Have you been in a public situation where you had to use your nursing skills?

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · May 25, 2014

If you have no relevant skills or first aid training (nursing school does not usually include first aide as generally that is in the scope of EMT's and medics) you call 911. That is your obligation. Ensure the scene is safe. If he was shot or electrocuted then don't approach call 911 while keeping safe distance

Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B · May 25, 2014

Well I dont think you should look it as nursing skills, in the community your providing first aid, generally. Anyone can do first aid and I actually recommend that new grad nurses review basic first aid, so they are comfortable with it. Anything beyond basics in the field is the purview of local EMS. All that being said yes I have helped at several fainting victims, many car accidents (I am also an EMT, so I can safely do so) and a cardiac arrest.

I use my phone, to type, I work at night, and I'm a bad speller. Pick any reason you want for my misspellings

RunBabyRN · May 25, 2014

Last summer, there was a man who collapsed at a hot air balloon festival I attended with my then 4 year old son. Had I not had my son with me (or if I'd had someone I trusted who could watch him), I would have jumped in, but several people were rotating through performing CPR on him. I found out later he didn't make it.

A few months ago, I was at Costco, and an employee fainted. It turned out she was 6 months pregnant. I asked her some assessment questions and helped keep her stabilized while we waited for EMS. A paramedic happened to be shopping as well, and he stopped and helped care for her until EMS arrived.

All of this was while I was a student.

I cared for my husband, who managed to bang his foot in a way that his big toenail fell off a couple of weeks ago. He called me to come home, and he was on the floor of the kitchen with bloody paper towels all around him! I got him all situated. We also care for my in-laws and my MIL's parents, who share the property. My FIL has a seizure disorder, my husband's grandmother has had a GI bleed, a-fib, pneumonia and other issues, and his grandfather just had a pacemaker put in. I am over there a lot assessing them and tend to get the calls when a judgment as to whether or not to call EMS or head to the ER is needed. They do have private duty nurses for my FIL, but I'm hoping to be able to do this for them as well (as it's through my FIL's workman's comp) once I pass the NCLEX.

Mom2boysRN · May 25, 2014

I've taken care of many bloody noses at my son's football practice, broken nose at baseball, cuts, scrapes, concussions, a broken leg where I intervened to prevent the parents from moving the child and encouraged them to call 911 which they did. Most of the time it's just me doing some minor first aide (as mentioned above) and keeping everyone calm if EMS needs to be involved. With 2 children in sports and coaches knowing I'm a nurse my skills are often called on. I don't mind, I'm glad to help.

Twinmom06, ASN, APN · May 25, 2014

so far I've only pulled a tick off a neighbor kids head - and done first aid on my own kids...my mantra? Please don't do anything dumb because just because I CAN resuscitate you doesn't mean I WANT to! LOL

TraumaORnurse · May 25, 2014

I have several times, the worst however was on a few years ago on vacation. I witnessed a young guy unhelmeted on a motorcycle lay down the bike at 80+mph. Bike went one direction & he went the other, bouncing head first off the side of a large truck & fly about 50 yards. I immediately jumped out of the car & ran to him; he was unconscious but breathing with obvious head injuries. 2 medics who had just come off shift were a couple cars behind & also came to assist. Since he was breathing we didn't move him, but did start cutting clothes off to save EMS a little time. When the ambulance arrived, one of the off duty medics told the crew to call in a trauma & while they were doing that & setting up for intubation, the off duty guys & I got him in a c-collar & on a backboard & loaded in the ambulance where they took over. He was flown from the scene to the nearest trauma center, but died the next day.

At the time I had been a nurse for several years, but it was before I was doing trauma. Your nursing instinct kicks in & you know what to do & not to do; check for a pulse & spontaneous breathing, assess the airway, control bleeding, don't move them unless absolutely necessary, etc. For someone without medical background, there is still a lot that you can do...call 911, if it's an accident assist in stopping/moving traffic, crowd control, sit with & provide comfort to the uninjured/less injured involved in the accident, especially any family of the injured.

annie.rn · May 25, 2014

I shared this on another thread...yes, I have. A young woman w/ newborn twins collapsed in the supermarket and was in complete arrest. A shopper came and got me so I could help...I was wearing whites. Another off duty nurse and I did CPR until first responders arrived. It seemed like an eternity until they got there. They only had a defibrillator and an ambu bag so couldn't intubate or give any drugs. She was in V-Fib. They shocked her w/ the AED but could not get a pulse. I never found out if she made it. Based on what I saw, I doubt she did. It was very sad. A fellow shopper said that they were talking about the babies one second and the next second she was on the ground. I asked a doctor about it later and he thought she most likely had a large emboli of some kind as she was only a few weeks postpartum.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · May 26, 2014

Years ago, on my way home from work around 0100, a guy passed me on the expressway like I was standing still (and, not gonna lie, I was doing around 80). I watched him loose control and slam into a bridge abutment (sp?). Stopped, he was lying across the front seat and unconscious. Held his C-spine while EMS got him situated, and he was loaded and driven off.

Weeks later, I was describing the experience to a friend, who was the ER nurse who received him into triage! Turns out, not only was he basically fine, but he ran out of the hospital wearing only a gown- commando- in hopes of avoiding a DUI.

brillohead, ADN, RN · May 26, 2014

Lots of concussions, cuts, sprains, and broken bones at my kid's hockey games.

I stop at the scene of an accident if it looks like injuries may have occurred and EMS is not yet on the scene.

Cuts and burns for neighbors who have moments of not-so-greatness.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · May 26, 2014

Yes. I get asked for juice and ice and extra pillows constantly when I'm out in public.

pfongk · May 26, 2014

A couple of times now as a CNA. I've lived on main roads at times and the two that come to mind were a kid who totalled his car and walked away unharmed, I was off work that day and just sitting on the veranda having a coffee when I heard that distinctive sound of screeching tires and saw him lose control and slam into a parked car. His mum was on the scene fairly quickly as she was driving home from work and saw the car in the middle of the road with the wheels pointing in opposite directions. The kid was grounded at the time and the cops suggested that she didn't make the death threats in front of them.

The second one I was also at home and a car slammed into another car at the intersection in front of our place. The first 3 people on scene were myself, the neighbour who was a cop and an OT who was also a final year med student. I just treated the guy for shock while the cop dealt with the traffic and the med student dealt with the other guy who had airbag injuries. For this second accident, the cop came over the next day and told me the victims were all fine.