How to welcome a new staff member to the ED

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Specializes in ED.

So...... I've had this orientee for nearly 6 weeks and I still haven't pranked him. Any suggestions?

Ones that I have already done:

1) Got a tech to wait outside with a wheelchair for a 'critical' patient. She stood out there for nearly 20 minutes before coming back in.

2) A patient passed. I told a tech we had to deep suction the airway, esophagus and rectum because the funeral home was flying to pick up the body in 8 hours. We had him gown up and get ready, only to have him un-gown repeatedly to take a patient upstairs. He must have gowned up and down at least 6 times before catching on.

3) Hid in a box in the supply room and scared the living daylights out of a new nurse looking for urinals.

Funny but not mean, I don't want to get written up.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I dunno, but #2 made me laugh so hard I almost snorked my coffee. Thanks for the laugh, I needed it! :D

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MEAN!!!

Damn, I wish I worked with you

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Ok, I consider myself to have a good sense of humor, definitely twisted (hence the name), but starting in an ER is stressful enough, or at least it was for me without being pranked. I guess it just depends on the orientee. I'm sure I could have handled someone jumping out of a box, but if I wasted 20 minutes outside with a wheelchair I would not like that.

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Specializes in ED.

The orientee has 2 years experience, he is just new to the ED. I think laughter is the best stress reliever, and it's kinda a ritual where I work to prank the new guy.

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I've worked in 2 EDs and never been pranked! I feel cheated.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

Oh don't let them hear you say that at work... LOL!! We prank each other too. But not the new people. We generally give them some time to see if they have a sense of humor or not first. The "or nots" generally get left alone.

My favorite was a frequently sick patient (cancer history) who pranked me with one of our techs. He put his hand on his tele lead and tapped it fast. Tech ran out and said "VTach!" Scared me to death until I ran in and saw the patient and the monitor properly.

We still laugh like hyenas about it. They got me so good!

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Specializes in RN.

I've been pranking my co workers a lot lately...I'm afraid I may be in "the sites" in the near future.

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Specializes in Primary Care, OR.
:roflmao: I want to work with you!
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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Oh! I just remembered what one of my docs did to me. He downloaded the sound of our central monitoring system asystole alarm to his iPhone, and when I had a patient in a-fib with RVR that I had just given diltiazem, he started playing the code alarm as soon as I got back out to the nurses station and sat down to chart. That's what I get for actually sitting, right? lol. I jumped up so fast and ran to my patient's room, and he was just calmly blinking at me like, "What?" I said, "Still feeling okay?" Hahaha. Then I went and punched the doc in the arm, hard. He's a prankster. I miss my ER! We like laughter, too. It's the only thing that gets us through some days.

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So...... I've had this orientee for nearly 6 weeks and I still haven't pranked him. Any suggestions?

Funny but not mean, I don't want to get written up.

I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder...

I think it is mean... funny, yes, but mean, too.

I do not like to be pranked... never have, never will... and I think it's inappropriate.

Frankly, I consider it somewhere along the bullying-to-hazing spectrum... especially from a preceptor.

How 'bout you just support and encourage, instead?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder...

I think it is mean... funny, yes, but mean, too.

I do not like to be pranked... never have, never will... and I think it's inappropriate.

Frankly, I consider it somewhere along the bullying-to-hazing spectrum... especially from a preceptor.

How 'bout you just support and encourage, instead?

As a long time ED RN....I can't like this post enough

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