Funniest Nursing Situation

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · Feb 20, 2018

I have nothing as funny as that!!

Buckeye.nurse · Feb 20, 2018

Here's one that happened a few weeks ago. We had a patient on our floor who asked to be a No Release of Information due to "baby mama drama" (his exact words). Apparently, he was afraid that she would come to his hospital room to give him a piece of her mind. We honored his wishes, and replaced the standard door card (first initial, last name, and attending MD) with the NRI card.

Fast forward several days, and we admitted a new patient into the room beside him. You all know the type--older, kind, but more nosy than they have the right to be. She saw the NRI room card on the next door over, and it was driving her crazy because she didn't know what it meant. She finally worked up the courage to ask me. "I know you probably can't say because of HIPAA, but why doesn't my neighbor have the regular room card? I can't figure it out, but so far my best guesses are that he is a narcotics officer or in the witness protection program."

I choked out a "Keep guessing, you're kinda on the right track" before hastily leaving her room and dissolving into giggles.

Crush · Feb 20, 2018

Many years ago, I answered a call light and the person needed help getting off a bedpan. So I got the person all cleaned up and was heading to the bathroom with the bedpan full of one of the biggest code browns ever without an epidural. I had forgotten to turn of the call light and the nurse came into the room and scared the beejeesus out of me, causing me to jump and drop the bedpan.

The patient laughed so hard they got the hiccups and complained their ribs and abs were hurting. The nurse froze and could not help me from laughing so hard. And I am torn between laughing and throwing up cause guess who needed cleaning up then? This is why I now ALWAYS have a second pair of scrubs in my car.

Kitiger, RN · Feb 20, 2018

Many years ago, I answered a call light and the person needed help getting off a bedpan. So I got the person all cleaned up and was heading to the bathroom with the bedpan full of one of the biggest code browns ever without an epidural. I had forgotten to turn of the call light and the nurse came into the room and scared the beejeesus out of me, causing me to jump and drop the bedpan.
The patient laughed so hard they got the hiccups and complained their ribs and abs were hurting. The nurse froze and could not help me from laughing so hard. And I am torn between laughing and throwing up cause guess who needed cleaning up then? This is why I now ALWAYS have a second pair of scrubs in my car.

This one takes the cake! :eek:

I peed my pants laughing.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Feb 20, 2018

A co-worker and I got the giggles one hot August full-moon night and couldn't help ourselves. We went in to change one patient, trying desperately to keep quiet, until I turned around and knocked a large vase of flowers onto the floor. CRASH! That woke up the patient and he roundly cursed us both as we broke up laughing. THEN I slipped in the water on the floor and landed, hard, on my posterior, which led me to issue a profanity of my own...well, that changed the patient's attitude and HE broke up, as well as my co-worker who was literally crying from laughter.

We got in trouble the next day because several patients complained about the noise, and of course I was chewed out for using a curse word in front of a patient, for which I was genuinely apologetic. I pride myself on my professionalism. But neither of us ever forgot that night!

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · Feb 20, 2018

Oh, viva.....I could see me doing that

Cat365 · Feb 20, 2018

One of my first time cathing a man was an older gentleman with dementia. He was in the ER for altered mental state and I needed urine. I asked him to pee and held a urinal for him. No go. I would ask one thing and he would respond with a comment completely unrelated to the conversation.

So here I am with his member in my hand and he suddenly looks up and says ""Does it still work? Is it doing what you want it to do? I think it's broke."

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Feb 20, 2018

My favorite was the time a 4 year old with a lumbar drain asked his Dad and me if the CSF draining out of his back was "pee."

Davey Do · Feb 21, 2018

So here I am with his member in my hand and he suddenly looks up and says ""Does it still work? Is it doing what you want it to do? I think it's broke."

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**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Feb 21, 2018

My story is before nursing. I worked as an EKG tech and was performing a routine 12 lead ekg on a little 86 yr old lady. She was a double mastectomy, so it was fairly straight forward. After I completed the test, I started removing the ekg patches (round 3M type with metal snap in middle). Before I removed the last two, she said "Can you leave those two? I haven't had nipples since I was 26." I couldn't help laughing. Her request caught me off guard.

DoeRN · Feb 21, 2018

I was a PCT at the time and I was helping a nurse cath an obese older man. He had an "innie" and she said to him, "where is it?" He said, "lady that is one thing you should never say to a man!" I almost passed out because I was holding my breath trying not to laugh hysterically.