Tulip28

This is one of the funniest things I have ever read- it made me cry with laughter! The things we have to do that only other health care worker would understand . It made me start thinking of all my experiences over the years. First year of nursing a dementia patient scratched me with poo fingernails:crying2: (broke skin!). A big bowel motion by a young man in a vegetative state in a small hot steamy shower! The smell of a tracking groin wound that the patient said she didn't even know was there til she ended up in ICU. The wound ooze from an open abdo wound on a patient covered with a clear dressing who only had a few metres of bowel left- took your breath away! Everyday life: emptying vomit into the toilet:uhoh21: always ends up in me wanting to vomit and changing illeostomies. Many moons ago when I was a student I dry retched the whole time I changed a patients bag ( the ones you didn't just changed but had to wash out!). Felt so upset that I had done that in front of the patient. Gotton better over the years but still... Have never fainted but definately know that emergency and theatre are not for me. Also I have been known to feel a little light headed when assisting with ICC insertions or pleural taps- even after all these years!

I was disturbed at another nurse telling you not to worry as the patient was unharmed. Yes it is fortunate that this was the case but it could have had serious consequences especially in someone her age. I don't think you need to be so hard on yourself but as the manager of a surgical ward myself I think it is important that you speak with your manager or if that is too confronting another senior nurse you feel comfortable with. If you were one of my staff I would expect you to have told the team leader of the shift what had happened and filled out an incident form. What I do then is just follow it up with the nurse involved- not to be in trouble but to see how they can learn from the incident. You are an RN now and just because a senior person told you to do something does not cover you should it ever become a legal thing. You can seek advice but always go back to the basics and look up drugs etc. until you are confident. Don't be too hard on yourself we have all made mistakes- but make sure you handle it right when you do and then you will not feel so guilty. All the best in your career.

A dolphin trainer:yeah: On night duty we used to play "what do you want to be when you grow up?". I had just been to Seaworld and seen the dolphin show where the trainers really loved their job and jumped out of bed in the morning to go. That is what I want

if you read my reply properly i said with no gastrointestinal issues from stress or other! i am talking about the bowel obsessed people who just decide at 3am they would like to do a poo! hey, this is my thing i would like to tell others anyway

When a patient (who does not have any gastointestinal issues) decides in the middle of the night they need to use their bowels- I want to say "Who does that! What is wrong with you people! Who wakes in the middle of the night and decides to open their bowels!!!!!!!!!!!!!":o

I don't know what they are called elsewhere but for me...Timpanics! (to take temps in ears) What did we ever do without them??

In Australia, if you work part time- there is no pay difference when you are called in to do an extra shift until it exceeds full time hours.