okay, where's the body?

loriangel14, RN · Mar 22, 2011

I worked in a small rural hospital that had all the patient rooms on the second floor. During a spell of very hot weather we had a patient pass away.Before the funeral home could come to collect the body, our elevator broke down. Our tiny morgue was on the first floor so we had to leave her body in the room(with the windows wide open)until the next day when the repair man came to fix the elevator.The oncoming shift was a bit shaken that we had to leave her in there all night but we had no option.

dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I · Mar 22, 2011

Charge nurse covered for a co-worker on the 3-11 shift while she ate. A patient of hers passed away, DNR, charge nurse took care of post mortem care and quick trip to the morgue. Come shift end, charge nurse discovered the pt's nurse had continued to chart on the patient! Granted the patient was so ill that the difference between alive and dead was subtle, but chrting on a patient who wasn't even there? Whoopsie! Maybe a little better report when returning from dinner?

Vanillanut, DNP, RN, APRN · Mar 22, 2011

In a very very busy ER- the whole department under construction, with various "portions" closed off/boarded up at various times. Patient died in an acute bed (public area/curtains etc). Morgue overfull. No place to put patient. Patient was discreetly wheeled into the construction zone- yep- behind the thick plastic/plywood- just until proper care could be provided. Problem is, he was forgotten about for 3 days there. --insert gasp here--

BTW..... *NOT* my patient, & this was passed on to me when I started there (I don't work at that hospital anymore)

hopefulwhoop · Mar 22, 2011

In a very very busy ER- the whole department under construction, with various "portions" closed off/boarded up at various times. Patient died in an acute bed (public area/curtains etc). Morgue overfull. No place to put patient. Patient was discreetly wheeled into the construction zone- yep- behind the thick plastic/plywood- just until proper care could be provided. Problem is, he was forgotten about for 3 days there. --insert gasp here--
BTW..... *NOT* my patient, & this was passed on to me when I started there (I don't work at that hospital anymore)

THREE days?!?!?! WOW!!!!!

menowhat2do · Mar 22, 2011

ewww now i never want to be in health care. morbid stories of y'all

sunnydelight88 · Mar 22, 2011

In a very very busy ER- the whole department under construction, with various "portions" closed off/boarded up at various times. Patient died in an acute bed (public area/curtains etc). Morgue overfull. No place to put patient. Patient was discreetly wheeled into the construction zone- yep- behind the thick plastic/plywood- just until proper care could be provided. Problem is, he was forgotten about for 3 days there. --insert gasp here--
BTW..... *NOT* my patient, & this was passed on to me when I started there (I don't work at that hospital anymore)

do you know what kind of legal ramifications came of this?wowwwww I have never heard of something like that...

OldNurseEducator · Mar 22, 2011

do you know what kind of legal ramifications came of this?wowwwww I have never heard of something like that...

The story sounds more like legend to me. Just sayin'. :clown:

FutureNurse_8708 · Mar 22, 2011

I have been reading so many different scenarios that can happen in a hospital that it's almost scaring me away from nursing. Deceased bodies being forgotten about and left somewhere??? WOW! I would have never thought.

OldNurseEducator · Mar 22, 2011

I have been reading so many different scenarios that can happen in a hospital that it's almost scaring me away from nursing. Deceased bodies being forgotten about and left somewhere??? WOW! I would have never thought.

Believe only part of it. Lots of stories are pure legend. :smokin:

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 24, 2011

A patient died on my shift and I hadn't had a chance to take care of her. The AM nurse showed up and I asked her to go in and take the (dead) patient off the bedpan because I had "had it up to here with that woman!" So she very considerately goes in to help me out, as myself, security, and the secretary giggle at the desk. Came back out after about 30 seconds and said "canoehead, she wasn't on the bedpan."

Very nice lady...assessment skills could use some attention though.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 24, 2011

Another story, but a bit off topic.

I arrived early for my shift and the place was humming. One of the day nurses asked me if I could put a Bandaid on a toe and discharge someone. No problem. I was mid-Bandaid when a woman called for help from the next bed. Her mother had been assisted to the commode, and was having trouble breathing. When I checked on her I found she was in the last minute or two of dying, horrible color, emaciated. I lifted her back to bed and asked family if they wanted her resuscitated. They said no, and gathered around her telling her how much they loved her, and what a great mom she had been. That dear old lady, who to my eye had stopped breathing, took a gasp, nodded her head once and died. Imagine the strength it took for her to hang on and make that motion to reassure her family that she had heard their words. I will never forget.

...and it was the last time I changed a Bandaid for that nurse, ever.