Bad Habits Nurses Develop

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I don't know about you, but out in the "real world" I've seen a lot of things that would not fly in school! Here are a few:

Pre-popping pills

Not using MARs on med pass

Not washing hands/using sanitizer between patients

CNAs not wearing gloves to clean up BM

Not wearing gloves to do fingersticks

Like I said, these are just a few. Can anyone think of anything else???

MY BAD HABIT IS THROWING EVERYTHING IN TO MY POCKETS IN THE COURSE OF MY SHIFT...THEN I FORGET TO EMPTY MY POCKETS, i HAVE A LOT OF POCKETS... SO WHEN I GET HOME I EMPTY THEM AND I HAVE A BAZILLION ALCHOL PADS, ADAPTERS, SALINE SYRINGES, 2X2'S , Opsites AND BANDAIDS And rolls upon rolls of tape.... not to mention a tubex or two.....

I alone am probably the the reason for the rizing cost of health care lol...Ohhh, and it is a mystery how I start my shift with one highlighter, and two pens... and can magically pull out 3 of each......

That is my bad bad HABIT...

I NEED HELP....LOL

i CANNOT SEEM TO STOP MY SELF

DOES NAYONE ELSE SUFFER FROM THIS 12 HRS BOUTS OF KLEPTOMANIA???

MY BAD HABIT IS THROWING EVERYTHING IN TO MY POCKETS IN THE COURSE OF MY SHIFT...THEN I FORGET TO EMPTY MY POCKETS, i HAVE A LOT OF POCKETS... SO WHEN I GET HOME I EMPTY THEM AND I HAVE A BAZILLION ALCHOL PADS, ADAPTERS, SALINE SYRINGES, 2X2'S , Opsites AND BANDAIDS And rolls upon rolls of tape.... not to mention a tubex or two.....

I alone am probably the the reason for the rizing cost of health care lol...Ohhh, and it is a mystery how I start my shift with one highlighter, and two pens... and can magically pull out 3 of each......

That is my bad bad HABIT...

I NEED HELP....LOL

i CANNOT SEEM TO STOP MY SELF

DOES NAYONE ELSE SUFFER FROM THIS 12 HRS BOUTS OF KLEPTOMANIA???

LMFAO! yeah. lots of uses for those alcohol pads, though... cleaning manicure scissors, computer keyboards... my husband used to think i was nuts, now he uses them too!

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I do that too! My pockets are full of bandaids, wipes, pens, and tape when I am done! I look like a double-pouched kangaraoo when I am done w/my shift.

What about not wiping Y-ports on IV tubing with alcohol prior to accessing?

This just isn't done in the ER..but when you think about it...eww

I have the bad habit of losing my pen :selfbonk: and then picking up someone elses. :uhoh21: Must learn not. to. lose. my. own. pen. :banghead: And it goes like this...

THEM: "Hey, that's my pen!"

ME: "It is? Here ya go. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to steal your pen." :smackingf

ME:"Anyone seen mine? It's purple with the drug name Nexium written on it?" "Can I borrow your pen? I'll give it right back." :rolleyes:

Next day...

ME: "Hey that's MY pen!"

THEM: "It is? I was wondering who it belonged to."

ME: "Thanks."

Then it starts all over again.

ME: Dam, where's that pen? Here's one...:lol2:

Specializes in LTC, sub-acute, urology, gastro.
MY BAD HABIT IS THROWING EVERYTHING IN TO MY POCKETS IN THE COURSE OF MY SHIFT...THEN I FORGET TO EMPTY MY POCKETS, i HAVE A LOT OF POCKETS... SO WHEN I GET HOME I EMPTY THEM AND I HAVE A BAZILLION ALCHOL PADS, ADAPTERS, SALINE SYRINGES, 2X2'S , Opsites AND BANDAIDS And rolls upon rolls of tape.... not to mention a tubex or two.....

I alone am probably the the reason for the rizing cost of health care lol...Ohhh, and it is a mystery how I start my shift with one highlighter, and two pens... and can magically pull out 3 of each......

That is my bad bad HABIT...

I NEED HELP....LOL

i CANNOT SEEM TO STOP MY SELF

DOES NAYONE ELSE SUFFER FROM THIS 12 HRS BOUTS OF KLEPTOMANIA???

