Embarrassed myself today

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in CICU.

I swore in front of a patient and a family member today. I lost control of a drain tube I was d/c'ing, and slung some blood onto to the (clean!) linens... and a "s#%t" slipped out. :eek:

After the dressings and linens got changed I did apologize to them... I don't think the patient even heard me (either time), but the family member was very gracious... A co-worker helping with the dressing, etc. gave me a good-natured hard time about it.

Just feeling tacky about it and wanted to vent. I don't like it when other people cuss, and I REALLY don't like it when I cuss!

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Specializes in LTC.

Your human and things slip out. It's just kind of a natural reaction. I give you a lot of kudos for going back and apologizing to the patient and their family member.

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Specializes in Phase 2, Home Health.

It happens. Don't beat yourself up about it. I have yet to have a family member or patient get irrate when something like that happens if you apologize for your slip. Most understand the circumstance.

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Definitely don't beat yourself up about it, you handled it perfectly by apologizing.

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Specializes in ER.
I swore in front of a patient and a family member today. I lost control of a drain tube I was d/c'ing, and slung some blood onto to the (clean!) linens... and a "s#%t" slipped out. :eek:

After the dressings and linens got changed I did apologize to them... I don't think the patient even heard me (either time), but the family member was very gracious... A co-worker helping with the dressing, etc. gave me a good-natured hard time about it.

Just feeling tacky about it and wanted to vent. I don't like it when other people cuss, and I REALLY don't like it when I cuss!

sorry, that's pretty funny. I know some patients and visitors can be pretty uppity about some things, but I find that being understanding about many things helps. Oh well, so you let it slip. If someone calls you on it, tell them you said "SHIP!" =)

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Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.

that sure happens even if we try not to do it. I have found most families and patients are grcious about it.

I did find, tho, that patients think it extremely hilarious when the nurse (me) gets dizzy walking and looking up and stumbles across the end of the bed, almost falling on said patient whilst hanging a IVPB!!! try explaining THAT to pt's wife!!! hehehehe

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Here's a funny story. When I just became an EMT. We had a guy who had a shed on a hill in the backyard. Well he went to go out and mow the lawn on a early summer morning, so the grass had alot of dew on it. So when he went ot back it out the thing slid down the hill and fell over a 4 foot high retaining wall, the mower went smash on the dudes ankle. Open Tib/fib fx, lovely...I didn't know it until I went to cut his pants on the affected leg. When i looked down I accidently said "Ohhh ****." the dude pops his head up and says "Is it really that bad??" To which i replied "Oh nahhhhh don't worry about it you'll be fine!" and then the wife says in a mean tone "Did you really have to say that?" And i said well no not really, it was an accident. She then got lippy with me and I had to have PD remove her from the scene. So moral of the story is. "S#^! Happens!" lol

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I swore in front of a patient and a family member today. I lost control of a drain tube I was d/c'ing, and slung some blood onto to the (clean!) linens... and a "s#%t" slipped out. :eek:

lol, it happens, yup, sh**t happens. :D

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
QUOTE=MassED;4216757]sorry, that's pretty funny. I know some patients and visitors can be pretty uppity about some things, but I find that being understanding about many things helps. Oh well, so you let it slip. If someone calls you on it, tell them you said "SHIP!" =)

:lol2: . . . and then start singing "Anchors Aweigh" to emphasize the point, lol!! I think it's funny, too. Yeah you've got to apologize but we're human, too.

I embarassed myself one day with my home care patient, a very proper straightlaced older woman, pushing her oversized wheelchair through a hallway with a downward incline, I heard myself saying "wheeeeeeeee!!" as the chair picked up a little speed. :o No idea where that came from, and I'm 53 freakin' years old. I def got "the look" from her. :coollook:

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

I accidently jumped into bed with a patient once. :uhoh3: It was about 11pm and i was making rounds in the semi-dark. Standing by the bed taking a lady's pulse when a mouse ran over my foot. It was like an out-of-body experience--I shrieked and leapt onto the bed. We both watched the mouse run under the dresser. In a minute I realized where I was and sheepishly apologized. fortunately, the lady thought it was the most fun she'd had since she was admitted. :clown: THEN I had to explain just how come there was a mouse in her room...

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Specializes in Neuro, Cardiology, ICU, Med/Surg.

I cuss, you cuss, we all cuss for asparagus!

Sorry, channeling a Far Side memory there. :)

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Specializes in ICU/CCU.

Don't beat yourself up. **it does happen! Last week I did something stupid when I should have known better. I had an intubated, unresponsive patient. He had bitten his tongue and it was still jammed between his teeth (see where this is going?). I do KNOW not to put my finger in a patient's mouth, but like a moron I thought I could just give a teensy poke with my (gloved) finger and push his tongue back that little bit. As soon as I pushed his tongue back, his jaws clamped down hard on my finger. I was standing there, stuck and yowling in pain, when my co-worker walked in. He laughed his butt off while he helped me extricate myself. Thank god the family had just stepped out to the waiting room.

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