Confess! Whats the craziest force of habit you've done in the "Real World"

Nurses Humor

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I have heard some of the craziest things nurses have done out of force of habit in the "Real World". Aka out of the hospital.

I've heard that some sign their checks with first initial, last name RN.

Someone ran to aisle four in the grocery store because of a "code blue! clean up! Code blue!"

Knocking on the door before entering, any door, your front door.

Answering your cell phone "Nurses station"

Admiring someones veins.

Holding your invisible steth when leaning over.

Wheres the weirdest place you've fallen asleep?

Confess!

Specializes in Med Surg.

I'm all about the veins, too. It creeps my husband out. Not that I want to start an IV on him, but he's got amazing veins.

I also assess people when I'm out and about. It's a fun waiting game.

I'm also terrible about critiquing TV shows. One day, House shocked asystole--grrr. Hubby and I were watching a movie the other night and the solution to a character's hypoglycemia was more insulin. Poor guy ended up with a whole diabetes lecture. Proving that he loves me (or has the patience of a saint:D), he just smiled and nodded.

I had to give my wife a lesson in medical shorthand... apparently she didn't understand my order for a chicken sandwich c bacon s pickles & tomatoes!

Also guilty of the sideways vein check, at least until my wife noticed and elbows me! Someones gotta keep me in line!

And of course found myself looking for an onduty injury packet when I scraped my elbow on a nail (also went looking for a work order)

Specializes in Family Medicine, Tele/Cardiac, Camp.
I'm sure this has been mentioned, but over-analyzing every tv show I watch. e.g. I was catching up on NCIS today. On one of the episodes this guy walks into a hospital room, flips open a PCA pump and starts injecting the guy with an entire syringe of morphine. No locks, no alarms, lol. Sure its not a medical show, but really? A little common sense would serve them well...

This drives me crazy! I mean, come on, how hard would it have been to get a RN in there just to check for accuracy? I drive my friends a little crazy too because anytime I watch anything like that with them I end up going into a tirade about how blatantly ridiculous this or that action, behavior, diagnoses, or treatment is. They have to say to me stuff like, "SnowShoeRN....calm down...it's JUST a show/movie/whatever."

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
This drives me crazy! I mean, come on, how hard would it have been to get a RN in there just to check for accuracy? I drive my friends a little crazy too because anytime I watch anything like that I end up going into a tirade about how blatantly ridiculous this or that action, behavior, diagnoses, or treatment is.
Me too. In fact when I was watching Combat Hospital last week that happened in the ER. Nobody even bothered checking the BP or other vitals on a new admit. YIKES!!:rolleyes:
Specializes in I/DD.

I swear, it shouldn't take medical knowledge, just common sense. How else do people assume we gather basic information about a patient's status? And do they really think that we would leave heavy narcotics available for anyone to steal/deliver at will?

I'm done... /rant

Specializes in Telemetry/Stepdown.

Another vein-checker! I palpate my own veins, my husband's veins, & even check our child's veins sometimes.

I sign credit card receipts w/ RN after my name frequently.. usually catch myself before signing it on my checks, though.

I check my LE edema (+1, pitting).

I often forget to take my vitamins on the days I don't work, because it's my routine to take them on the way to work.

I sometimes hear call lights/IV pumps/the admit pager/my pager going off, or even the noises made by VS/pulse ox machines once I've gotten home & am trying to sleep.

I frequently have dreams about work... usually in those 3-4 shifts in a row stretches.

If someone asks me for a Tylenol/Ibuprofen & I am NOT at work, I have to fight the urge to ask them to state a pain rating from 1 to 10.

Sometimes I find myself missing my scrub pockets when in civvies.

Specializes in Telemetry/Stepdown.

oh & I also yell at medical shows on TV - or any show with something medical if they do something wrong, especially when people suck at compressions!

Specializes in Telemetry/Stepdown.

okay a few more, then done...

I was doing "hospital corners" on my bed well before nursing school - probably started in high school actually. I keep thinking I should keep track of my intake (mLs, of course) when I drink from my water pitcher (water bottle). Same with output, trying to guess how much. I keep wanting to swipe my badge on EVERY door - certain rooms are badge access only but not all of them, I keep wanting to swipe it to get in the locker room even though that one doesn't require a badge. When I come home from work & check my bank account or something online, I'll start to use my work sign-on!

Specializes in Thoracic Cardiovasc ICU Med-Surg.

When I am in grocery stores, I am always scoping out the elderly to make sure their gait is steady, and wondering if they start to fall, can I get there in time to lower them to the ground.

I check out their ecchymosis and try to assess whether it is prednisone skin, or fall related.

I answer my cell phone, "This is tcvnurse, may I help you?" ( I did home health for six years)

I always sign RN after my name, just cant help it.

When my daughter was little she had bad asthma, during one particularly bad episode, I found myself looking around for the suction catheter....in my living room!

I answer in military time when stranger ask me what time it is.

I love looking at veins, and remark to stranger what beautiful veins they have.

My mom is a nurse so I didnt know there was a way to MAKE a bed without hospital corners.

I wash my hands, walk through a few rooms at home, then wash them again.

Specializes in I/DD.

I use saline flushes as eyedrops sometimes

Specializes in Peds.
I use saline flushes as eyedrops sometimes

ME TOO!!!:yeah:

Specializes in Cardiac.
I admire veins on people it's true. Sometimes when my husband and I are sitting around I'll just feel the ones on his arm. He'll tell me to stop because I'm creeping him out. But I would love to start an IV on him. Great veins!!!! [/quote']

LOL I've done the same thing many many times.... my husband has some great veins!

I must admit I sneak peeks at people in public also (usually men!). We have been in the grocery store more than once when I've seen my husband barely glance at a cute girl walking by while I stare and drool at the guy in line behind me while whispering to my husband "...just LOOK at those veins!" :D

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