1. Just walked onto unit for my shift and grabbed my assignment sheet, haven't even take report on anyone yet..”The ER is calling report on your patient coming"
2. Only like 25% of my patients' medications are in the med room - the rest I'll have to order from pharmacy and wait and wait until they send it
3. Unit secretary: "so and so called and said their IV came out and blood is everywhere" (99% of the time this is at shift change)
4. Got everything settled with my admission and think they're good to go, 5 minutes before the next shift arrives the MD puts in a million orders for the pt.
5. Pt. has probably 20 pills in a med cup. Proceeds to dump them all in their hand and miss their mouth.
6. NG tube that won't unclog, attempt to flush it and then get sprayed in the face
When the doc sees the patient and tells them they're going to be discharged today, they're no longer NPO, etc... But haven't and won't put orders in for hours.
I work in an office but have been pulled to work in the hospital affiliated with us during this mess. I have no hospital experience at all. The original plan was for me to have one shift shadowing an RN (I’m an LPN) then start passing meds to 4-5 pts the next day. Well, that didn’t happen. Anyway, I’m sitting with a pt who’s c/o nausea. Pt feels the need to use the bathroom so I help him up and to the bathroom, and as he’s pulling his gown up the BM starts flowing right onto the floor. He sits and finishes and gets back to bed, I clean up the mess and have EVS mop the floor in the bathroom. Later, pt starts heaving so I give the emesis bag, which he successfully hits on the first one, but only covers his top lip with his second heave and ends up missing the bag. And pouring some the first one out. I get someone to bring me clean sheets, chux, gown, non-slip socks, blanket, etc. As I have pt roll onto his side to get the new sheets ready, out comes more BM, which slides right onto my clean stuff. I ask someone to bring me another set of clean sheets as he’s flowing again, so I stick a towel under his butt until I know he’s done. I finally get him cleaned up, clean sheets on, covered, and sleeping. Later on he has to go again, I help him get up (pt refuses bedpan), and he left a trail of BM from the bedside to the toilet, so another clean gown and non-slip socks are called for. Another pt needs to give a stool sample, he calls for help getting onto the bedside commode to poop, then says he’ll call when he’s done. I tell him to pee in the urinal in his hand, wipe with the wipes, throw them in the trashcan behind him, and put nothing else in the commode. I come back in and help him up and wash hands as he says he had to use those blue sheets on the bed to wipe. I look in the commode and back at him, where he proudly tells me he peed in there and put some water in to help the smell, and he’d ripped a chux pad into strips to wipe with and put those in there too. So the stool sample that we needed has urine, water, strips of chux pad, and the absorbent material inside the pad mixed with it. Needless to say, we’re still waiting on a stool sample. LOL.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, home care, corrections and psych.
Verbal "policy changes from administration" without an email from administration telling NOC's/weekend staff about the changes then getting reprimanded for not following the "new policy". MY policy is if you don't send it to me in an email, I can ignore it until such time someone feels the need to include me with and email re: these changes.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
LTC: get meds nice and crushed in resident's favorite pudding. Spoon it into her mouth and she spits it all over me and says, "I DON'T LIKE CHOCOLATE YOU IDIOT". OK, you did for 2 years, but OK.
OB story: Patient's chances of having an unplanned c-section rise in direct correlation with how long and complicated the birth plan is.
Neonate story: You get that IV in, first stick, everything's a breeze and the kid (who is tiny and weak, don't you know), pulls it out with one sweep of her tiny hand.
Nightshift story: Patient puts on the call light. I go into the room and she is "pleasuring herself" vigorously. I ask if she wants some privacy. She replies, "no it's OK". I walk (run) out and put a "privacy requested" sign on the door. Patient JUST had all her lady parts torn out, but she is "turned on" by it. I never knew what she wanted when she hit the call button....Okkkkkkkkkkkk
Another nightshift story: Patient puts on her call light. I walk in and she says "I hate to disturb you from your nap but can I have my pain meds". Yeaaahhhh aiiiiight. We sleep ALL night LONG. ROFL.
Dialysis story: Doing monthly foot checks and getting "elder dust" sprayed all over me when I remove the socks----yep I forgot to wear my face shield. EWWWW.....
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
32 minutes ago, Davey Do said:
Peers and other coworkers would inform me of such a changes made by administrators and were told to "pass it on".
I would ask, "Is it documented somewhere?" and the answer would regularly be "No".
"If it's not documented, it's hearsay", I would respond. "Just like: 'If it's not charted, it didn't happen' sort of thing".
I was not about to be treated like some child who just fell off a turnip truck and happened to wander into the middle of a movie.
"pass it on" reminds me of that old childhood game of "telephone" or something like that where we repeat secrets around a circle and at the end the story in no way whatsoever resembles what was first communicated.
I get someone to bring me clean sheets, chux, gown, non-slip socks, blanket, etc. As I have pt roll onto his side to get the new sheets ready, out comes more BM, which slides right onto my clean stuff. I ask someone to bring me another set of clean sheets
You are very fortunate for this "someone".....they are none to be found on our unit.....
Patient post delivery being prepared to transport to ct scan-mri to r/o emboli,new to area do not know where everything is or anyone to help with transport,monitor etc,Nurse mgr cooly informs me ,"oh by the way you are getting an admission".
"pass it on" reminds me of that old childhood game of "telephone" or something like that where we repeat secrets around a circle and at the end the story in no way whatsoever resembles what was first communicated.
Every single staff meeting. Every single time. They refused to update staff who couldn't make it by sending an email with updates to policy changes/information on what was said in the meeting. Would not type up meeting notes to be left on the units, either. It was their punishment for those who dared not attend during their off time or sleep hours (night shift), no matter how far away they lived. This pettiness was woven deeply into the organizational culture of the unit.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
When the patient does well all night; denies needs or pain/discomfort. Dr makes rounds and patient squeels, "I am in so much pain. The nurse did not check on me or give me my pain meds all night". UGH really?!
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
13 minutes ago, SmilingBluEyes said:
When the patient does well all night; denies needs or pain/discomfort. Dr makes rounds and patient squeals, "I am in so much pain. The nurse did not check on me or give me my pain meds all night".
Or snored for over seven hours that I noted while making my 15 minute psych safety rounds and sings to the psychiatrist, "Last night I didn't get to sleep at all,
didn't get to sleep, no I didn't get to sleep at all!"
Serhilda, ADN, RN
290 Posts
When the doc sees the patient and tells them they're going to be discharged today, they're no longer NPO, etc... But haven't and won't put orders in for hours.