Most Cringeworthy Thing You Did in Nursing School

[missnursingstudent19]

Hey all! I'm a 2nd semester nursing student, and I tend to be pretty hard on myself. I want to be the "perfect" nurse, and it's hard for me to accept that I will never be the perfect nurse because that doesn't exist - especially when you're just in your second semester of school! Anyways, I figured it'd help remind me that everyone makes mistakes if you guys tell me the most cringeworthy thing you did in nursing school. Things that make you look back and think "I can't believe I did that!" or "I can't believe I ever thought that was difficult!"

[abbnurse]

I was taking a baby's BP, and scratched his sweet little arm with my fingernail when removing the cuff. He howled. I felt AWFUL.

[ruralnurse84]

My first clinical day in the hospital I had a diabetic patient who had an insulin pen. In this particular facility the pharmacy dispenses the pens for each patient and then they're kept in a patient box in the med room. I gave the insulin at breakfast time and then lunch time rolled around and could not find this stupid insulin pen. We searched everywhere. Finally I realized that I had dropped the entire pen, not just the needle, into the sharps container. Omg I felt like an idiot. Fortunately my instructor had a sense of humor about it and we just ordered a new one from the pharmacy. Have been incredibly vigilant about those stupid pens ever since.

[terter]

I dropped an empty vacuum container (the kind used to drain ascites) and it made the loudest explosion

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

I cheated on making an occupied bed, well my patient begged to go to bathroom, I quickly made her bed, no fitted sheets, just the military sharp folded corners, when I went and got my instructor to inspect, and she blessed it........

[squishyfish]

So my first day of clinical at the hospital, I went to the wrong unit and waited there for my classmates and instructor to arrive. No one showed up and I started to panic. A classmate texted me and asked where I was. I was lovingly mocked for the rest of the semester.

[bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN]

I had been sick with GI upset from some bad food the night before clinical. Barely slept and was very dehydrated. I didn't want to miss because I was assigned to follow the wound care nurse that day and was really excited about it. Showed up to clinical with Gatorade in hand and the first patient had a horrendous wound that smelled terrible. I passed out. I woke up with the wound nurse, my instructor and the patient all standing over me. Needless to say I got sent home after that. Weird thing is now smells don't get to me and I can handle some pretty nasty wounds. Just that day the smell combined with the dehydration got to me í ½í¸±

[kimpossible4real]

Sure there were quite a few good examples. Ahh good times LOL

[Lady_Leijing, BSN]

Bugya90, I did something similar, except I didn't know I was dehydrated. I showed up for clinical, and me and 1 of the other nursing students went with a doctor to observe a rectal exam/disimpaction. It was in a contact & droplet isolation room. I felt a little weird but thought it was just the heat. (iso garb in a room that was warmed than I would have liked) When we were leaving, everything got muffled sounding, and I started seeing gray spots at the edge of my vision. I managed to get the gown and mask off, backed up to a wall outside the patient room, and slid down it. Guess who got to go downstairs for IV fluids and a syncope work up?

[arudesea]

When I was in LPN school, an elderly patients wife asked if I could use his electric shaver on him. I have only had bad experiences with electric shavers and at the time had what I felt like was a pretty sizable beard. I proceeded to tell the wife I didn't feel comfortable shaving him, as I didn't even shave myself! Several classmates were waiting outside the room and overheard the exchange, I never heard the end of it for the rest of the program.