Funny things said by students

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

I just love teaching students and new residents, and sometimes they make me laugh uncontrollably in the corner with tears streaming down my eyes. All of us were once students, and I asked some pretty hysterical questions myself. Just thought I would share a couple with y'all. Add your own-we all need to laugh!

My student and I were preparing for an I&D in the OR. I was explaining how to prep for an older woman who had a horrid perineal abcess along with an abdominal wound infection. She was a diabetic and had bilateral AKAs a few years ago. I was walking her through the steps of the surgery and telling her what to expect. I asked her which position she thought the surgeons would likely want her in, and considering she had two wounds to debride, which one they would likely do first. She said they would definitely start down under and then go up top. DING! Very good! Then she said..."hmmm...I think since her perineal wound is so big, they would want her in lithotomy position for better access to the wound." I just stared. She stared back. I said, "Dude, WHAT are we putting in the stirrups?"

We have cameras in the ORs to allow the charge nurse to be able to see the progression of each case in the room in order to better predict which nurses need relief at what time. I was in charge and had a student looking over my shoulder as I flipped to the orthopaedic room. The surgeon was doing a rotator cuff repair and was inserting a screw into the bone. He was obviously having a hard time because he was putting all of his muscle into it. While I was thinking, "Oh, they are putting in screws, so they have about 40 minutes to go and I can shut that room down when the case is done." The student was thinking something was wrong. She asked (at the front desk, now) "Why is he screwing so hard? He is really going at it!!" I saw a couple of heads snap up pretty quickly!

[rachelita]

While floating to the Gynecology floor a few weeks ago, I met a very sweet, well meaning early twenty something looking ADN student. She came out of a patient’s room and asked me in an exasperated tone “We don’t have have sanitary napkins, do we ?”

I replied “Yes, in the Supply Pyxis”.

“Really?” she said ” I’ve never seen those around here.”

Wondering how a Gynecology floor could possibly stay running without an ample supply of sanitary napkins, I asked “Are you sure you know what sanitary napkins are?”

She looked at me in disbelief “Of course I do. They are the little square wet wipes like you get at Sonny’s Barbeque.”

We had a quick lesson on feminine hygiene products that evening.