What have other nurses done that have freaked you out?

Nurses General Nursing

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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: :madface: :madface:

Below is the reason why over 98,000 people still die from med errors every year! :nono:

While in nursing school, a "future nurse" :smackingf was "taking" a blood pressure with NO stethescope. I asked her what she was doing and she said "I just watch the needle jump and when it starts I get my top number and the last jump is my bottom number":no: I almost died! ( and perhaps her patients will too with that genious taking care of them!) She didn't even say "diastolic and systolic" pressure. I have also seen 2 nurses give IV atibiotics 6 hours late and knew it and did nothing to rectify it- the one said "I was too tired" and the other said "I couldn't read the MAR". What is wrong with people nowadays!!
Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice, Home Health.

We had an agency nurse one night, trying to figure out a way to hook up a tube feeding to ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,wait for it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

a triple lumen central line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG, I about fainted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

pulled her out of THAT room in a hurry...

atlantarn

Besides just pulling a resident off the floor and putting them back in bed after they have fallen, then acting like nothing happened because they didn't want to do the paperwork:nono:- a few other things come to mind. While in nursing school, a "future nurse" :smackingf was "taking" a blood pressure with NO stethescope. I asked her what she was doing and she said "I just watch the needle jump and when it starts I get my top number and the last jump is my bottom number":no: I almost died! ( and perhaps her patients will too with that genious taking care of them!) She didn't even say "diastolic and systolic" pressure. I have also seen 2 nurses give IV atibiotics 6 hours late and knew it and did nothing to rectify it- the one said "I was too tired" and the other said "I couldn't read the MAR". What is wrong with people nowadays!!

About the no stethescope BP...

When I would get yearly check ups pre nursing school, the nurses in the office NEVER used a steth. I asked about it when we were learning in it school and instructor said it was a no no.

One time, (again before nursing school) I asked what my BP was, and she said oh it was like xxx/xx Like? Didnt you just take it? I guess not.

My last day as an extern, a CNA came in to releive me from sitting. She took one look at the pt (a 100yr old female) and said "oh hell no" and went and got restraints. The pt was getting angry and trying to get out of bed. But the Pt didnt NOT derve them, let alone there were no orders for them (she already had a posey on.) I told the nurse right away.

She usually sat on a second shift after working one on the floor. I would see her sleeping in the room sometimes, with the pts tied down to the bed in 4 or 5pt restraints. :(

Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

This happened last week. I did not witness it. An RN case manager I know did witness this. My friend works for an insurance company. She was in the hall looking at a patient's chart when she saw a patient seizing in a room close by. The patient's nurse (a recent grad) went into the room and stopped... stared...her mouth gaping open. The nurse then wheeled around and ran. No, not for help...to the ladies room. My case manager friend ran and pounded on the bathroom door in the hall. She tried to find another RN. The nurse came out of the bathroom looking dazed. My case manager friend said "YOU HAVE TO GET BACK IN THERE, HE IS HAVING A SEIZURE!" The RN wouldn't speak. They both go back into the room. The patient is foaming and has blood from biting his tongue. The RN does the same thing. She stares, then walks out again. She pretends nothing is happening. My friend finally runs to another unit and gets an RN. Don't know what happened after that.

I guess if you pretend it's not happening then it isn't?:eek:

A nurse crushed Percocets, mixed with water, and gave it through a central line IV.:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Oh, my Lord in heaven!!!!! Was the patient okay?

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

It was around the stoma? How gross!!

I saw my nurse "burp" a colostomy bag in a patient's face.

It was 2 days post op and patient was having serious issues dealing with body changes.

This was SO not cool.

:nono:

Specializes in pediatric critical care.

how about these stellar examples:

-experienced peds icu nurse about to y-in her blood with her tpn:nono:

-not-so-new grad stating "now what do you do with this exactly" while holding an ambubag!!:uhoh3:

-nursing student attempting to crush and dilute po ativan and give iv (where do people get that? was that once how we prepared iv meds?) and nursing instructer no where in sight (thank god another student stopped him)

and the kicker:

i was a nurse's aide in a nursing home years ago, worked frequently with an rn who was kind of out there, but "always right" and would argue to the death. she ordered me to go get a rectal temp on pt with temp, when i attempted to protest, she ordered me again, not so nicely this time. you see, this pt had cancer surgery years before that left her with a colostomy and no rectal area at all, it was completely sewn shut. finally the rn said she had just done it herself earlier(really now, did you?), why was i causing so much trouble. i politely encouraged her to get it herself then. boy was her face red when she got back from that room. i do often wonder who's rectal temp she had really taken earlier that shift!:rolleyes:

Specializes in OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.

At "flu" shot clinics, other LVN/RNs filled syringes with vaccine and piled them up. I was told to use them.

I explained that nurses can only give medications that they themselves prepare - oral, parenteral, IV, whatever. The other nurses there became very hostile, but I stuck to my "guns". :nurse:

Specializes in ub-Acute/LTC, Home Health, L&D, Peds.

I am an Lpn and am IV certified. We had a patient with an IV in the LTC facility I was working at. I was working night shift and at the end of a very busy shift the IV came out. About that time the dayshift RN came in so I told her and she said she would restart it and asked if I would stay to help. I did and as she was attempting to restart the IV she dropped it on the bed. She then picked it up blew on it to I guess "get the germs off" :trout: and attempted again to restart it. I was in complete shock!!! Luckily she couldn't even get it in and I had to go so she said she was going to have one of the other nurse's do it. I swear I could NOT believe what I had just seen!!!

1 Votes
Specializes in Hospice, Med/Surg, ICU, ER.
At "flu" shot clinics, other LVN/RNs filled syringes with vaccine and piled them up. I was told to use them.

I explained that nurses can only give medications that they themselves prepare - oral, parenteral, IV, whatever. The other nurses there became very hostile, but I stuck to my "guns". :nurse:

We have one of these clinics coming up soon at my Urgent Care, and I am scheduled to be the "shot nurse" for opening day.

My manager wanted to draw up several dozen doses on Friday for Sunday administration... until I said that I only shoot what I myself draw - she was mildly miffed but agreed to let me "do it my way".

I can't believe some of the things I've seen on this thread! :eek: WHO in the WORLD was ever taught to give PO meds in an IV???? For Pete's sake! :nono:

Specializes in aged -adolescent.

This really freaked my sister out. After having removal of some bowel due to bowel cancer, my sister was lucky in not needing a bag and was pleased to hear they thought they'd got it all. One of the nurses came in and asked to see her stoma. H replied she didn't have one. "Oh that's not what it says in the chart" the nurse replied. The next night, H asked for a couple of sleepers and a reg nurse bought one in. "Where's the other" Oh damn I gave the lady down the hall your two..I'll just slip back and get you another...'

she was very pleased to get out of there.

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