The one had me dumbfounded. A code blue was announced. Our ER doc responds to codes upstairs and started heading out.The medical resident doing his ER rotation asked me what was happening. I said it was a code blue upstairs. He replied "What's a code blue?".This is someone who made it through medical school and is a doctor. I explained that it is when someone stops breathing and to follow the ER doc. Actually, I thought this was something learned from watching TV. But don't they cover this in medical school too? More Like This When Nurses Cry by tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN, RN Black Friday, Code Blue by decembergrad2011, BSN, RN The Slow Code: Justified? by TheCommuter, BSN, RN Rapid Response vs Code Blue? by JennyJo22 My First Code Blue! Still Trying To Process It by Dani_Mila, ADN, BSN, RN
Editorial Team / Admin Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN 6 Articles; 11,438 Posts Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development. Has 18 years experience. Dec 22, 2018 Not all places use the phrase code blue. Some have, in fact, moved away from it because it is so well known.
cleback 1,381 Posts Dec 22, 2018 A lot of facilities have switched to different terminology, like medical emergency. Maybe he doesn't watch much TV either?
Emergent, RN 2 Articles; 4,112 Posts Specializes in ER. Has 30 years experience. Dec 22, 2018 In Washington state these codes have been standardized. These baby docs have obviously not been properly oriented.
Jedrnurse, BSN, RN 2,776 Posts Specializes in school nurse. Has 31 years experience. Dec 22, 2018 Emergent said:In Washington state these codes have been standardized. These baby docs have obviously not been properly oriented.1Where is the Code Brown...?
Davey Do 1 Article; 10,290 Posts Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years). Has 44 years experience. Dec 22, 2018 Emergent said:I thought this was something learned from watching TV. But don't they cover this in medical school too?He probably falls asleep watching TV too!
Davey Do 1 Article; 10,290 Posts Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years). Has 44 years experience. Dec 22, 2018 An image for easier viewing.Jedrnurse said:Where is the Code Brown...?With the Code Brown included!
SC_RNDude 533 Posts Has 7 years experience. Dec 22, 2018 A lot of facilities have switched to different terminology, like medical emergency. Maybe he doesn't watch much TV either?Whatever terminology is used should have been covered in hospital orientation.
Buckeye.nurse 295 Posts Specializes in Hematology-oncology. Has 13 years experience. Dec 22, 2018 That's crazy Emergent!! I can't believe the medical staff doesn't have the various codes covered during their orientation.Code blue seems universal, but some of the other codes vary from state to state. For instance, Code grey was also used for a violent person in North Carolina, but means "weather alert" in Ohio. And Jedrnurse, we have a Code Brown in Ohio--it means "missing adult". Maybe someone forgot to check the bathrooms before panicking?? :)
Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM 1,482 Posts Has 10 years experience. Dec 22, 2018 While true, it's a little scary that this physician resident doesn't know the most critical code in the hospital where he is doing his rotation.
NuGuyNurse2b 927 Posts Dec 22, 2018 Maybe he didn't understand why the ER doc is heading to a floor code blue so it might've confused him in that moment? At both hospitals I work at, the ER MD's do not respond to floor codes. There's a whole nother team that does that. So if it was my first time at your ER and I saw the ER MD going to a floor code, it would confuse me as well.
Daisy4RN 1 Article; 2,220 Posts Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg. Has 20 years experience. Dec 22, 2018 I don't know how any Resident can get to that point of being a "Resident" and reply "What's a code blue". I am not getting any younger and it just scares the code brown out of me if /when I have to become a patient in the hospital.
