OH NO! FULL MOON!

RoyalPrince · Apr 29, 2011

EtOH..... enough said -_-

Mrs. SnowStormRN, RN · Apr 29, 2011

I use to work on an Alzheimers unit, I need not say more - LoL!!!

Whispera, MSN, RN · Apr 29, 2011

yes you DO need to say more...enquiring minds want to know!

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Apr 29, 2011

we take it seriously and increase ER staff on those nights. Also, full moon is noted on the facility calendar - just in case you want to be sick that night I guess

Turd Ferguson · Apr 29, 2011

prepare the Haldol

kool-aide, RN · Apr 29, 2011

yes you DO need to say more...enquiring minds want to know!

EXACTLY what I was thinking!!!!

Ev1987 · Apr 29, 2011

The carnal beast comes out on a full moon. The demented act more demented. The annoying, irritating and whiny residents acts more annoying, irritating and whiny. They all want to stay up late and don't want to fall asleep. I have even heard some whacko's howl to the moon. Serious stuff.

as2633 · Apr 29, 2011

I've heard about this too and have definitely witnessed it while working in customer service. Days with full moons brought out the nutty side of people.

Mrs. SnowStormRN, RN · Apr 29, 2011

yes you DO need to say more...enquiring minds want to know!

Lets just say I felt like I was in Michael Jacksons "Thriller" video on Full Moon nights..... :eek:

CathyLew · Apr 29, 2011

A Typical Night Shift (Short Story)

6:45 p.m. Driving into my night shift job at a local Hospital. Is that a full moon peeking out of the clouds? Who am I working with tonight? Who is working days that I have to follow.... I hope its not the B team, they leave all the charts in the rack, and a list of things they never got around to, or meds that need clarifying... Oh, great. There is an ambulance at the back door unloading someone into the ER.

Walking on the MSP floor, an awful smell hits me. God, someone is getting a bowl prep. Three call lights are on as I make my way to put my lunch in the staff refrigerator. Some old guy is trying to crawl out of bed in room 107 next to the nurse's station. His bed alarm apparently isn't working. I put down my bag outside the room, and say "Sir! Sir! You have to get back into bed!" He sticks his leg through the railings, and is about to fall on the floor- I go in and untangle his limbs from the rail and gently push him back into bed. "You are in the hospital!" I yell into his ear. "You need to stay in bed!" He grabs hold of my jacket sleeve and starts shaking my arm saying he is calling the cops... I make my way out of the room, pick up my bag and put it away in the kitchen.

Now to see who is working. Ahhh, at least I am on with a decent crew. But by the look of the charts in the rack with unsigned orders, I'm not following one. Is my assignment made out? Well, partially. They had several admissions and discharges, so my assignment sheet is a mess of white out and arrows pointing to where patients have been moved. My partner was here last night, so I have no choice to take the front. Great, that is where that nasty bowl prep smell was coming from. But at least I don't have Mr. Climber in room 107.

Almost 7pm, no time to rewrite the assignment so it is in order, so I'll have to work with what I have. Off to report. The day nurse looks haggard. Half way through she is called out to the nurses station to talk to a doctor she paged over an hour ago. So we wait, knowing its putting us further behind, but not wanting to start the shift without knowing something about the patients. 7:45 finally out of report.

I walk out to see the LPN has gotten the only blood pressure machine that works. Great. I spend another few minutes looking to see if there is any other equipment, and notice the other vital sign machine with a maintenance slip tapped to it. Oh well, it looks like two of those lights are mine. I'll answer them and assess the patients...and get their vitals later. The first room I walk into a mad looking red-faced man explodes that he asked for his pain medication over an hour ago. "I'm sorry Mr. So-N-So, I just got on duty, where is your pain?" The same place it has been! Can't I get something for it? .....Yes, I'll be right back... I hear him mutter, that's what the last nurse said, and I never saw her again....

