Nursing habits

[Jenni811, RN]

At work, we carry our work phones. they basically look like cell phones but can only make calls within the hospital. They also can get calls from outside the hospital so if families want to contact the nurse we can just give them our direct number. So when we get calls from Families, PT, Doctors, Central monitoring, basically everything they just call our direct line instead of going through the HUC and the main line at the desk. Super nice, cause we have a phone with us ALL the time.

So....everytime i answer my work phone i say "Cardiology this is Jenni, RN"

My habit? I answer my personal cell phone and home phone like this. Today my fiance's coworker called our house phone, which NEVER rings. i answer it "Cardiology this is Jenni, RN" all i hear is "uh...................Is this Cory's number?"...oops :)

Anyone else find them self having habits like this at home?

[Coriander, BSN, RN]

I'll answer my phone, "Hi, this is Corinne, how can I help you?" That usually gets a few moments of silence on the other end, unless it's my family (because they're used to me lol).

If I hear anything like a bed alarm, I will turn and run. It doesn't matter if I'm in a store or at home. I feel ridiculous :)

[Hygiene Queen]

I work on a locked unit.

I need my keys to go everywhere: off unit, laundry room, break room, utility room...

It is not unusual for me to go home and reach for my keys to go to the bathroom or other rooms in my house.

Not only do I do this at home, but most places.

it is super annoying and my teenage son thinks I'm "weird".

[OhioCCRN, MSN, NP]

When is was a student, i got VERY used to the alcohol handwash things outside Pt's rooms...

Would go visit friends and punch the wall outside the kitchen... i was looking for the handwash... yikes

[futurepractitioner1]

Does checking for a radial pulse when someone offers you a handshake count?

[PghRN30]

The hospital I am doing clinicals in has buttons in the patients rooms right inside the door that you hit to log that you are in there, and turns the light on outside the room saying you are in there. Well i have more then once now gone it to rooms and looked for them, at home, in school, wherever.

And have picked up the knocking on doors before i go in, even at home, even if im the only one at home, even if the door is open.

[kids]

My bank and credit cards all have my professional signature on file as an alternate, saves a lot of wasted checks and do-overs.

[Jenni811, RN]

The hospital I am doing clinicals in has buttons in the patients rooms right inside the door that you hit to log that you are in there, and turns the light on outside the room saying you are in there. Well i have more then once now gone it to rooms and looked for them, at home, in school, wherever.

And have picked up the knocking on doors before i go in, even at home, even if im the only one at home, even if the door is open.

I can only imagine what other people think....

[JBudd, MSN]

I'm always reaching for scissors in my hip pocket.

There was a huge bang outside my daughter's window the other night; with a police officer in the family her response is "get away from the doors and windows!". Mine is to go yank open the door and look for whoever is bleeding.

(Somebody had blown up their tire at the air pump across the way, lol)

[mama_d, BSN, RN]

Using a paper towel to turn off the water.

Years ago I was well beyond the legal limit, went to the bathroom...and had the girl next to me at the sink look at me and go "Nurse?" I went "...um...yeah..." She observed that no matter how tired or inebriated, all nurses turn the water off with a paper towel. She was right.

[Moose31]

my husband tells me he often wakes up in middle of night and I have fingers on his wrist taking his pulse in my sleep.....I also tend to ask people in social settings when their last bowel movement was if they mention abdominal pain.....

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

I'm a school nurse in a little elementary school, so i'm calling parents all day long. I worked at the children's hospital for about 15 years, but I've been in the school system for about 5 years now. Poor parents just about have a heart attack when I lead with "This is Nurse XYZ calling from the Children's Hospital...