New Residents, Eeek!

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

The new interns have been at my hospital for one week now. I just worked the last 3 days and found myself catching lots of mistakes, some minor (ie forgetting to notify anesthesia that their services will be needed for CVL placement) to major (ie throwing parts of chart in shredder because he "changed his mind" about what he had wrote" or asking nurse if a PICC line is spelled "PICC" or "PICK".) One of my other pt's became so fluid overloaded from the exceptionally high rate they were running her NS that she gained 14lbs (in 4 days )

Sorry, just vening about these newbies. Hoping nurses out there are being supe rvigilant that work in teaching facilities and hoping these guys grow up quickly.

[Jenni811, RN]

AAAAGH! a new resident ordered a saline bolus for my 25 year old patient with a head bleed. (Isotonic)

Questioned him about it and he didn't get what the big deal was.

[Florence NightinFAIL, BSN, RN]

Pt was on call for surgery, NPO with IV running. Med student writes right underneath: "Please saline lock when pt drinking well".

If he only flicked his eye half an inch upward he would have seen the NPO status and being on call for surgery!

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

Pt was on call for surgery, NPO with IV running. Med student writes right underneath: "Please saline lock when pt drinking well".

If he only flicked his eye half an inch upward he would have seen the NPO status and being on call for surgery!

Ha sounds like my pt with a home O2 requirement that they wrote an order to "please wean O2."

[HazelLPN, LPN]

I'm retired from nursing now except for a volunteer job a few days a month. I do miss working in critical care, but I certainly do NOT miss working in July.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

I'm just a nursing student and I've already brushed up against one of these.

Reminds me of the old saying,

"Be nice to nurses -- we keep doctors from killing you!"

[RoyalPrince]

Resident ordered 3 Units PRBcs for lady with hgb 10.5......nurse calls me up and tells me after transfusing the 2nd.. I conf. with the Attending who says "ohhhhh..........jeez, I am sorry lab ranges have now changed to recommend hgb is norm if higher than 14" .......later pt bp = 200/103....... can u say overload?! had to get my proper tone to higher ups to get the lasix ordered -_-

[JessiekRN]

Where is the supervision of these newbies? Maybe its just me..but shouldn't the attending (or at least the more seasoned baby md.s) be monitoring what these interns are ordering?

[KJM-RN, BSN]

I'm just a nursing student, but doesn't everyone have the right to a learning curve, whether they be a doctor or nurse? I'm sure they're uneasy and nervous in their new profession.

[Guest717236]

I'm just a nursing student, but doesn't everyone have the right to a learning curve, whether they be a doctor or nurse? I'm sure they're uneasy and nervous in their new profession.

Yes, but they need to be well supervised by their chief resident and attending. The first part of their learning

curve is to know when to ask for guidance and not just write orders and hope for the best.

The attendings at our hospital would flip out and d/c orders and write the correct orders.

Then they would catch up to the intern later for a "consult".........., you bet that the intern would need to master that learning curve well and keep the "consults" to a minimum.

Patients safety is the most important lesson for nurses or docs whether just starting out or experienced.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

My brother just spent a week in a teaching hospital with a fairly big abd surgery. I TOLD him not to do this the first week in July, but hey.

Anesthesia R1: two IVs, one in each wrist, alarming pretty much constantly. Could we get those repositioned? Or could someone tell the anesthesia resident to move up the arm a little in someone who can be expected to be on NG drainage, NPO, and IVs for 3 days?

Surgery R1, I asked if two days postop brother had any reason to still have Foley in, since he was making lots of pee, no history of retention, no epidural, and was having a lot of discomfort with it (way too young for prostate probs). Answer comes with a smile, "We don't want to take it out just to have put it in again." (Huh??) I asked, "Dear, did you ever have a Foley catheter? If so, you'd think twice about whether or how long it's really necessary." He scampered out to ask his R3; Foley came out that evening.

Ten-inch abdominal incision, saturating dressings with bloody drainage q 6-8 hours for four days. Nobody did anything until day 5, when someone thought to get the silver nitrate. Gee, do you think the ASA they had him on up to the day of surgery had anything to do c that? And even if so.... four days?

Time for clear liqs; after a day of doing great c this R1 tells him he can't keep having flat ginger ale because carbonation is bad for anybody and if it's flat it's just sugar water. Ummm, the advantage to apple juice or water over sugar water is....?

God, I hate July.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I'm just a nursing student, but doesn't everyone have the right to a learning curve, whether they be a doctor or nurse? I'm sure they're uneasy and nervous in their new profession.

This.