:yeahthat: :rotfl:

MY BAD HABIT IS THROWING EVERYTHING IN TO MY POCKETS IN THE COURSE OF MY SHIFT...THEN I FORGET TO EMPTY MY POCKETS, i HAVE A LOT OF POCKETS... SO WHEN I GET HOME I EMPTY THEM AND I HAVE A BAZILLION ALCHOL PADS, ADAPTERS, SALINE SYRINGES, 2X2'S , Opsites AND BANDAIDS And rolls upon rolls of tape.... not to mention a tubex or two.....

I alone am probably the the reason for the rizing cost of health care lol...Ohhh, and it is a mystery how I start my shift with one highlighter, and two pens... and can magically pull out 3 of each......

That is my bad bad HABIT...

I NEED HELP....LOL

i CANNOT SEEM TO STOP MY SELF

DOES NAYONE ELSE SUFFER FROM THIS 12 HRS BOUTS OF KLEPTOMANIA???

YES!!!! I'll end up bringing home a ton of alcohol pads (not meaning to take them home). My DH uses them after he shaves and for miscillaneous stuff. When he runs low he'll ask me to bring some more home! Like I bring them home on purpose for his personal use!!! I try to explain this to him but he doesn't get it. :rolleyes:

I put a lable on my pens, I come to work with a blue or black one and a red one, if I don't have my name on it, I make a lable with our lable maker for it. That way everyone knows who's pen it is. If it gets misplaced or lost, I just ask everyone to empty their pockets, usually someone has picked it up in passing or while charting and forgot to leave it. It saves me $$$ on pens, and I don't loose my favorite pen that way! Oh a little side note...some of the other nurses have started to put name lables on theirs too!!! :nurse:

What about not wiping Y-ports on IV tubing with alcohol prior to accessing?

This just isn't done in the ER..but when you think about it...eww

Doesn't really do anything except move the germs around unless you actually stand there and wait for the alcohol to dry before accessing the port. Most folks that do use the alcohol just swab and go for it. Might as well not even bother.

I confess I stash my purse in the bottom of the med cart. And try not to think about any treaments or ointments in bottom drawer that may not be bagged in ziplocks. Ugh. However thanks to previous shifts ratpacking there is usually a layer of tube feeding cans, tube feeding bottles, tubing, extra anything offgoing nurse might happen to need and isn't willing to walk two extra steps to go get. Have to admit the minute I give into urge to restock extras from bottom of cart I"M the goober who suddenly needs whatever I cleaned out of cart. Am learning to live peaceably with ratpackers.

Specializes in Med-surg > LTC > HH >.
I don't know about you, but out in the "real world" I've seen a lot of things that would not fly in school! Here are a few:

Pre-popping pills

Not using MARs on med pass

Not washing hands/using sanitizer between patients

CNAs not wearing gloves to clean up BM

Not wearing gloves to do fingersticks

Like I said, these are just a few. Can anyone think of anything else???

What about the nurses that don't wash thier hands, and then stick thier finger down a shared med or vitamin bottle, to get a single pill(after getting frustrated with not being able to pour just one in the lid of the bottle.:uhoh3:Then again, I guess if they didn't expect nurses to do 12 hours of work in an 8 hour shift then bad habits wouldn't be an issue.:p
Specializes in Geriatric, LTC, PC, home care, pediatric.

I started in the days of no gloves for personal care, and I remember quite a few nights of food poisoning going thru the LTC I worked at. (We wouldn't have time to have gloved up anyhow)Yuck!

Worked home care peds, had mom's ask, "Did you wear gloves when you changed your children's diapers". Nope, but that was my kid.

Have been peed on, pooped on, puked on, spit on, you name I have had it done. The kids don't let you know they are going to sneeze, and that they need a tissue while you are carrying them to the school bus. And the only time I did a finger stick with gloves was when I knew they had AIDS. Yes bad bad me! Smack my hands, and call me stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :crying2: :crying2:

Don't want to work Alzheimer's during full moon. Or 3-11 shift. Damn Sundowners. :rotfl: check out other people's veins, recapped needles, ratpacked carts, stuffed pockets with supplies, stuck stickers on my name badge instead of the charge card in the treatment room, and went home with them, oops! Read obits. etc, etc, etc

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