do you ever have "stupid" days at work?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

And what I mean is...do you feel like you cant do anything right. The other night was my "stupid" night, lol. I couldnt stick my finger in my ear if I tried. :lol2: Anyone else go thru this at times?

Specializes in nursery, L and D.

I think we all go though this..........I have a "stupid hour" between 0400-0500 when I am so sleepy (even if I slept well that day) that I do stupid stuff.

Specializes in icu,ccu, er, corrections.

I actually seem to have stupid weeks......lol.......no, my worst time is 4am, then I am okay, but at the end of the shift, when I give report, I cannot for the life of me use medical terminology........

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Absolutely I do! Sometimes when I loose my focus and start a "stupid" moment I can't get it back. :)

Specializes in ICU, SDU, OR, RR, Ortho, Hospice RN.

LOL Not really although yesterday my day started out with me dropping just about everything I laid my hands on. I even commented to Hubster that this is NOT a good sign!!

No stupid days but I sure as heck am silly at work a lot of the time.

My co workers call me trouble or mischief.

I am one of these people that act up at work. We have cubicles with many Hospice nurses. I am always tossing something over them or announcing on the over head page that I only wanted to hear my own voice LOL

Laughter is needed more so in Hospice Nursing so I make people laugh a lot. Better than being a grumble bum eh?:lol2:

Specializes in Psych, Informatics, Biostatistics.

I work nights, drink coffee and work in psych.

I use checklists much like a computer would. Everything I do is sequential and doubly checked in my mind. In a past life was a programmer. The other night during my 6:00 medication one of my patients stated, "you need to stop drinking coffee." I asked him how my drinking coffee was affecting him.

The other morning the morning med nurse walked off the unit. I poured and gave the 8:00 am meds. Found myself slower, because I had to take more time making sure I had the five rights. Forget the term for the time between the five rights and when we give the medication, but that took longer.

Having said this at times I have made mistakes. Gave two units of regular insulin about five months ago to the wrong diabetic patient. The other nurse was doing the sliding scale blood sugars and I had asked the other nurse several times about the name of the patient. The error in this process does not happen anymore because I don't give any SS insulin without the results from the glucometer in my hand. Wish all fixes were so easy.

Specializes in Utilization Management.

All the time. It's usually stupid stuff, like I reach over a patient's bedside table to give a pill, and in one swift motion, dump both the water and the water pitcher on the bed. Of course, by now Pt has the Feosol in the mouth and is desperately seeking something to wash it down.

GTubes are the worst. I'll try to flush gently and wind up giving myself and poor Pt a Jevity bath.

I'd like to blame my no-lens bifocals for some of these because they are definitely errors in hand-eye coordination, but I've been like this all my life.

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
And what I mean is...do you feel like you cant do anything right. The other night was my "stupid" night, lol. I couldnt stick my finger in my ear if I tried. :lol2: Anyone else go thru this at times?

Hi,

I've heard it described that on those days where you loose your keys, lock yourself out, can hang up the phone right or turn off your alarm or button your shirt...or anything, just might be ovulations related.

Gen-yup, I've had 'em

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
I work nights, drink coffee and work in psych.

I use checklists much like a computer would. Everything I do is sequential and doubly checked in my mind. In a past life was a programmer. The other night during my 6:00 medication one of my patients stated, "you need to stop drinking coffee." I asked him how my drinking coffee was affecting him.

...

Hi there,

As a coffee lover I was interested in the research about caffeine I learned in my "psychology of substance abuse" class for psych. It was about psychoactive substances. I do not remember who the article was by and it was in 2005.

Researchers had discovered that while caffeine does indeed help with coding new information while you are learning it that there is a tipping point of sorts.

Flipside is that if you have too much coffee it will prevent your from retreiving long learned knowledge!

Aha!

The researchers had coined it, "tip of the tongue" phenomena.

Gen

Specializes in Utilization Management.

The researchers had coined it, "tip of the tongue" phenomena.

Gen

Oh, I just figured it was early-onset Alzheimers. Who knew? :lol2:

Specializes in Geriatrics, MS, ICU.

Oh yeah! I have these moments...Especially when someone asks me a question in the middle of my 2200 med pass...Who, What...What...What??? Don't approach me when I am concentrating on medications. I am so focused on my medication distribution I cannot concentrate on anything else.

I also get fumbled at 0700 during the morning report...I cannot seem to make full sentences and cannot remember everything I need to say. That is why I take notes throughout the night. During initial assessment I start a little list on each of my patients. This way I don't forget anything.

I am pretty sure that everyone has these days...It is called being HUMAN;)

Specializes in LTC Rehab.

One day I put my pants on backwards and didn't even notice till afternoon, people still ask me if I have my clothes on right (I double check now!)

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