I never expected....

[dsb_fam]

I thought it'd be fun to start a thread that could bring a smile or a chuckle. Let's post about the unexpected during nursing school or clinicals. My unexpected moment was when I was helping my 70 year old male patient ambulate to the bathroom. As I helped him through the bathroom door, I was flashed by his red, satin g-string. Not quite the underwear I was expecting for my patient. Definitely had to hide a smile behind my hand.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

When I had first-semester students in clinical in a huge SNF, part of my curriculum was teaching initial evaluations-- you know, the checklist you run through at admission. One of my students asked me, nervously, if she really had to ask this 84-year-old lady about sex, and I told her she did. She got up her courage and I lurked outside the door to listen.

When she got down to that part of the questionnaire, she reworded it in a way that made me chuckle. She said, "How old do you have to be before you stop thinking about sex?" And without missing a beat this hot-ticket old bird (who was well-known to me from several semesters of students, bless her) chirped, "You'll have to ask somebody older'n me!"

[missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN]

I had this patient who very aware that I was a nursing student. After a lengthy interview in the morning, I went in later to do my physical assessment. I asked if it was okay that I checked his abdomen, to which he agreed.

I lifted his shirt and did the inspection, the auscultation, and I began to palpate, checking his face for any signs of pain. He had some bruising on his abdomen, so I asked him: Does this hurt?

Patient says no. I continue palpating, watching his face. Absolutely no sign of pain. I lift my fingers, go to the next area, and gently press. The patient screamed.

I jumped back about five feet, quite a feat given I am only five feet tall, my hands in the air, as though to say I didn't do it!!!

He had the biggest smirk on his face. I'm sure I was bright red. We had a good laugh, as he winked and allowed me to continue

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

One time when I was in school, I had the cutest little old lady who needed to go to the restroom. She was absolutely tiny - I'm pretty sure her hair was bigger around than her waist. I transferred her to the bedside commode, and she let out the biggest, loudest, vilest series of farts I have ever heard come out of another human being. I am pretty sure my jaw dropped halfway to the floor, and she just looked at me like, "Did those come out of me?!" and we both started laughing uncontrollably. She was laughing so hard she almost fell off the bedside commode and I was doubled over leaning on the foot of her bed for support. We started laughing every time I came into the room after that.

[amoLucia]

Back in my student days, I was doing my ER clinical and I went to help a LOL remove her turtle neck sweater. Up over her head and her wig was caught in the neckline. Startled the dickens out of me but she just cracked up, snatched her wig to put it back on. "Honey, it happens all the time."

During a supervised urinary catheterization with med instillation, I did the unthinkable - I sneezed HARD. Right in the middle of the cath and my eyeglasses plopped off right in the middle of my sterile field. I figured my career was finished even before it began. But my instructor just cracked up and so did the pt. Got a new setup and proceeded without problem. I think of that episode every time I do a cath.

[Kipahni, RN]

A little old man in motioned me into his room. I went in and stood at the foot of the bed. He said- come closer. I came to the head of the bed and he said lean down I want to tell you a secrete. I placed my head close to his mouth and he popped out of bed kissed me-toothless and all- smack dab on lips. I pulled back shocked and he settled back into bed and said "I have been wanting to do that all day" I was in Nursing school and 19 at the time, he was my first kiss!

[ILoveHealthCare]

A little old man in motioned me into his room. I went in and stood at the foot of the bed. He said- come closer. I came to the head of the bed and he said lean down I want to tell you a secrete. I placed my head close to his mouth and he popped out of bed kissed me-toothless and all- smack dab on lips. I pulled back shocked and he settled back into bed and said "I have been wanting to do that all day" I was in Nursing school and 19 at the time he was my first kiss![/quote']

Well you will always remember your first kiss!

It's a beautiful day to save lives.

[wannabecnl]

Mentioned this elsewhere, I'm sure. I was finishing up my preceptorship in the PACU and had my first craniotomy patient. Orientation to time/place/self/situation is paramount with cranis, even more so than after regular surgery. Our LOL didn't talk for a while and was also HOH, so when she started reacting more to us, I leaned down close to her ear and asked, "Can you tell me where you are?" She smiled and said, "Yes." I smiled back and asked her, "Where are you?" With a gleam in her eye, she hollered back at me, "I'M RIGHT HERE."

[fetch, BSN, RN]

Doing modified head to toe assessments in a plasma donation center, part of it was to palpate the skull. I'd always say "let me know if anything hurts" and without fail, there'd be at least one joker a week who would yell "OW!" when my hands touched his head. I always jumped and then we'd laugh it off.

But I'd get them back - the last assessment was grip strength, so when they squeezed my fingers I'd yell "OW!" right back! Every single one would jump just like I did.

ETA: whoops, didn't realize this was during nursing school, sorry.

I do have an unexpected moment from clinicals - LOL with dementia, total bedrest, totally not with it, kept trying to get up and walk away, didn't seem to understand anything that anyone ever said to her. We would have activity aprons and stuff with her, but she really loved taking care of a doll.

One time she was just too agitated and wouldn't calm down until one of my fellow students picked up the doll and made it dance and sing "teach me how to dougie." The patient laughed so hard! I guess singing and dancing she could understand.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

I was in school when a coworker of my boyfriend at the time was having terrrible belly pain....(she was not the sharpest knife in drawer)...turns out she was in labor. Because I was in my LD rotation (and no one else wanted to go with her) I got picked to accompany her to the Naval Hospital (they were in the Coast Guard) and went through childbirth with her. She had a boy and it was pretty clear she had no idea she was pregnant and/or who the father was....very sad

[lovedijah]

I was doing post partum rotations. I love babies. So to some extent I was in lalala land when the mother handed me the baby to hold. So I'm holding the baby content as can be and the mother says, "Has the DNA test come back". Again, I'm in a lalaland. DNA test? Maybe this is something I didn't read about yet. Maybe this is code for something else. So I tell her, "I'll have to check on it".

The man with her then growls and seems upset. The mother then goes on a rant about how he's the father and he just needs to get over because she's not a (garden tool) and didn't sleep with anyone else.

I had my AHA moment of what DNA test they were talking about. SO AWKWARD. To this day I wonder if he was the father.

[PurpleLover]

I cannot wait until January to have some stories.