Student nurses do the darndest things

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I remember when I was a student nurse,the instructor telling us about a student that she instructed to give a fleets enema to,when she went in to check on the progress of the patient,she noticed the fleets enema sticking out of the patients mouth!

Specializes in Aged Care, Midwifery, Palliative Care.

When I was doing my 2nd year the nurse and I were walking with an enema that I was going to give to the patient. She told me to make sure I put gloves on, I laughed and said ok, I'm thinking well duh... After it was all done she told me that she had a student forget to put gloves on, she reminded her though, then the student lubed up the enema and put it in the patient without taking the cap off....

OMG the poor patient those twist caps are like this ___!___

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

Ugh. I was in my surgery rotation and not enjoying it. I was about 18yo and I had NEVER been exposed to stuff like that! I made it through the gruesome tonsillectomy, but my next case was a knee replacement. I was hanging in there until the doctor actually opened the knee and started moving the joint around. To say that I went down like a rock was an understatement. Not only did I pass out, but I contaminated the instruments, the patient and the surgeon on my way down.

The OR requested that I be reassigned.:cool:

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

A student nurse once changed a pad saturated with lochia---- WITHOUT GLOVES....:eek:

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

I asked a student nurse to inflate a 2L pressure bag for me. He just kept pumping air into it and eventually it exploded. I felt very bad because it was my fault that I didn't tell him to check the bag indicator. :lol2: We had a good laugh about it afterwards.

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One of my students was to give a Dulcolax suppository. When I handed it to her, she said "what am I supposed to do with this?" I about fell on the floor laughing! The patient said "you stick it in my a$$ silly". OMG!!!!!:p

That reminds me of my first experience having to give a suppository. The nurse handed it to me and I literally froze..I mean could not move. Eventually she took it off me in disgust and did it herself. Lucky I had no clue what I was in for in the years to come or I would have run a mile!

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I am still a nursing student, and this just happened a few months ago...I had never given a suppository before. My instructor was watching me like a hawk and I was trying to check my 2 pt identifiers, get the suppository lubed up, explain to the patient what I was doing, and listen to everything my instructor was saying to me. I went for it, got it in, and then my instructor starts explaining something about the medication and then in the middle of her sentence she said "Oh honey, get your finger out of there".....yeah, because I was trying so hard to concentrate on my instructor, I forgot to remove my finger from my patient's butt after I inserted the suppository...:pntlft:

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I am still a nursing student, and this just happened a few months ago...I had never given a suppository before. My instructor was watching me like a hawk and I was trying to check my 2 pt identifiers, get the suppository lubed up, explain to the patient what I was doing, and listen to everything my instructor was saying to me. I went for it, got it in, and then my instructor starts explaining something about the medication and then in the middle of her sentence she said "Oh honey, get your finger out of there".....yeah, because I was trying so hard to concentrate on my instructor, I forgot to remove my finger from my patient's butt after I inserted the suppository...:pntlft:

Lol!:yeah:

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I am still a nursing student, and this just happened a few months ago...I had never given a suppository before. My instructor was watching me like a hawk and I was trying to check my 2 pt identifiers, get the suppository lubed up, explain to the patient what I was doing, and listen to everything my instructor was saying to me. I went for it, got it in, and then my instructor starts explaining something about the medication and then in the middle of her sentence she said "Oh honey, get your finger out of there".....yeah, because I was trying so hard to concentrate on my instructor, I forgot to remove my finger from my patient's butt after I inserted the suppository...:pntlft:

HEHEHE! :lol2: Oh man, this made me laugh so hard...

Well, my main "darndest" moment about gave me a heart attack... I had a syringe ready to flush a saline lock, and after I un-capped the needle, I proceeded to drop it... and CATCH IT between my palms!! I was soooo lucky I didn't get a needle stabbed through my hand that day! God was kind enough to help me through that no-common-sense moment and turn the syringe vertical ;) The patient (and I) looked like this afterwards: :eek:

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Specializes in ..
Word to the wise, if you have a suppository of any type do not put them down with in reach of patient while you are gloving up. Patients have been known to grab them and eat them.

We have a little girl with Downs Syndrome where I work who, when she sees a supp coming toward her, makes a grab for it and throws it as far away as she can!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

"Well, my main "darndest" moment about gave me a heart attack... I had a syringe ready to flush a saline lock, and after I un-capped the needle, I proceeded to drop it... and CATCH IT between my palms!! I was soooo lucky I didn't get a needle stabbed through my hand that day! God was kind enough to help me through that no-common-sense moment and turn the syringe vertical ;) The patient (and I) looked like this afterwards: :eek:

The problem is that we know intellectually not to try to catch a falling needle, yet our instincts kick in. I mean, who really cares if a syringe of saline hits the floor?!

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I remember my first clinical in nursing school. It took me all morning to give a bed bath (on one patient). It took me three hours, without doing anything else. It was in a nursing home and every time I turned the patient, she would void. Then I couldn't get the stupid diaper on right. Finally the nursing assistant came in and helped me diaper the patient and get her out of bed. I was mortified. I did not think I would be able to take care of more than one patient or let alone one patient all by myself if all I could achieve was one bed bath. I called my mom as I was walking out and told her that I did not think I could finish nursing school. Five years later and hundreds of bed baths later, I am still trucking along. But I will never forget that day.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

First tube feeding (old school style with a syringe). Pulled the plunger out but forgot to hook the syringe to the g-tube and proceeded to fill it. Tube feeding ran out all over my new, pristine WHITE uniform!!!! Worst thing was that I panicked and tried to stop it by inserting the plunger in the rapidly emptying syringe thinking somehow that would stop it. Needless to say I created the first Ensure Super Soaker!

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