What have other nurses done that have freaked you out?

[texas_lvn]

What have other peers done intentional/unintentional to freak you out? Good or bad. Happy or sad.

On my FIRST day as an LVN, (LTC) a res was screaming in her room as I was walking out to leave. I went in to see what was going on. She was having an anxiety attack and severe pain (post stroke). I pulled the call light, and no one came. Uggg.

So I peeked out the door and saw my CNA walking down the hall, and told him to come sit with res. I went down to get her a Xanax and a pain pill, well relief nurse was in the restroom, and relief CNA (with call light still going off) was sitting behind nurses station reading a newspaper. I told CNA to tell the nurse to get a Xanax and pain pill for res. She said OK. I go to relieve my CNA. Said goodbye to him, and stayed with res. after 10 minutes, CNA COMES INTO ROOM WITH XANAX AND MORPHINE PILL. She is soooooo shocked to see me still there, she hands me the pills and RUNS to the relief nurse. I could NOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW!!!!

(I did immediately call DON and tell what happened. Luckily, my CNA was still checking on another res, and saw the whole thing.--------they got a slap on the wrist! that was it!!!) :madface: :madface:

[meluhn]

I saw a nurse sniff and then lick her finger and exclaim... "Yep, it's Jevity"... she touched goop that was around the stoma of a G-tube.... I damn near stroked out

What kind of person would do something like this? Clearly she was mentally unstable or impaired.

[meluhn]

Some freak out moments:

1. A nurse locked her demented patients in their rooms on night duty so she could get some sleep

2. A nurse gave a patient a dose of insulin (note: he was not a diabetic nor ordered insulin) because he was endstage cancer patient

3. A senior nurse asked how to prime an IV line because she didn't know how.....she then said is there anything else she should know? and was about to give a blood transfusion

These all happened at 1 facility. Different registered nurses all faced losing their licence over these issues and other freaky things they did. The worst part about it was I was a new staff member and a lot of the poor practices at this place freaked me out (needless to say I left this hospital).....but the biggest freak-out was that the many nurses that worked at this place were not freaked out, because poor practices were the norm!

May I ask where this hospital was located?

[belgarion]

This wasn't on the job but my wife was in a rehab hospital after a three month stay in acute care for several different complications of diabetes. We were sitting in the dining room when a nurse came up to check her BG. It was up a little so she drew up the Nova-Log and promptly dropped the UNCAPPED syringe on the floor. She picked it up and started to go ahead and give the shot. I saids "since when does the five-second rule apply to needles?" She said that the needle never touched the floor, just the barrel. I told her I was going to go see what the infection control supervisor and the DON had to say about that. For some reason or another she decided to draw up another dose. Yes, I went ahead and reported her to both the nursing manager AND the BON.

[meluhn]

I had a CNA tell me that Mrs. FippyDippy was impacted and she tried to "dig her out". I guess the look on my face was upsetting she quickly told me that the other nurse told her to do it one night. I explained that even we nurses didn't do that anymore and I explained the danger. She looked horrified and ask was I going to tell on her? I told her no she just did (ha ha). Cant believe a CNA didnt question that one

Is there some new research that says we are not to disimpact people anymore? Please let me know as this comes up quite a bit where I work.

[jtmonique]

I saw a CNA suction a trach.... and when she realized I saw her she stopped and was like it needed done I just did it quickly...like that rectifies the situation.

when I did my ER rotation in school there was a male nurse that did not give an overdose patient the charcoal solution because he said that people who OD are a waste of his time....I was shocked.

[sharpeimom]

when i did my er rotation in school there was a male nurse that did not give an overdose patient the charcoal solution because he said that people who od are a waste of his time....i was shocked.

people like that both scare the heck out of me and disgust me. they don't belong in the er or psych.

kathy

sharpeimom:paw::paw:

[dansamy]

Working Child In-pt Psych long ago, we got a package of scented markers. Co-worker opened each one, sniffed it, commented on smell, and spent the rest of the shift with several colored polka-dots on her nose. Said the kids were all in a great mood, kept smiling at her even during med pass.

This soooo sounds like something I would do. Seriously. Markers and crayons and colored pencils just take me back to childhood. I would totally sniff the markers and get a touch of color on me in the process.

[Nancy2009]

Not filling up the med cart! Not answering call lights!! Some nurses think call lights are for their CNA's only to answer--no, sorry nurses, we all provide care, its a team effort. Some CNA's deliberately ignore call lights too, but as nurses we should remember the accountability is on us.

[diane227, LPN, RN]

I have not had nurses make major errors in a long time that I am aware of, but if I had a nurse who crushed meds and pushed them in an IV I would have to immediately wonder if that person was indeed a nurse. Anyone who makes that type of mistake is either seriously impaired or not a nurse. That would scare the hell out of me. I have had a nurse break a patients arm, give medications without a doctors order, be unable to recognize critical changes in patient condition etc but for the most part I have not seen too many patients that have been that unsafe. If I ever catch a nurse giving a tube feeding in an IV or crushing pills and putting them through an Iv line I will FIRE THEM ON THE SPOT AND THEY WILL GET A QUICK EXIT FROM THE BUILDING with a call to the board of nursing and my manager. I will get them out then, right there, on the spot. That is so scary.

[meluhn]

haha! I was feeling very bad one day and had to work. I went in without a bit of makeup on. I had been working the same floor at a LTC for 2 years so my patients knew me very well. I went to give my favorite patient his meds and as I walked out of the room I heard him ask his roommate "who is that ugly new nurse" lol I went back in and said "its me!! wendy!" he wouldnt believe me lol

another patient said "honey, now I know why women wear makeup" lol

needless to say, if I ever feel that bad again, I just call in lol

:yeah:That is so funny. On the rare occassion that I dont wear makeup, even if Im not sick, everyone asks me if I am feeling ok.

[squeakykitty]

when I did my ER rotation in school there was a male nurse that did not give an overdose patient the charcoal solution because he said that people who OD are a waste of his time....I was shocked.

I TRULY hope this person is not a nurse now. Did he ever get reported? Speaking of wasting time---this one totally wasted his nursing school instructors time, as well as his employers time. How someone with an attitude like this ever chose to go through nursing school (and managed to graduate) is beyond me.

[squeakykitty]

when i did my er rotation in school there was a male nurse that did not give an overdose patient the charcoal solution because he said that people who od are a waste of his time....i was shocked.

people like that both scare the heck out of me and disgust me. they don't belong in the er or psych.

kathy

sharpeimom:paw::paw:

kathy, i totally agree with you. they don't belong anywhere else but behind prison walls, in my opinion.