Worst nursing experience

Nurses General Nursing

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Hope you guys don't mind sharing this. What was your worst nursing related experience? Could be dealing with a patient and something disgusting happening, or a fight with a coworker or something else. Looking forward to your replies :)

Specializes in Nursing assistant.

I am amazed. My experiences are limited to seeing some neglect (ugh!) but these are horrific in the impact they must have on everyone involved. I so admire you all.

When I was an LPN back in the late 70's, I was finishing up my shift on the very LAST night I worked on a med-surg floor... (after that, I was headed back to the Premature Nursery to work.) We had a 400 lb female patient who decided that the last thing she wanted to do before she died was lean over the bedrail and fall out of bed. Thump! The RN and I ran into her room to find her on her back on the floor, dying.... "Hang in there", I told her... "we'll get you right back to your bed!" I could see her eyes rolling in the back of her head... CRAP! and a few other expletives!! She died right there on the floor.... The RN said, we have to call the attending.... so he came up, put a stethoscope to her chest, and said "Yep, she's dead" and proceeded to walk away... leaving the RN and me to try and figure out how to get her (remember, she was 400 lbs) up off the floor! What a pig (the attending) who didn't even offer to help us. We called some orderlies and it took about 5 of us to get her back into bed...

And THAT was the very last night I EVER worked Med-Surg!!!

Specializes in L&D, PP, Nursery.

I was on call on L&D on a Saturday and was called in for a Level 2 c-birth. "Take your time", I was told by the charge nurse. Upon arrival, I was assigned to be the baby nurse. Assuming this was a routine c-birth (not being told otherwise), I proceeded to the OR. The baby was born limp, blue with no heart rate or respirations. I was the only one available to do the resuscitation. After a couple of minutes of bagging the baby, the pediatrician walked in. At the same time, the circulating nurse attempted to do chest compressions. The pediatrician pushed her hand away. We just looked at each other. He would NOT call a code. After 11 minutes the OB finally said, "Maybe we should call a code" The code team arrived and after CPR and several med pushes, a heart rate was finally obtained. The baby was transferred out and died the next day (Beautiful term boy,over 8 pounds). I didn't sleep for several nights and ran the scenario over and over in my head. Finally, I called the charge nurse who was also scrubbing and asked her why the pediatrician would wait so long to call a code. She said "Oh, mom hadn't felt fetal movement for days and he had seizures in-utero. There was no fetal heart rate prior to the section. EVERYONE knew this but me!!! I kicked myself in the a** for days wondering what I could have done differently and EVERYONE knew but me! That was 6 years ago and I still relive that terrible day!

This one happened many years ago when I was working as a paramedic in a really awful city in Ma. We responded to a call for a sick infant. I was met at the door by a man holding a gun to the head of a 7 month old. He demanded our narcotics. I told him that they were in the locked cabinet in the truck. My partner turned to return to the truck. He said "awe f**k it". He pulled the trigger and then turned the gun onto himself. I caught the baby before it hit the ground but he was gone.

It has been over 14 years and still haunts me sometimes.

Brian

Hope you guys don't mind sharing this. What was your worst nursing related experience? Could be dealing with a patient and something disgusting happening, or a fight with a coworker or something else. Looking forward to your replies :)

As a nurse of 41 years, I have had many worst days in nursing.

The first occurred when I was a student working extra in the OR

It was before the days of EMS. The fire department brought a young man in a stretcher. You could hear him before you could see him. He was screaming at the top of his lungs. As they rounded the corner, I knew why. His right arm was elbow deep in a meat market meat grinder.

The anesthesiologist gave him some Demerol immediatley and then he was rushed to the or with the firemen in tow. He was rapidly anesthetized, and then the work of getting,what remained of his arm,out of the grinder began.

Being the student, I was assigned the task of picking the meat out of the grinder. Those in charge can be unmerciful to students.

After the surgery was complete, guess who had to recover the patient. You got in, none other than the student who was working extra to make her car payment.

When the young man woke up, he raised what remained of his arm and said, "My God what happened to my arm." At nineteen, did I know what to say.

I could probably write a book on my worst days in nursing. :o

I was on call on L&D on a Saturday and was called in for a Level 2 c-birth. "Take your time", I was told by the charge nurse. Upon arrival, I was assigned to be the baby nurse. Assuming this was a routine c-birth (not being told otherwise), I proceeded to the OR. The baby was born limp, blue with no heart rate or respirations. I was the only one available to do the resuscitation. After a couple of minutes of bagging the baby, the pediatrician walked in. At the same time, the circulating nurse attempted to do chest compressions. The pediatrician pushed her hand away. We just looked at each other. He would NOT call a code. After 11 minutes the OB finally said, "Maybe we should call a code" The code team arrived and after CPR and several med pushes, a heart rate was finally obtained. The baby was transferred out and died the next day (Beautiful term boy,over 8 pounds). I didn't sleep for several nights and ran the scenario over and over in my head. Finally, I called the charge nurse who was also scrubbing and asked her why the pediatrician would wait so long to call a code. She said "Oh, mom hadn't felt fetal movement for days and he had seizures in-utero. There was no fetal heart rate prior to the section. EVERYONE knew this but me!!! I kicked myself in the a** for days wondering what I could have done differently and EVERYONE knew but me! That was 6 years ago and I still relive that terrible day!