I try to hunt down the other RN who has the narcotic keys. She is in a room trying to start an IV. She is none too happy to have to stop what she is doing and get me a Tylenol with Codeine out of the Narcotic cabinet. I sign it out and start back to room 104 with it. Room 105 has their light on by now, and I yell into the room "I'll be right with you!" I get to room 104 and tell him I have his T#3 for him. He said "that's not going to work now, I have waited too long, I am going to need the shot." I explain that we are supposed to try the pill first, and if that is ineffective, then we are to try the shots with him. He said that if I had gotten his pain medication 2 hrs ago like he asked, it would have worked, but it has been so long now it won't work. No use pointing out that just 10 minutes ago, he told me he had waited an hour, and now it was 2 hrs... or the fact that I wasn’t even here 2 hours ago! Ok, back to find the RN with the narcotic key. She is even more displeased to learn I need to waste the T#3 and get out Demerol. She is still trying to start the IV on her patient. I tell her, just get me the Demerol, I'll start this IV for her while I wait. Ok, that sounds fair. I still have only seen one of my patients and now it's after 8:00.

I have the Demerol, am at the Med cart ready to sign it out. Mr climber in 107 has his legs over the rails again. His nurse is in another room. So I lock the med up in my cart, and go in to try to get him back to bed. As I come out the ward secretary is on the phone and yells over, You have an admission coming to 102. Do you want to get report from the ER? "No! Tell them that you can't find me! I need to see some of my people first!"

I turn around and some very angry lady is standing at my med cart. "Can you tell me something about my husband?" 'Ok, mam who is your husband?' Mr So-N-So in 100-2. Ok, the bowel prep guy... now what did they tell me in report.... 'Well mam, what do you want to know? "What did the doctor tell him this morning?" Well, mam, I wasn't here this morning, what does your husband say he was told? "Oh, he can't understand anything the doctor says, and they rush in and out so fast. I just want to know how long he will be in here, and what his latest tests showed" 'Well, mam, you really should talk to the doctor, or try to be here when he makes rounds'... As I look past her, I see Mr wants his pain shot has his light back on.... "Ok, mam, if you go wait in his room, I have a few patients I have to see then I will be in to talk to you' "I have to go home, I have been here 4 hours and no one will give me any information or take the time to talk to me" 'Mam, if you call back in a while I will be glad to talk to you, but I really have to medicate someone.' She walks away with a snort and a look I see all too often.

I walk into 104 with the pain shot. He is on the phone to some relative complaining that we have kept him in pain and he asked for something over 3 hours ago and hasn't gotten anything. He sees me, and says, "Oh, finally, here she is" I give him the shot, no sense pointing out that its only 8:20 and every time I come in his room another hour seems to have flown by.

105 still has her light on when I walk out. I take a few squirts of hand sanitizer hanging in the hallway, and go in. I say, I am real sorry it took me so long to get here, what can I help her with? She says its too late, I already messed the bed. Ok Honey, I'll be right back with some linen and change you. Great, there is the nurses aid back from break. "Can you change the lady in 105 for me?" Sure, after she helps the LPN change the guy in 109. OK perfect.. the LPN is in 109 with the vital sign machine, maybe she is done with it by now.

I get to 109, and the LPN said she has just one more VS to get, then I can have the machine. She has changed the first guys bed by herself, and just needs help pulling him up. We pull him up, she takes his Blood pressure, and I get the machine. I figure I am so far behind, I'll just start in the front and work my way down.

I get to room 100, and the fellow is sitting in the bathroom, has pulled out his IV and said he messed the bed again. Oh, Bowel prep guy. Then he said that his wife wants me to call her at 9:30 to give her some information on some tests she asked me about... This is great, I put a paper towel on his bleeding IV site, and tell him to hold it. I go to get an IV start kit. Ask the ward secretary to call housekeeping to mop the floor in 100. She tells me the ER called again about the admission. "If they call again, tell them I will call them right back"

105 had her light back on, no one has been in to change her yet. I tell her I will be right with her as I walk by. Where did the aid go? Here she comes wheeling some man back from Xray. "When you get a chance, can you change the lady in 105?" Yes, its on her list.... Ok, fine. Back to 100 with a fresh pad, and an IV start kit. I help him back into bed, and start his IV. Ok, now onto my work. There are no thermometer probe covers in the Vital Sign machine. AARRGGGHH!!! Back to the clean utility room to grab a box of covers. The LPN is at the med cart, and I snap "Thanks for using all the probe covers and not replacing them!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see that old familiar skinny leg starting over the side rail in 107. I am so far behind, someone else has to put him back in bed this time. Why don't we have any bed alarms that work?

The LPN for the CCU comes out and asks if there is anything she can do to help. Oh thank god. I haven't even started my meds, and I have an admission coming.... She says she will do my meds. I quick grab the rest of my vitals, and take a quick listen to everyone. So much for a head to toe assessment.... I haven't touched my paperwork. I have put the ER off long enough, and have to call for report. As I pass the aid, I ask if she can possibly get room 102 ready for an admission. "Right after I change the lady in 105" Ok fine.

