Scariest thing you have found

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JULZ

43 Posts

I just want to thank all of you for sharing your stories. I'm not a nurse yet but will be someday and hearing these stories is a real eye opener and tells me that we can't rush in doing this job. Things have to be done at a safe pace and when that is compromised there are lives at stake. I am very determined to take as much time as I need to make sure it is right, the first time!

Thanks to ALL!!!

JULZ

mattsmom81

4,516 Posts

The crash cart story reminded me of a night when I opened my crash cart to start ACLS and the drug tray inside was a neonatal tray. Our patient was an adult and did not survive...the ACLS delay may have played a role. :(

I wrote an incident report on this but the hospital STILL has no way for us to check/verify the drug drawer's contents...it remains unseen and locked til codes per policy.

janesny

9 Posts

This happened when the nurse taking care of my son goofed. the nurse seemed pretty unsure of herself all shift. I had worked in this facility for year's and maybe she was trying too hard. She was trying to prime his hyperal and lipids and had a real bad time of it. The worst was after she had taken off the saftey cap she dropped ithe open line on the floor and was just about ready to connect it to him. I calmly stated that we were in for sepsis, and would she please change the lower tubing. She got angry and Soon we had another nurse for the rest of the shift.:eek:

NurseChick

19 Posts

I was working an evening shift about a month ago, (usually work nights) and went into a lady's room who would occasionally need suctioning. Found the suction machine about half full of "liquid" and also full of mold! It was nasty to say the least. It had to have been there for quite awhile for the mold to have gotten as bad as it did. Passed on in report to please wash machine when you are through using it.

Zee_RN, BSN, RN

951 Posts

Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

moonshadeau: she coded in the CT Scanner, the E.D. doc who admitted her and NEGLECTED the belly attended the code in the scanner room, called the code and pronounced her right there. We brought her back up to ICU for the wrapping. Called the attending and let him know she passed. While at the nurses station, another nurse (who was starting the post-mortem care) came back out and said "You better come back in here! She's breathing again!" Sure enough she developed agonal respirations...threw her back on the monitor and she had a rhythm...not much of one but a rhythm indeed. Had to RECODE her because the code status was not addressed; heck, she had already been pronounced!! Needless to say, it was a very mini code. Attending was REALLY ticked when we called him BACK to tell him she had died AGAIN.

rowbucks

10 Posts

HOW ABOUT A SUB MARCAINE EPIDURAL ON A FRESH POSTOP PT (250 CC) INFUSING IN 2 HOURS? mAX RATE IS 20 hR? PT HAD VERY DECREASED RESPS, BUT CAME OUT OK..:eek:

Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
Originally posted by Fire Wolf

I feel that the facility pushed the new grads and new hires out onto the units before they were properly trained and ready in order to boast that they had RN coverage back then.

Back in MY day, LOL!

I remember my first job. My charge nurse had six months experience. Us three "new" grads were in AWE at her skill and expertise, LOL!

We made out ok tho', I don't know how!

Maybe that's why I switched to ICU after 3 months -- so I could have seniority backing.

But Donna did a great job, and unflappable! We know today that "flapping" is very important tho'! MAKE SOME NOISE girls!

I had 8 medical patients last nite including one ventilator patient and a new admission.

What do you guys get?

Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
Originally posted by janesny

Soon we had another nurse for the rest of the shift.:eek:

Good.

Ruby Vee, BSN

17 Articles; 14,030 Posts

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Twenty or so years ago, I was working on a General Medicine floor. We still did team nursing . . . NA does the vital signs, RN does the meds, etc. for 15 patients. At about 0845, still passing my "0800" meds, I entered a patient room and found the patient deader than a doornail. We did the whole code thing, which was shortened considerably by the fact that we found rigor mortis. Afterward, checking through the chart I found midnight, 0400 and 0800 vital signs charted -- all normal. Funny thing, the patient's 24 hour Holter monitor showed VT at 2330, followed by VF and asystole. The night RN was fired for "failure to supervise," and I was counselled. Both NAs were still working there when I left six months later!

Ruby Vee

mattsmom81

4,516 Posts

Originally posted by Ruby Vee

Twenty or so years ago, I was working on a General Medicine floor. We still did team nursing . . . NA does the vital signs, RN does the meds, etc. for 15 patients. At about 0845, still passing my "0800" meds, I entered a patient room and found the patient deader than a doornail. We did the whole code thing, which was shortened considerably by the fact that we found rigor mortis. Afterward, checking through the chart I found midnight, 0400 and 0800 vital signs charted -- all normal. Funny thing, the patient's 24 hour Holter monitor showed VT at 2330, followed by VF and asystole. The night RN was fired for "failure to supervise," and I was counselled. Both NAs were still working there when I left six months later!

Ruby Vee

These stories upset me, because in this day of too many UAP's on duty and not enough nurses, we see how nurses can STILL held accountable when bad things happen. :(

Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
Originally posted by Ruby Vee

Both NAs were still working there when I left six months later!

Wha??????

Specializes in med/surg, cardiac/telemetry, hospice.

This is by no means as serious as many incidents posted here, but it had the potential for it...and this just happened last week.

Left my general failure (hx of MRSA) pt from day shift with an Aquacel dressing to a 1cm x 1cm superficial decub to the coccyx, ordered to be changed BID. I come in the next day to find a 2cm x 2cm AND 1cm x 1cm bleeding Stage II TOTALLY SLATHERED with Silvadene! The skin in the entire area was sloughing off! angry-smiley-030.gif

This patient had two wounds to dress...one on the coccyx, and one on the lower leg. The leg dressing ONLY was to be Silvadene (which was totally slathered, too, complete with bleeding and sloughing skin). angry-smiley-042.gif

The night nurse had even copied the Medex that night and transcribed the dressing changes correctly, but didn't perform them that way! That same night she gave another of my pt's her Crohn's meds (sheduled for 0800, 1600, and 2000) at 2000 AND 0200! The kicker of that one is that she only gave ONE HALF of the dose at 0200! :confused: Screwed up my 0800 dose, too.

This nurse is SCAREY! When listening to her report on a CHF patient, she won't tell you lung sounds, O2 sats, I/O's, edema status, or heart rate/rhythm....but she WILL tell you they have bowel sounds x 4!!! angry-smiley-005.gif

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