We've all got them. Those things we find that just get us riled. Perhaps reviewing them will help newer nurses. Perhaps writing about them will just let us vent.
Here's mine:
OGTs that aren't in far enough. The OGT may be in and secured where it has been but the baby has grown. Nurses check placement: push in a little air, hear the sound over the gastric area, aspirate and find no aspirate. They also don't get the air they pushed in back but since they heard the air they think the tubes ok when in reality its just above the sphincter in the esophagus. Put the tube down another 1/2 to 1cm and then you get back the air, and possibly a large amount of residual that was being missed before. If you don't get the air you pushed in back, you have to ask why not!
... I wonder if our old, janked syringe pumps would even let you run 3cc over 4 hours. TG we're getting new ones soon!
Thankfully both types of our pumps do...
However - that does bring up another of my pet peeves...
When pharmacy sends up a fentanyl drip (or any other drip for that matter) in a 60cc syringe. I know they need to use that much solution to mix everything together and all that - but no pump in the world is going to be able to run at 0.17cc/hr on a 60cc syringe.
We then have to transfer some from the 50cc syringe into a smaller syringe, and then have pharmacy send up an extra label to put on the new syringe, since everything has to be "correctly" labeled by pharmacy for JCHAO standards. Why can't pharmacy just send up a smaller syringe in the first place??? We're never going to use anywhere close to that whole 60cc syringe... Sometimes if they day shift nurse can get a hold of pharmacy before they do the drips for the day they can get them to put it in a smaller syringe for us, but not usually.
Other nurses who feel the need to meddle. They come over to your patient and make comments about whatever they feel like commenting on.
I know they just want others to benefit from their vast and superior knowledge, but it bugs me to no end! I do know what I'm doing thankyouverymuch.
Ugh, my own Very Favorite SuperNurse goes on, like, ROUNDS to do this every shift. And if you disagree with her on anything (personal or work-related) she then starts every other sentence with "What you don't underSTAND is..." I got fed up once and said right back to her "No, I understand perfectly. What YOU don't understand is... [all the background info that you don't have that makes what you're saying totally invalid]"
One of pet peeves is the obsession some nurses have about giving EMB to infant's whose mother's never wanted to breast feed in the 1st place. I truly believe EBM is great for preemies and their delicate bellies, but please don't make a mother feel like she's a bad mother because she doesn't want to breast feed or pump. Forcing her to pump won't make it any better once she gets home with the baby. Also, don't make us through away/ not use anything with a formula name on it (like a mousepad we have at work now with Nestle blacked out on it). Many babies have grown up on formula and became jusst fine people. Also, we have a class we have to attend at our work about "Baby Friendly" stuff and the 1st sentence of the handout says "millions of babies die each year because they are not breast fed". In the U.S. or are we talking 3rd world countries where there isn't any formula for them to have???
One of pet peeves is the obsession some nurses have about giving EMB to infant's whose mother's never wanted to breast feed in the 1st place. I truly believe EBM is great for preemies and their delicate bellies, but please don't make a mother feel like she's a bad mother because she doesn't want to breast feed or pump. Forcing her to pump won't make it any better once she gets home with the baby. Also, don't make us through away/ not use anything with a formula name on it (like a mousepad we have at work now with Nestle blacked out on it). Many babies have grown up on formula and became jusst fine people. Also, we have a class we have to attend at our work about "Baby Friendly" stuff and the 1st sentence of the handout says "millions of babies die each year because they are not breast fed". In the U.S. or are we talking 3rd world countries where there isn't any formula for them to have???
I dunno. Both the NICU's I've worked in have been pretty strong with the pumping promotion (our hospital has a 96% initiation rate, the highest in our state!) The more I've learned about it, I'm pretty gung-ho about breastfeeding promotion. Though many, many of our moms would have a complete conniption if we gave their babies formula anyway. And we couldn't without an order.
I don't think we ever try to guilt the moms into it. Most moms, once they know how much better it is, especially for the micros, will do it. Makes them feel like there is something concrete they can do for their babies.
parents that will not for the sake of their own baby wash their hands!
or think that walking a hundred feet down the hall will magically erase the cigarette cloud that hangs over their entire body. of course the first thing they do is pick up their baby and place his little face right in their smoke filled clothing. sigh.
Or think that walking a hundred feet down the hall will magically erase the cigarette cloud that hangs over their entire body. Of course the first thing they do is pick up their baby and place his little face right in their smoke filled clothing. Sigh.
Those parents make me want to quit breathing!!! Its even worse when its the nurses who smell like an ash tray.
Specializes in Neonatal nursing (paediatric trained).
Or think that walking a hundred feet down the hall will magically erase the cigarette cloud that hangs over their entire body. Of course the first thing they do is pick up their baby and place his little face right in their smoke filled clothing. Sigh.
Or bring in clothes for their baby that reek of smoke and throw a fit if the baby is dressed in our clothes instead of the ones they brought.
How about Mom brings in clothes w/such strong fabric softener/detergent scent that I nearly have an asthma attack when I open the incubator? If it bothers my airways, how do you think it will affect the baby's w/all the scent in that tiny box! I really hate that!
And try to explain that to mom---expect tears! Or a complaint to your NM about that mean nurse!
. Carry on!
Sweeper933
409 Posts
Thankfully both types of our pumps do...
However - that does bring up another of my pet peeves...
When pharmacy sends up a fentanyl drip (or any other drip for that matter) in a 60cc syringe. I know they need to use that much solution to mix everything together and all that - but no pump in the world is going to be able to run at 0.17cc/hr on a 60cc syringe.
We then have to transfer some from the 50cc syringe into a smaller syringe, and then have pharmacy send up an extra label to put on the new syringe, since everything has to be "correctly" labeled by pharmacy for JCHAO standards. Why can't pharmacy just send up a smaller syringe in the first place??? We're never going to use anywhere close to that whole 60cc syringe... Sometimes if they day shift nurse can get a hold of pharmacy before they do the drips for the day they can get them to put it in a smaller syringe for us, but not usually.