Most shocking thing you've seen another nurse do?

Nurses Relations

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SNF. RN supervisor summoned (overhead, at about 0300) me to one of her rooms. She was attempting to insert an NG tube in an alert man, about 40, alcoholic, with varices. Told me she felt a 'blockage'. She was holding the tube as though it were a fork, and she was 'stabbing' something. She rammed the tube down, pulled back, then rammed it again- until blood exloded out the tube. I suctioned him really quick and the suction tubing, canister and filters became packed with blood. I ran out and called 911, came back told her "Get the **** away from him! What are you DOING"?. I was suspended, for allowing her, an RN, my supervisor, to be so incompetent. Was told I should have known she was incompetent, and should have 'taken the NG from her and inserted it yourself'. Oh, really. Yes, he died. She was 'asked to resign', because her son was the medical director of the place. The panic on that man's face is clear today, and that was 25 years ago. BTW- I don't think an LVN should insert NG tubes, it's as crazy as giving TPN. Out of bounds, my opinion.

Specializes in Oncology/StemCell Transplant; Psychiatry.

This wasn't a nurse, but a nursing student. In my first semester of nursing school, we had a student who ate food off of a patient's tray while he wasn't looking. Then, come to find out, he was on isolation for bacterial meningitis. Needless to say, she isn't in school anymore (this wasn't the only problem that the clinical faculty had with her).

This wasn't a nurse, but a nursing student. In my first semester of nursing school, we had a student who ate food off of a patient's tray while he wasn't looking. Then, come to find out, he was on isolation for bacterial meningitis. Needless to say, she isn't in school anymore (this wasn't the only problem that the clinical faculty had with her).

I do not understand why the pt had a student nurse in the first place?

Was there a sign outside the door?

Did the professor even tell the student during report that pt was on isolation?

I do not understand how students are able to give meds without the professor standing beside them.

We were not able to do ANYTHING without the Professor. We could not give meds nor do any nursing skill without her standing an inch away.

It did used to make the floor nurses mad when i would tell them I can not insert IV's without the instructor seeing it,even if i was an LPn at the time.

That made it worse IMO as if anything did happen then the higher ups would have went after that license.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

I do not understand how students are able to give meds without the professor standing beside them.

We were not able to do ANYTHING without the Professor. We could not give meds nor do any nursing skill without her standing an inch away.

It did used to make the floor nurses mad when i would tell them I can not insert IV's without the instructor seeing it,even if i was an LPn at the time.

That made it worse IMO as if anything did happen then the higher ups would have went after that license.

Not everyone who "isn't allowed to do anything without the professor standing beside them" actually waits to DO anything until the professor is standing beside them.

Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

Only "shocking" thing that comes to mind is during bedside report, another nurse emptied the urinal in the toilet but then rinsed it in the sink. Ewww!

Ask to get adenosine during a code and the nurse m

Specializes in Oncology/StemCell Transplant; Psychiatry.
I do not understand why the pt had a student nurse in the first place?

Was there a sign outside the door?

Did the professor even tell the student during report that pt was on isolation?

I do not understand how students are able to give meds without the professor standing beside them.

We were not able to do ANYTHING without the Professor. We could not give meds nor do any nursing skill without her standing an inch away.

It did used to make the floor nurses mad when i would tell them I can not insert IV's without the instructor seeing it,even if i was an LPn at the time.

That made it worse IMO as if anything did happen then the higher ups would have went after that

license.

She wasn't giving meds to the patient. They were doing assessments and basic care at the time. We didn't have to have an instructor present to do basic care or our assessments after we had been checked off.

Specializes in LTC, Memory loss, PDN.
Not everyone who "isn't allowed to do anything without the professor standing beside them" actually waits to DO anything until the professor is standing beside them.

yes, ehm

perhaps if someone was used to working as a medic in an army hospital

and then attended civilian nursing school

that someone might not think to wait for the instructor just to hang a new bag

of NaCl until said instructor nearly codes

just saying it could happen

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

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That's one of the funniest things ever....The scary thing is who do you turn to when you need some mentoring? I'm in LTC and we now have unit managers -you can ask each one the same question and get a radically different answer.

Specializes in dementia/LTC.

One of the worst things I've seen in LTC:

I had been working on the Alzheimer's unit for over 4 yrs as a CNA and had just gotten my RN license and was training to take over as a nurse on the same unit. We had a lady pass away about 10pm (it was expected) body due to be picked up in an hr and family notified and was coming in the morning to get personal items as they had already Been there that day and had left for the night. The supervisor told one of the CNAs to go get some boxes and pack up the room asap. I asked if the family had requested we pack it for them and she sd no. I put my foot down and told her absolutely not then and she argued with me and I was firm. We do NOT go packing up a room when the deceased is still in there. We do NOT pack up their things unless the fam has requested us to. I always ask and in my now over 5 yrs there my experience has been that 90% of fam prefer to pack things themselves. Also, Some fam get very upset when staff has sat there and gone though all their loved ones few possessions, not to mention I felt it was disrespectful to go do while the body was still warm. We had no one waiting for that bed, Much less would housekeeping get around to deep cleaning the room until noon the next day. The fam came in the morning and didn't even take everything...instead they donated much of the clothing to the facility, which we gladly took as we frequently get folks in with just the clothes on their backs and no family and it can take time for their $ to come through so the social worker can go buy the things they need.

I saw an RN manager try to do a blood draw using a butterfly iv catheter.

Had a different RN manager ban plants or flowers on the unit bc "the residents might eat them" no one including staff that had been there for 20+ yrs ever recalled an incident. Mothers day came and all the lovely plants/flowers that had been delivered were forced to sit in a back office. It was a weekend so the staff and I took them all out and put them in the respective residents rooms so they could enjoy them. I later found out that manager was allergic to a bunch of plants/flowers.

My grandma was in the hospital and having a Foley placed and the nurse put it in the wrong hole then quickly inserted the same catheter into the correct hole. Gram was on a vent @ the time and couldn't speak to stop her but remembered it clearly....especially the terrible resulting uti that appeared within a couple days

I walked in on a CNA suctioning a resident on comfort cares. They are not allowed to perform that in my facility, much less do I think in my state. Her excuse was that she was a nursing student and therefor it was ok to do. Not when I'm that residents nurse thank you very much. Makes me wonder if other nurses were letting her do that.

Ask to get adenosine during a code and the nurse mix it 50 ml bag of NS.

Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Critical Care Nursing.
Ask to get adenosine during a code and the nurse mix it 50 ml bag of NS.

Lmao!!

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