True ER stories

Nurses Humor

Published

Our ER gets lots of calls from residents in our rural area. One day a lady called and said her daughter had spilled some vinegar on herself earlier that day and now she has a red rash. The nurse who answered the phone said, "well I've never heard of a rash from vinegar, but I guess it's possible."

Another old ER nurse said, "Ask her if it was boiling at the time it spilled on her."

The rest of us burst into laughter. He said, "I've been doing this long enough, you gotta ask."

So the nurse on the phone asked, "Was it hot?"

The caller replied, "Yeah, it's been real hot here today."

You just gotta shake your head.

Overheard in the ER, says one family member to another, "they took mom down for a "cap" scan of her head."

Why is it that at 2 am on a Saturday night, that four month old back injury suddenly requires medical intervention? And why do you have to bring six family members in dire need of personal hygiene measures along? And if it hurts so bad, how can you talk and laugh loudly while eating corn chips and drinking Pepsi on your way out the door for a quick smoke (since the doc can't see you for 10 minutes anyway)?!

God, I love this job!

one night i was working when one of my elderly male patients started yelling out HELP ME! HELP ME! I rushed into his room to find him laying naked spread eagle with a urinal in one hand...whats the trouble? I asked. I CANT FIND MY member he hollered up at me. We stared rather blankly at each other for a few moments as he fumbled around trying to find his member...Then suddenly he was successful...There you are you little sh*t I've got you now he said, and proceeded to stuff it in the urinal...I live for these kind of happy endings :)

These stories are hilarious! At least there's fun at work! I am wanting to do the ER. I volunteered in the ER for 6 months, and saw nurses that were very nice, and made jokes, but also some cold hearted people who I think chose a wrong career path,,,unfortunatelly.

Specializes in critical care/tele/emergency.

Oh, which one to tell...

okay, received a call one night from a lady that wanted to make a reservation to be seen for her abd pain. She was shocked to find out we are open all night and don't keep regular doctor hours. (why don't more people think this way???)

A elderly gentleman with a tattoo on his abd stating "Love Lifted Me" and an arrow pointing (you guessed it!) downwards. He grins and states "Yup, it still works".

An object in the rectum that the surgeon, who has a sick sense of humor, packaged in a box complete with wrapping paper and a bow, and sent back to the ED doc.

The woman that came in with multiple trauma (lacerated kidney, several rib fx, small pnuemo) was hit and pinned to the garage wall by a golf cart. The golf cart was driven by her 2 dogs. (neither had a license)

Yup, this is a crazy world we live in :p

I'm not a nurse yet but I do have a story. I had taken my dad to the ER a couple of years back (ended up being appendicitis) . In the room across there was one girl who pulled out her IV's and started spraying blood all over. Insane. The poor nurse had to run after her to get her to sign AMA papers. :rolleyes:

Some RN friends of mine directed me to this site and I have to agree with them: this is disturbing. The only good thing I can say is that it went unused for a few years.

While there may not be direct HIPAA violations, a patient trusts and believes that what happens to them stays between them and the caregiver. To find these 'humorous' stories posted here shows a lack of sensitivity and professionalism. These days nurses are taking a fair amount of hits regarding patient dignity, and posts such as these show why.

Any strides that respectful caregivers are making to rebuild patient trust is certainly being eroded here. Patients already face humiliation and embarrassment in intimate situations, but to laugh at them and retell their stories behind their backs further adds to this humiliation.

Most of these 'funny' stories involve genitals, rectums, and embarassment for the patient, and sharing those stories is a travesty.

At least some patients have trust that these situations carry a degree of privacy and understanding. After reading that some caregivers add further to their humiliation by laughing at them is shameful, and leaves them with no degree of dignity and humanity.

Kudos to those of you who refuse to post here. Shame on you for those who do.

I just can not believe moderaters allow such degrading behavior.

Some RN friends of mine directed me to this site and I have to agree with them: this is disturbing. The only good thing I can say is that it went unused for a few years.

While there may not be direct HIPAA violations, a patient trusts and believes that what happens to them stays between them and the caregiver. To find these 'humorous' stories posted here shows a lack of sensitivity and professionalism. These days nurses are taking a fair amount of hits regarding patient dignity, and posts such as these show why.

Any strides that respectful caregivers are making to rebuild patient trust is certainly being eroded here. Patients already face humiliation and embarrassment in intimate situations, but to laugh at them and retell their stories behind their backs further adds to this humiliation.

Most of these 'funny' stories involve genitals, rectums, and embarassment for the patient, and sharing those stories is a travesty.

At least some patients have trust that these situations carry a degree of privacy and understanding. After reading that some caregivers add further to their humiliation by laughing at them is shameful, and leaves them with no degree of dignity and humanity.

Kudos to those of you who refuse to post here. Shame on you for those who do.

I just can not believe moderaters allow such degrading behavior.

Yup, we're all going to he$$. I'm guessing from your tone of distain and disapproval you won't be joining us? I'll have a beer for you.

Specializes in public health.

My friend's dad just came from Mexico. Mistook a jar of easy off (it was put in a food container) for honey. Drank it, burned his mouth went to the ER. It's painful to just think about it.

"Yup, we're all going to he$$. I'm guessing from your tone of distain and disapproval you won't be joining us? I'll have a beer for you."

Everyone deserves respect. If you're in a position to give it to them, then you should. If you choose to exploit them for your own amusement, then yes: that is distainful and deserves disapproval.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatric, Hospice.
"Yup, we're all going to he$$. I'm guessing from your tone of distain and disapproval you won't be joining us? I'll have a beer for you."

Everyone deserves respect. If you're in a position to give it to them, then you should. If you choose to exploit them for your own amusement, then yes: that is distainful and deserves disapproval.

There are far worse things in this world to be concerned with right now than this thread. No one's making you read it.

"There are far worse things in this world to be concerned with right now than this thread. No one's making you read it."

Of course I could close my eyes and pretend this thread does not exist. But avoidance does not solve a problem....it hides it.

And, there are not 'far worse things' in my opinion than disrespecting a vulnerable population.

What is the harm in pointing out the damage some people cause by humiliating other people?

Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatric, Hospice.
"There are far worse things in this world to be concerned with right now than this thread. No one's making you read it."

Of course I could close my eyes and pretend this thread does not exist. But avoidance does not solve a problem....it hides it.

And, there are not 'far worse things' in my opinion than disrespecting a vulnerable population.

What is the harm in pointing out the damage some people cause by humiliating other people?

There is harm when it's misinterpreted and misguided.

"There is harm when it's misinterpreted and misguided."

That is certainly a fair enough statement.

However; how can the re-telling of humiliating stories not be damaging to patients, and show bad faith in the privacy of what happens between vulnerable people and caregivers?

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