I thought I was doing a lot better.

So my first day back, I've got a guy that I really thought I was going to have to code all day long - he never was "with" me at all. I'd hung the first of three units of PRBC's and and I'd really timed it well - I was back at the bedside as the last drop of blood came out of the bag, switched over to the NS and started back out to request the second unit.

Have you ever heard of Sciatic A** lock? Well that's what happened to me. I took a step, turning and backing away from the bedside and the left let would NOT move. Ooops.

So - I smashed up against the wall of the patient's room and fell onto the floor. I Really hit it hard. I couldn't even break my fall, and my face was *On* the floor! I was afraid I'd broken a tooth. I hadn't.... Anyway, I am pretty sure that I didn't say anything stupid as I fell, but I made a lot of noise. Another nurse came running into the room asking "What happened?!?!"

The patient (who hasn't said a coherent word all day) got as lucid as anybody and pointed to me (still on the floor): "She fell on her face! Landed pretty hard, too. I'll bet she hurt herself pretty bad."

I put DNR and CAPS (program at that hospital Constant Awareness of Patient Safety) with the "P" marked out and "N" written in - stickers on my shirt when I got back to the floor after being insulted by employee health.

Love

Dennie

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Oct 30, 2001

Sciatic ass lock- I have experienced it but did not know the technical term.

What's with employee health? (Apparently they were a little constipated up the day you went to see them.)

NurseDennie, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2001

Hi. I think most nurses have suffered from the a$$ lock, I don't know if my co-workers and I coined that description, but it certainly works, doesn't it?

Employee health - what can I say? Actually it is a combination of employee health/workers comp office. I think they were covering their a$$. I'd been in there when I'd originally hurt my back, and I'd requested time off to let the muscle heal. We'd had a bit of a "discussion" at that time.

So, when I showed up at their office with the incident report saying that I had temporarily lost the use of that leg, that was an indication that I'd come back to work too soon after the original injury. Since I'd taken the patient's phone with me when I fell, they changed the description to saying I'd tripped over the phone cord. I was still pretty stunned by the whole fall thing. It didn't occur to me at the time that they had just changed my report to indicate that I had NOT fallen and injured myself as a result of the previous injury, but was hurt due to what sure sounds like my own clumsiness.

I think they pretty much stay constipated there.

Love

Dennie

ShortFuse_LPN, LPN · Oct 21, 2002

:imbar ONE of my most embarrassing moments....hmmm.....has to be during my 1st job out of school. I was 23. We had a football player from the university on the unit with a head injury. This guy always had a room full of visitors. Very well behaved, but jocks none the less. I am doing neuro checks q hr. I thought I may get to actually use the BR soon so I stick a tampon in my pocket. (sorry guys) Ran in to get the check done b4 I peed in my pants....pulled out the tampon...couldn't figure out why my pen light wasn't working...........that is until I hear the visitors snickering. I REALLY wanted the floor to open up and swallow me!!

*FYI for new nursing grads....tampons do NOT light up!!*

goats'r'us, ASN, RN · Oct 28, 2002

well i'm sure one day they will...

askater11 · Oct 28, 2002

This is actually recently.

On our unit we actually run for 8 hours. 2-3 of my patients usually have every 15 minute checks at one of two points in my shift.

So I'm in a rush to fit in assessments.

I went to do this one assessment...the visitor kept asking me question after question. Before I started the exam I wanted to answer all her questions. The visitor was done asking questions, I went to auscultate the patients lungs....but went to auscultate the visitors lungs. Yikes!!!

(my story isn't as good as the tampon story....gotta love that story)

baseline · Oct 29, 2002

goats r us.........that is the funniest thing I've heard today.........:roll :roll

My earliest "can ya look like a fool" experience was in nursing school. We had dress uniforms with snaps..........yup....I was taking care of a young man with a fx femur........turned to leave the room and caught the front of my uniform on the door handle. SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP.......the whole uniform popped open as I walked right into the Chief of Orthopedics. "Cheering up the patients?". Not my best day.:imbar

Vsummer1 · Oct 29, 2002

Originally posted by baseline
turned to leave the room and caught the front of my uniform on the door handle. SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP.......the whole uniform popped open as I walked right into the Chief of Orthopedics. "Cheering up the patients?".

OMG!!!!! ROFLMAO!!! :roll

At least I had a choice in uniform tops... this makes me glad I chose the Non-snap version!

tattooednursie, LVN · Oct 29, 2002

:imbar Well I was wearing these patel yelow scrub pants and under them I had hot pink underwear on. It was on a sunday, so maintnance was not available, and the head of one patients bed would not raise up. Being the miss fix-it that I am, I went under the bed because the control became disconnected from that bed. I was thying to crawl out but I got my hair caught and my butt was way up in the air. One of my co workers was also in the room with me and she's al like "nice underwear, what does it say on it?" It was embarassing enough knowing that my underwear was showing, but then I was like . . . it says cutie, I love new york, princess, dreamer, and wild child on it" (lol) then I was explaining that I have also got thong backed underwear just like it exept in the color blue . . . and as I was geting my hair untangles I began going into a desctiption of all of my underwear and bra;s that I recently bought. I noticed that the gal I was speakin to became quitet . . . when I stood up and turned around . . . the residents rather large family was standing in the door way, ready to die laughng. I was so embarrased . . . . When I asked how long they were there my co worker said . . . "I think they heard your whole conversation "lol.

sanakruz, ADN · Oct 29, 2002

I was working in a detox unit in the early 80's. We administered sq tb mantoux tests to all admitted; standing orders. This older gentleman came in. He was very polite and respectful and drunk. iIwent throught the entire admission process with him. Got him some thiamine and a little c, push fluids, the I ask him if he's ever been tested for TB "No m'am" So I bring out my syringe and explain to him what this is all about and I say to him what I say to all patients,"I'm going to inject this under the skin in your forearm; you'll feel a little pinch" Only it came out "I"m going to inject this under your foreskin,you'll feel a little pinch" His eyes got quite a bit larger.He clearly wasn't as intoxicated as I'd assumed,or that statement woke him up! I was mighty embarassed.:chuckle