I have never heard of such a lack in communication... but there are many things wrong with the way this case was handled... not only should the entire team have known that this was a C-section for a demise, but there are other things wrong in the diagnosis of that... how did the doctor know that baby was having seizures in utero? I have never heard of that, and as far as I know, there is no test for that.... but after that baby was down for 11 minutes after birth, a code was called? Thank goodness that baby didn't survive... more heartbreak for the parents as this child would NOT have had a normal life.... take this learning experience to work on improving communications between the OBs, neonatologist/pediatrician, and nursing staff. Also, OBs need to communicate to their patient the importance of calling them if they notice ANY decrease in their baby's movement. The fact that this mom waited a few days before she called (if this is the case) is common because they don't know that a lack of movement could be a sign of trouble....

I would be very upset also...but I would take this bad experience and turn it around as a step towards a better performance the next time (and hopefully there WON'T be a next time.) ...

Specializes in L&D, PP, Nursery.
I have never heard of such a lack in communication... but there are many things wrong with the way this case was handled... not only should the entire team have known that this was a C-section for a demise, but there are other things wrong in the diagnosis of that... how did the doctor know that baby was having seizures in utero? I have never heard of that, and as far as I know, there is no test for that.... but after that baby was down for 11 minutes after birth, a code was called? Thank goodness that baby didn't survive... more heartbreak for the parents as this child would NOT have had a normal life.... take this learning experience to work on improving communications between the OBs, neonatologist/pediatrician, and nursing staff. Also, OBs need to communicate to their patient the importance of calling them if they notice ANY decrease in their baby's movement. The fact that this mom waited a few days before she called (if this is the case) is common because they don't know that a lack of movement could be a sign of trouble....

I would be very upset also...but I would take this bad experience and turn it around as a step towards a better performance the next time (and hopefully there WON'T be a next time.) ...

Supposedly the seizures were apparent on the FHR strip which was reviewed several days later.

I feel guilty also complaining also..... but I am a new RN (GN)graduate although I worked for 18yrs. in the medical field in another capacity and I may add with an excellent record and reputation. I have had the hardest time with nurses just being plain not helpful on my first job, trying to find fault with everything, yelling at me in front of the patients and acting like they are not "my" patients until I need help, then I am on my own. They are really witches. I hate this because they have gone to the head of the dept as a little gang and complained. I really did not want to have to tell "why" I don't think they are the greatest trainers OR the kind of nurses I want to be, but I was forced. I agreed to let my nurse manager know in a week if I want to stay. I cannot do it without the help of the staff. Some are okay but what if the one time I need some help they don't help? My licience could be on the line then. I am so sick and tired of women embarrassing our sex. Two of them are going to school to be NP's and think they are just above everyone. If I was a nurse for as long as they were I would be better by far....but I am new. come on....some of you older nurses, not age but time in the field, don't you remember when you were new? God it would be so easy if everyone worked together and I feel kind of like a Polyanna, or a flower child for even saying that because it is dog eat dog. Also, they assigned us "mentors" if we are new....my mentor told me everything I said was confidential....then she wants me to go to the nurse manager with something I confided in her about the aides not doing their jobs. Now I know what the score is with the aides. They really do not do a good job and try to get out of work whenever possible...I can keep an eye on it. I don't want to go to the manager with it....so much for confidence. I won't even tell my mentor anything else. If I leave, I will just leave. I got an offer for a supervisor position at a nice nursing home. I don't want to do that, I want to take care of patients, I love them so much. But I may have to....all because of BS from females. You know it just blows my mind that we all cannot play nice! Everyone just wants to save their own butts, try to make you look bad so they look good. There is room for everyone to learn and look good. Thoughts from Nancy..

:o

This one happened many years ago when I was working as a paramedic in a really awful city in Ma. We responded to a call for a sick infant. I was met at the door by a man holding a gun to the head of a 7 month old. He demanded our narcotics. I told him that they were in the locked cabinet in the truck. My partner turned to return to the truck. He said "awe f**k it". He pulled the trigger and then turned the gun onto himself. I caught the baby before it hit the ground but he was gone.

It has been over 14 years and still haunts me sometimes.

Brian

First of all...at least you caught the baby...second of all, what town in MA I live in MA so I would like to know

This one happened many years ago when I was working as a paramedic in a really awful city in Ma. We responded to a call for a sick infant. I was met at the door by a man holding a gun to the head of a 7 month old. He demanded our narcotics. I told him that they were in the locked cabinet in the truck. My partner turned to return to the truck. He said "awe f**k it". He pulled the trigger and then turned the gun onto himself. I caught the baby before it hit the ground but he was gone.

It has been over 14 years and still haunts me sometimes.

Brian

Oh God in Heaven, help us all.

First of all...at least you caught the baby...second of all, what town in MA I live in MA so I would like to know

This was when I worked on the north shore. I am in Framingham now.

I am a new grad, although I am an older nurse. I worked as a nutritionist at one of the roughest hospitals for 15yrs. Common sense...I hae it. These nurses that I am working with make me feel like an idiot. They are young, squirts but have it over me in this situation. I could learn so much if they would be nicer and more willing to train a new nurse. I feel like quitting but I cannot. I have not taken the boards yet so I am on a permit. A few are good but I have several preceptors. I am on a telemetry floor also which is more intense. I don't think new nurses belong there. I feel very stressed and love everyday I am not there. I just try to survive the days and hope something good will come of it. It is very disappointing but I need to pass those boards soon so I can say goodbye to this situation. I am not the type to move around in jobs, I never left my first job until I decided to go to nursing school...now I think I must have been crazy. People can make or break you when you are trying to learn.

Nancy K :scrying:

The absolute worst situations come when I have issues with my coworkers. If you have coworkers that are supportive and you can count on them the rest is all manageable.
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