light4j

Oh man, I think the funniest thing I ever saw was in a lab. We were having a simulation lab, with one of those "dummies" that does everything. There were about ten of us in the next room watching two students take care of the patient on the video screen. One of the tasks was to remove the foley (the pt is a male)...oh, and we were almost half way thru school by this time, so removing the foley was the easiest task of the scenario. The student, we'll call him Sam, walked up to the patient and told him he was going to take out his catheter. We're all looking at the screen wondering where his syringe is to deflate the bulb. He puts gloves on, and reaches for the tube and proceeds to start pulling on it without deflating the bulb. We all started yelling at the screen and having hysterics as the foley tube gets tighter and tighter and he pulls harder and harder...he finally realizes what he's doing and turned beet red!! Luckily, the instructor who was pretending to be the patient didn't notice the mistake. We were all crying from laughing so hard- thank God he did that on a dummy and not a real person!!! When they came back over to our room to talk about the scenario, we were all still rolling on the floor, and could barely tell the story to the instructor who missed it. I'm sure he'll never live it down!

This isn't quite a "patient" story, but I couldn't decide which funny thread to post it under, so put it here. I'm sure this won't be as funny if you weren't watching it, but it was the best laugh I'd had in a long time, so I can't resist posting it. I'm finishing up my first year in community college RN program. Yesterday we had a SIM lab with our clinical group. It was a 5 hour lab, where we'd been given three patient scenarios to prep on, and we split up into groups of two to take care of the patient...who was the high tech "dummy", or SIM man. Anyway, the rest of us sat in a classroom next door watching the pair whose turn it was take care of the patient on video, so we could talk amongst ourselves about how it was going, etc. So, the "patient" (who's being voiced by one of our wacky instructors) immediately starts complaining that he wants his foley taken out. The Dr. has okayed the DC of the foley, so Mark (not his real name), one of our few male students, starts getting ready to take it out. He tells the patient what he's doing to do, puts a towel underneath him, and starts getting ready. Well, we notice right away that he doesn't have a syringe with him to deflate the bulb. We of course are assuming he just hasn't gotten it yet, that he won't possibly try to take it out without deflating the bulb. But no, he's so flustered and stressed with the way the scenario's been going so far, he does indeed go to start pulling on it without deflating the bulb . We all start yelling at the screen, but he goes on pulling...and pulling, until it's pulled taught as a rubber band- by this time of course we're all hysterically laughing and crying :rotfl:- and of course the "patient" starts yelling (actually had a very delayed reaction in my opinion). He realized what he was doing before it actually popped out. He turned beet red, and said, "Oops, that's my bad" and went and got a syringe and did it the right way. Thank God he didn't actually do this to a real patient!!!! We know he'll never forget how to properly remove a foley now! I know this isn't as funny if you couldn't see it, but like I said, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

That's hilarious! I think every LTC facility has a LOL like that who regularly cracks everyone up. At the SNF I'm currently doing clinicals at there's this itty bitty confused lady who wheels herself around in her wheelchair all over the place, and you never know where you'll find her. She used to live in the assisted living part of the facility that's upstairs from where she is currently. I had to laugh the other day, because as we were leaving for the evening, a staff member I didn't recognize was wheeling her back down the hall with an exasperated look on his face (and she looked very disgruntled at being caught). I asked him where he'd found her, and he said she'd gotten upstairs through the elevator and was trying to get into her old apartment :). One of my fellow students made the mistake of picking her for a patient, and spent most of his time wandering around looking for her .

I'm a first year nursing student, half way through a community college RN program, and I also work as a CNA on the weekends in hospitals. I thought this would be a good place to get some advice from competent nurses. Okay, this is a personal health issue. Usually, my periods every month are fairly regular. I bleed most heavily during the first 24 hours, and taper off until I'm almost done by the third day. I've been having periods like that for years now, and I get them about the same time every month, though once in a while I do skip one here and there for no apparent reason other than stress. This last time though, I started my period as usual, and it never stopped. I've been bleeding steadily (it's like it's the first 24-hr period for me) for almost three weeks (w/out cramps) and it's never slowed and not showing signs of stopping any time soon...should I be concerned? I've never in my life bled this long. I am overweight, and very stressed, but I've been this weight for a long while and this stressed before. I don't have any female problems like PCOS or anything that I'm aware of... I really don't want to go to the Dr., but am getting worried and irritated. What do you think?

I've worked nights for a couple of years now, and love it! I didn't really have a hard time adjusting to the night schedule. As long as you work several days in a row, than have a few days off, your body should adjust. Working every other day just doesn't work. I need to wear ear plugs, as I'm a light sleeper, but the light doesn't bother me. My roomate bought some black felt at a craft store, and put it up covering her window like blinds, and I was AMAZED at how much light it blocked!! You could try a cheap solution like that. And if you get lots of phone calls during the day, make sure to turn your ringer off...you really need a full "night's" rest during the day to have enough energy to work and be awake.

Yeah, the guy has a shunt in his other arm, so I took it in his leg, but his nurse had been taking it in his forearm...I've heard you're not supposed to do it in that arm at all, or below the PICC- I've yet to hear which is the best one.

Hi- I'm currently half way through nursing school and also work as a CNA in hospitals. We're finishing up learning about central lines/PICCs etc., and I know that you're not supposed to use an arm with a PICC to take the BP, or so I was taught and have always though. But, I'm working with a nurse tonight who said you could take the BP in the arm as long as it's below the PICC, so in the forearm- is this allowed? I've heard differing opinions- what's the right answer?