Never Have I Ever Done That Before

catsmeow1972, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2016

on the OR use of methylene blue: GYN uses it to prove that they did not bang the ureters during surgery. Give it IV and cystoscope the bladder and sit there and watch for puffs of blue to come from the ureteral orifice. The one doc i work with that does it ALSO does the lighted ureteral stent thing. I wonder if he whacked a ureter in the past and is now paranoid....or he's an idiot. (i'm inclined to go with the idiot angle.)

FL.LPN2IA.RN · Mar 19, 2016

Never have I ever done cpr on a real patient, just the mannequins. I worked at a nursing home and the few deaths on my shift were DNR****

I am SO GLAD to know that I am not the only one that is in this boat! :blink:

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Mar 19, 2016

Gosh I probably have a list a mile long. I've never worked in an acute care or trauma setting so there are tons of things I haven't been exposed to. The one that jumps to mind immediately is inserting an NG tube. One of my friends has had so many lately she is calling herself the NG Queen.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Mar 19, 2016

I've never had to be involved in a pediatric code. As an ER nurse I know it will come. I've tried to keep my knowledge up to par enough to prepare. I've had seizing kids, sats in 70s. But I am fearful of that day.

ive also never stuck an IV in anyone under 3. There's been one or two younger where I just got help because I can't feel or find anything. They end up getting poked several times by our best former picu nurses so it's not just me having trouble finding access.

Sometimes I kick myself for not trying harder to get trained in a separate former peds ER. I would have def got better at these skills quickly.

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2016

I've never had a patient on an oscillator.

I'm not too afraid of this bringing bad juju on me as I'm no longer in the ICU, but in outpatient/community mental health!

calivianya, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2016

I've never had a patient on an oscillator.
I'm not too afraid of this bringing bad juju on me as I'm no longer in the ICU, but in outpatient/community mental health!

You're not missing anything. We've moved away from them at my facility - I think the biggest problem was getting the families to be compliant with the PPE. Anyone on oscillator had visitors/nurses wearing surgical masks and things that were usually treated with droplet isolation got bumped up to the visitors wearing N95s and it was just awful.

Never have I ever had someone code unexpectedly on me. Lots of deaths, lots of codes, but nothing just out of the blue. Nobody awake and talking and then suddenly in a v-fib arrest or anything of that nature.

allnurses Guide · Mar 19, 2016

Holy cow! Good for you, you must have a knack. I started my first IV on a really old lady with paper thin skin. She was blind and couldn't see the look of terror on my face.

Those are difficult - had one last week. Missed the first stick; went with the AC after that and got right in for a blood transfusion.

My first IV was during my ER clinical in nursing school - a healthy 20-something young lady with great veins.

What haven't I done in my 19 years of being a nurse until recently? Wound vacs of gaping abd wounds all by myself.

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2016

Never have I ever had someone code unexpectedly on me. Lots of deaths, lots of codes, but nothing just out of the blue. Nobody awake and talking and then suddenly in a v-fib arrest or anything of that nature.

I've had someone go from talking to asystole before the RRT nurse had a chance to get to us. Massive hemoptysis leading to asphyxiation, more or less. End of shift, memorial day. Will haunt me forever.

Zelda, RN · Mar 19, 2016

I recently started at a children's hospital, so I've had lots of "firsts" these last 8 weeks, including my first NG last week. Three of them in one day - a 2 y/o and a 5 y/o. The 5 y/o tripped over hers and pulled it out. She was traumatized (but still the sweetest child ever).

The list of things I haven't done is still long.

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

Just thought of another...never have I ever transcutaneously paced someone.

Farawyn · Mar 20, 2016

Those are difficult - had one last week. Missed the first stick; went with the AC after that and got right in for a blood transfusion.
My first IV was during my ER clinical in nursing school - a healthy 20-something young lady with great veins.
What haven't I done in my 19 years of being a nurse until recently? Wound vacs of gaping abd wounds all by myself.

We've talked about wound vacs. While I have managed them, it was some years ago in a hospital setting. Never had to handle them alone in HH yet. I'm intimidated, but I keep reminding myself that if worse comes to worse I can do NS dressings until help arrives!

IVs? Love 'em, miss 'em, wish I could do 'em every day.

annabanana2 · Mar 20, 2016

We've talked about wound vacs. While I have managed them, it was some years ago in a hospital setting. Never had to handle them alone in HH yet. I'm intimidated, but I keep reminding myself that if worse comes to worse I can do NS dressings until help arrives!
IVs? Love 'em, miss 'em, wish I could do 'em every day.

I've had a weird run of wound VACs lately. We get them pretty rarely but I've had three these past couple of months. One sternal wound that's coming in nicely but slowly, one extremely painful abdomen and one hip situation. I've done the sternal wound so many times I'm down to 24 minutes start to finish. Honestly the dressing change is the easiest part about it, it's the troubleshooting when things go wrong that's the challenge but I'm at a place now where I enjoy the problem-solving!