If I hear this one more time, I'm going to lose it!!

[pixiedu2]

How many times have I heard nurses say, "Oh, sure, we do THAT because we've always done it that way." Or how about, "That nurse did it one time, so it's ok for me to do it" And another, "We did that at the last hospital so it must be ok to do it here." And my favorite, "It's easier and I've always done it like that".

Dear nurses,

If you want to get into some trouble one day, do what everyone is always doing...without question. It's nursing PRACTICE. It is professional and is backed by NURSING RESEARCH. To draw blood from a foot, to not monitor a patient, to give treatments, with your only excuse as "That's what we always do" or "I did this at another hospital" is stupid. And if that is the only logic you can apply to your tasks then you are not practicing wisely or safely. Do not depend on what others are doing. You have policy and procedures and even they should be able to stand the test of questioning.

[ICURN3020]

We should all be following and practicing evidence-basednursing.

The point of it is that things change, new diseases/procedures/treatments are discovered that are proved to be more beneficial.

I'm with you on this one :)

[firstinfamily, RN]

Unfortunately this is how bad habits are formed in nursing. Doing something because that is the way it was done at another facility or nurse Susie did it that way, so that is how I am going to do it etc. We each are responsible for our actions or lack of actions. Get out that huge Policy and Procedure booklet and see how your facility dictates you do the procedure etc. If in doubt, check it out. The court will be on your side only if you follow what is in the P & P book!!

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

I like, like, like this.

Nothing worse than a nursing instructor who drops off a student with a nurse who has not honed her skills since 1977.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I'm pretty sure the unofficial motto of my hospital was "we do things our way because that's the way we've always done them." My friend who was a Child Life Specialist got told that verbatim one day when she suggested there might be a better way to do something.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

I think this is something of a regional thing- some areas of the US are earlier adopters of best practice, and some are more "this is the way we've always done it."

[Nola009]

I agree. I don't like it when people follow blindly in any situation, much less nursing! That type of thing goes on where I work too. Even my boss says "that's the way it's always been done" when new or experienced direct care nurses make a suggestion for improvement.

[chiandre]

The worst saying is "We are doing this before you came here and we will continue after you leave. Do not change it if it is not broken"

So why are we even going to nursing school?

We should just learn to practice by doing what nurses do during Florence Nightingale era. Lets wear caps, bow down and get coffee for the doctors, change dressings without gloves, instead of IV bags we should use IV glasses, we should spank babies after deliveries, help drill holes in the heads of psychiatric patients to release demons that cause mental illness...

I can keep going on but I a getting bored!

[PMFB-RN, RN]

How many times have I heard nurses say, "Oh, sure, we do THAT because we've always done it that way."

I am not sure if I have EVER heard a nurse say that. Maybe but if so I don't remember it. Glad I don't work where you work if you are hearing that all the time.

I have often done things a certain way becuase that is the way the hospital policy states it must be done, despite evidence to the contrary. One small example. My current hospital, typicaly big on EBP, is STILL using stand alone PCAs rather than the correct PCA slaved to ETCO2 monitors.

Policy is policy, even if you know better. I am lucky that in my hospital policy USUALLY is only a couple steps behind the best evidence, but some things slip through.

[VANurse2010]

I have no problem going in the foot if that's the only place available and a central line is not immediately available. Most of my patients are septic and blown up like a balloon from fluid resuscitation. Is it ideal? No. But it's risks vs. benefits.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

To draw blood from a foot

Per the policy of the facility where I work, we are allowed to draw blood and/or start an IV line in the foot as a last resort if certain circumstances are present:

1. The patient is not diabetic.

2. The patient has no central line.

3. The patient refuses to consent to placement of a central line.

4. There are no other alternatives.

5. We've attempted to stick at least three times in other places.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

"That's how the hospital down the street is doing it" and "because we've always done it that way" are the mantras of my current duty station. They're upheld by a small group of powerful people who keep anything evidence-based from ever crossing the threshold of the place. It's exhausting, wasteful, challenging to my ethics, and opposing them is about as helpful as bashing your head against a brick wall. Cannot WAIT to escape this particular place!