Nursing Superstitions!

suzanne_58 · Jun 26, 2001

Me...Superstitious??? Heck YES!! I worked in a nursing home for 4 years and when someone was, let's say, on thier last leg, the CNA's would tie knots in the bedsheets so to "keep thier spirits here". I thought that was being a bit much, since I was a new nurse. But, it did seem to work. Now that I work in a hospital, I see (and believe) a whole lot more. Especially when there is a full moon. And, the 3 thing....well that definately is a sign. The Q word is off limits on my unit. Say that and for sure there will be a code, a fall, or some other type of disaster. Just the other day I mentioned a pt. that was the PIA and wondered how he was. The unit clerk turned to me and said "you will find out tomorrow when he is admitted back to our unit". Me....Supersitious??? HECK YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

psnurse · Jun 26, 2001

Oh yes, the "Q" word. I won't even say it at home.

Along with the others mentioned............

No matter how "Q" it is, NEVER under any circumstances turn out the lights in any trauma room.

No matter how great the veins, always take two IV catheters.

sandigapeachlpn · Jun 27, 2001

i couldn't figure out what you guys were talking about initially, i didn't think i was superstious, until i started reading the posts. omg, i am cracking up! the biggest thing we have at our LTC facility is our fridays. i don't know if anybody else does this but with our rotating sched we say " oh i am so glad it's my friday", (on the last day before our "weekend"); anyway, everytime it's my friday, and i want so bad to have peace and possible cruising, somebody ignorant will say " gosh nobody's had a fall lately" or " hey sandi, don't you need a couple of incident reports"? just last friday for me. it was so peaceful, so serene, and at 12a the dietician shows up when i start my medicare charting marathon, and of course she pulls every chart that i need. okay, that's not so bad., then the DNS shows up to get an edge on work, because there's nobody there from dayshift to drive him insane with constant interruptions. then the RCM for the unit comes in @ 0200, the STAFF DEVOP nurse shows up @ 0400. our layed back flow was destroyed, the evil dayshift staff was surrounding us and swallowing us whole! PLEASE UNDERSTAND ALL YOU DAYSHIFT PEOPLE, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE ACTUALLY STAFF THAT DO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR, IT 'S JUST THAT IN MY FACILITY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO SHIFTS AS FAR AS SENSE OF HUMOR IS..... well, basically night and day.

Irish Lass · Jun 27, 2001

:rolleyes:

One hospital EDI worked in we refused to order pizza to be delivered nor would we discuss that night's party/potluck. Sure as we did the traumas would come.

It was OK however, for someone to bring pizza so long as it wasn't the delivery person.

Also, we had one particular trauma room where patients were falling like flies. I taped 2 tongue blades in the shape of a cross and put it on the underside of one of the stretchers. We made sure the really bad traumas got that stretcher. It worked.! One night we had a death and wouldn't you know it - the cross had fallen off and was on the floor (guess the angels wings fluttering blew it down).

And YES! I am a fecal magnet, and proud of it. Just have to be careful who gets assigned to work with me or it multiplies exponentially.

CATHYW · Oct 11, 2001

ROF,LOL!

We surely all belong to the same club! One of the first things I learned in ER (from an old ER nurse) was you ALWAYS turned the light out after you cleaned a room, and did not turn it on again until you actually had a patient going in the room. She said that it just invited more people to come to ER. I have to say, the lady was right! I even checked defibs, crash carts, and trauma carts by the light of an x-ray box, just to avoid turning on the light. As an older nurse, I taught this to several other folks who were amazed by it. However, there were some times that nothing worked-they came anyway!

The q word was a dangerous one, as was talking about FF/PIA's. Also, there are some people you work with that just seem to have what it takes to draw folks that keep you running all shift. God forbid somebody calls in sick, and you have to have a nurse not familiar with ER pulled to help you (no slam intended). Another RN and I had that happen one night, and we got 3 MI's all who received TPA, within 30 minutes. Of course the rest of the ER was bouncing, too! :rolleyes:

kimberle · Oct 11, 2001

If someone is really ill, we tie a knot in the sheet at the foot of the bed - keeps them from coding....

I'm about ready to have a cleansing myself - it seems whenever I'm on lately there's always some medical emergency - people are joking about worrying about working with me, but I'm getting paranoid myself! There hasn't been any rhyme or reason to it, just happening - this last time I worked the night shift charge had just left and in I walked and the emergency started! Aargh!

newpsychrn · Oct 12, 2001

on our ward we never mention a former patient's full name because that means they will be re-admitted again---psych is a revolving door:eek:

deespoohbear · Oct 12, 2001

I have the dubious honor of attracting all the GI bleeds!! It was so bad one year that my supervisor left me a note saying that if she ever had a GI bleed she wanted me to take of her because I had the most experience!! The Q word is definitely off limits, I have threatened dastardly things to the person who says it. At our facility, some of believe that if you actually even think of a frequent flier/PIA pt, they will show up to haunt you. Always leave the bed sheets pulled down to prevent an admission. My personal favorite superstition is patients always die at meal time or shift change!!!!! LOL!!

KIWIRN · Oct 12, 2001

Yes the Q word is asking for trouble

And Murphy's law always comes in to play!

If you haven't had a chance to give a post-op a vomit bowl you can guarantee they'll need it before you can get one to them!

Sable's mom · Oct 12, 2001

I'm just l9oving this thread. I work in L & D now in a small hospital, used to do NICU in a large one. anyway, it sure is true that nurses are more superstitous than voodoo priestesses.

We have one pp room that is called our looney tunes room - it is a certainity that anyone admitted to that room is or will become crazy.

Of course, the Q word or S*** or I'm bo*** is NEVER spoken.

Don't open the drawer of prenatal records or touch the prenat book under any circumstances or it will be CRAZY soon.

Never schedule Linda And Tina or Ronnie and Kathleen to the same shift - disaster is sure to follow.

codebluechic, ASN, RN · Oct 13, 2001

Hey! It's nice to see my old post back again.

spudflake · Oct 13, 2001

? How true all of these posts are!

We have stopped planning pot lucks because that's a SURE sign that it will be busy:o

Always have the room ready...and it won't be as bad as it sounds

Frequent flyers have special hearing and KNOW when you mention their names..so don't.

Are these really superstitions??? From all the posts I believe these are scientifically proven FACTS!!