I sit at the nurse's station, and try to find a scrap paper to take report on. I hear a water pitcher fall on the floor in 107 and jump up. Mr climber has both his legs on his overbed stand and is turned sideways in bed with his head through the rails. I need help in here! The CCU RN comes in and we untangle the guy and sternly tell him he has to stay in bed. It doesn't look like he has any fresh bruises on his arms or legs.

The LPN doing my meds tells me that the guy in 104-2 wants a sleeping pill and doesn't have any ordered. I look at his chart to see if he has any allergies, and page his doctor. Then I pick up the phone to call the ER. I am put on hold, and hang up. I turn to the ward secretary, and say "you are my witness, I tried to get report! When Dr So-N-So calls back, Its me that beeped him" Back down to 104, I ask bed one if that pain shot helped, since I need to document the effect. He said, yes, finally. I tell bed 2 that I just beeped his doctor for a sleeping pill. I hear my name called, and go back to the desk. It's the ER with report. I jot down a few things, listen to them tell me that this guy is cranky because he has been in the ER since noon. They want to bring him right up. Ok fine. I take the paperwork to the room, which is not ready. Grab a gown, pad, the scales and an O2 set up. They wheel the guy up on stretcher, and we pull him over into the bed. The ER girl hands me his orders and leaves. I run the orders to the Desk, and go back to start my admission. "I just answered all these questions in the ER, why do I have to go through this again?" I know sir, but I just need to know a few things... The Ward secretary comes back and says the new admission needs a stat Chest Xray. God, why couldn't they do it before they brought him up? They have to go right by Xray! Fine, has anyone seen the nurse's aid? I need to make up his MAR so he can get his medications before he goes to sleep. As I look at his orders, I see they ordered a bunch of stool samples. Great this guy has to go on isolation!

So we have to wake up the roommate in 102-2 to tell him we have to move him. Why do you have to move me? I was here first Trying to explain that his roommate needs a private room. He says, then can't you just move him? No there are no empty rooms... so we have to move you in with someone else. "Will I be next to the window?" Yes, sir. You will. "Can't you move that other guy up here". I didn't think it was a good time to tell him that his new roommate is a guy who keeps trying to climb out of bed, and has to be close to the nurse's station....

As we wheel bedside stands and personal belongings down the hall, the LPN passing my meds tells me that the fellow in 104-2 has asked again for his sleeping pill. Dammed. Did the doctor ever call back? I find out he did, and I wasn't at the desk so he hung up. So I beep him again. We get the admission off to Xray, the roommate moved to 107. Still no call back from the doctor. I tell everyone at the desk if they need to talk to Dr So-N-So, let me know. The CCU nurse tells me she just called him about 20 minutes ago, and he is back at home. Great, so I call the home number. He grumbles, "Can't you girls get your acts together, I just talked to CCU and the ER, this is the 4th call in an hour!!" Sorry Doctor, but I need a sleeping pill order. I write it in the chart, put it on the MAR, track down the RN who has the narcotic keys, go up to 104-2 to find the patient snoring. I am tempted to wake him up and give him the sleeping pill...when I hear a loud crash and call for help. Mr climber in 107 has succeeded and is on the floor. He has pulled out his catheter and IV, and is in a pool of urine and blood. We will have to call the doctor and get an Xray, and call his family to tell him he fell. We try to gather enough staff to lift him back into bed, we hear his new roommate from behind the curtain mutter, Oh, this is going to be a great room! The ward secretary calls from the desk. "Your getting another admission, and the supervisor says you need to move the lady from 105 down to 110 to open up another male bed. Does anyone want to take report from the ER?" The LPN tells me she has finished my 9:00 meds and since it is now past 10:30, she will start on my 11:00 meds.

"God I hate a full moon!" Full moon?? one of the other nurses replies. The full moon isn't till tomorrow night! Tomorrow night! Hmmmm.... how much sick time do I have saved up......

eagle78 · Apr 29, 2011

I am not a nurse (yet ), but when I workend network support for AT&T on the midnight shift we had all kinds of wierd network outtages when there was a full moon. People were hitting telephone poles, somehow severing fibers (these are under ground, go figure). When ever I had to go in at 12:00 am and saw a full moon I knew it was not going to be a dull night... :eek: