inside the mind of a nurse.....

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Ok. Ive been nursing too long....Have any of you had warped thoughts that only a nurse would have? When I go for a drive on the highway or interstate, it crosses my mind that maybe I shouldnt eat first in case I have a wreck and require emergency surgery? Its crazy. When I go to touch money I think about all the filth Im fixing to touch. Not just money but anything. Or, avoiding salad bars at ALL COSTS!! Im surprise I dont carry a box of gloves and can of lysol in my purse!! What, if any, warped thoughts do the rest of you have? I will be one of those elderly people obsessed with my bowel movements.

Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
I'm a floor nurse, so I have a hard time sitting still at committee meetings. One of the things I do to keep from falling asleep is checking out the veins of the people near me & guessing how large a gauge of IV I could start in my co-workers.

I also do this in line at the store, at church, at family functions...

Yep, you're a bonafied nurse!

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.
:igtsyt:

AMEN !!! I never say goodbye to my family or my kids, whether it be in person or on the phone, without adding "I Love You" and it is always reciprocated.

:ilyc:

I do this, too. I just think it's imp't.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.
if someone is cranky, i immediately think they must be constipated.

leslie

I read a book once called "Toddler Taming", I think. If a kid is having a tantrum (or whining), start thinking basics: hungry/thirsty, tired/bored, wet/dirty, hot/cold? It really works the same for grown-ups, too.

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Specializes in Medicine.

HAHA! This is great! Yes, I too fall guilty to assessing veins, lately I've been counting respirations of strangers on the subways, guess I thought I would switch it up a bit! I constantly am staring at people's skin, especially the BLE of obese people if they're exposed, they're always red and look like the verge of cellulitis!

I tend to panic chewing gum when I am driving, what if I choke, no one can do the heimlich maneuver on me! HAHAHA.....CRAZY I know! :flowersfo

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

OK. Here's my dirty little secret.

I have a glass coffee cup and I use a bleach wipe to wash it out every morning.

I just want one thing in my life to be clean for a few minutes. Is that too much to ask?

Or, maybe I was traumatized by the kid at the BK who was flipping the stacked drink cups with his (probably worked on a car before coming to work) dirty hands. For the first time in my life, I just could not drink that soda.

I also wash my hands when I open something from the grocery store, before I actually touch the product.

Gee, maybe I'm a little OCD.

Oh, and I use my own pen. Ever go to the store and they make you use their pen to sign your receipt? And you notice they're sniffling and sneezing and wiping the nose, then handing you the pen? So I use my own (bleach-wiped) pen. :D I know it doesn't really do anything, but it makes me feel better. I rarely use dirty ol' cash.

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Specializes in SICU, EMS, Home Health, School Nursing.
...and often tell the pending heart attack guy at our local hockey games that i'm off duty so he'd better settle down.

when my friends are being dumb i tell them that they had better not hurt themselves because i'm off duty.

one of the other things i do is that i am constantly listening to things around me too... some of my friends are shocked when they think i'm not paying attention to the person "choking" a few table over and they say something along the lines of "aren't you going to help them" and i tell them that the person is still making noise, if they stop making noise, then i will help them ;)

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Specializes in IM/Critical Care/Cardiology.
When my friends are being dumb I tell them that they had better not hurt themselves because I'm off duty.

One of the other things I do is that I am constantly listening to things around me too... some of my friends are shocked when they think I'm not paying attention to the person "choking" a few table over and they say something along the lines of "aren't you going to help them" and I tell them that the person is still making noise, if they stop making noise, then I will help them ;)

I was at a conference for a research project and yup, the bread lodged and I did the universal sign of choking and got up to leave to the restroom, you know to heimlach myself..........thank God an ICU nurse sitting at our table followed me right into the restroom...

I also listen closely at the old timers at the gym.......just a habit I guess

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Specializes in Peds Urology,primary care, hem/onc.

This is a great thread!

I can hear that barky cough that kids get when they have group from across a grocery store.

I can also pick out that high pitched cry that drug-addicted premature babies can have in a store too. We used to call it the "crack baby" cry back when I worked in the NICU (10 years ago).

I am ALWAYS assessing veins in people without realizing it.

I keep gloves, sanitizer etc in my car.

One of my friends had some c/o sharp abdominal pain, she came over so I could take a look at her... but I showed her around my new house first to see how she was walking and if she was able to go up the stairs (one of the things we always see if patients can do to help rule out an appy). She ended up being fine but she laughed when I told her what my real motive was in making her walk around me house.

I get really upset when I see kids riding bikes, etc around my neighborhood without helmets b/c I have seen too many head injuries.

Same is true when I see babies/toddlers not in car seats.

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Specializes in Er/ICU/Med-Surg/Home health.

What do the rest of you do when you have a patient sign a discharge instruction sheet? Its really hard to hand them my pen. Especially if they're not the most sanitary patient. I think the hospitals should give them pens as a sort of "going away" gift. (....oh, you can keep the pen, compliments of the hospital.) haha.

Also, I heard that when you flush a commode, it actually sprays (to a certain degree) a mist that isnt neccessarily visible. I think about that when Im emptying urinals, etc. I hold my breath, flush and turn as quick as i can to leave the bathroom. I know its crazy...

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Specializes in NICU.

I check out pregnant womens' bellies and guess how far along they are - hey, if they drop that baby right in front of me I need to know how intense of a resucitation I'm in for, right? :chuckle

I'm INSANE about closing the toilet lid before flushing. And I turned my whole family on to sanitizer... hello, we live in New York City, I'm surprised we don't all have cholera by now. When I'm sick I buy a new toothbrush so I don't keep reinfecting myself. I don't touch the handrail on escalators. I push elevator buttons with my knuckle. The funny part is my apartment looks like it's been tossed by the mob. I'm only OCD on a MICRO scale. :D

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All I can think about wheeling that supermarket cart around is the last snotty toddler who sat in the seat, wiping his/her snotty nose and fingers all over the handle. I've learned to scratch any itch anywhere near my face with the back of my wrist instead of my contaminated fingers. Yes, I've gotten used to the stares. I wash my hands as soon as I come in the door.

Have I mentioned I haven't had a head cold since 1988?

Oh, and I do notice really nice veins. I've managed to stop complimenting people on them, though.

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Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

Well if I'm in a shop and need to cough I never use my hand...I always cough into my left elbow,that way I'm not transferring germs everywhere.I always wash my hands when I come home,especially after handling money.Goodness knows what is on money nowadays! As for eating out,after watching programmes about people in food places doing various nasty things to and on the food.....no thanks!

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