Superstitious Nurses

[Davey Do]

Back in July of '16, my medical nurse wife Belinda rented us a cabin in the foothills of Missouri in order to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I wore a pair of jeans and an old scrub top for the long drive.

We had just unpacked when Belinda said, "Let's take a walk down to the river".

We were walking down the gravel path with a slight slight decline when Belinda's right leg slid out from under her and she landed on her bottom.

"Here- I'll help you up", I said.

Belinda replied, in her calm, usual manner, "I think I broke my ankle".

Sure enough, she had fractured her tibia and required an ORIF.

After my retirement last Spring, I let my old scrubs hang in my closet. Last Fall, I decided to wear one of my scrub tops.

That night, I had to take Belinda into the ER for what was diagnosed as cholecystitis.

I made note of this to Belinda, that the two times I had worn scrub tops outside of work, she had to go to the ER.

"I'm not going to wear my scrub tops any more", I said.

"Please don't ", she replied.

Got superstitions?

[OyWithThePoodles, RN]

I had a co-worker that anytime she wore black scrubs, we had a death on the unit. Only took a handful of times before we told her to burn her black scrubs. 

[Davey Do]

Hi Oy! Long time no read!

1 hour ago, OyWithThePoodles said:

  we told her to burn her black scrubs. 

You probably saved dozens of lives.

[Red Shirt 6, CNA]

The Q word is not to be used to describe, reference anything involving the work place or the people in it, etc...

[Davey Do]

5 minutes ago, Red Shirt 6 said:

The Q word is not to be used to describe, reference anything involving the work place or the people in it, etc...

Our cartoon characters have found a way around that particular superstition, Red Shirt:

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

The Q word.

Never, ever check on your dying pt in the last 30 mins if your shift. Or turn them in the last 60 mins.

Always bring 2 catheters. ( leave 1 just outside the room if isolation). If you bring 2 you only need 1. But bring 1 you will need 2.

Never hope to leave early

 

[Davey Do]

9 minutes ago, Pepper The Cat said:

...

I'm not sure if your post held superstitions or just some wise advice, Pepper The Cat.

[T-Bird78]

I have banished the words “quiet”, “slow”, and “bored” from work. Those are NOT allowed in my presence. Whenever one of those words are uttered, all heck breaks loose. I had a coworker say she was bored and I told her to hush, she said it again and I growled at her, and upon her third time uttering it, the doctor opened the exam room door and yelled for help. Pt was unconscious and unresponsive, paramedics were called, pt taken to ER and admitted. 

[sevensonnets]

Not a superstition exactly, but a great way to jinx yourself: Don't ever utter the name of your worst nightmare patient in the history of your nursing career unless you're absolutely positive they're no longer in the land of the living. To do so guarantees that 5 minutes before you're headed to lunch ER will call with a report on GUESS WHO. They're already on the elevator headed your way, stretcher overloaded with 4 suitcases, plastic bags and a big sack full of 50 pills, inhalers and eyedrops. Then you can kiss lunch goodbye that day and the next 2 weeks.

[Iheartwoundcare, MSN, APRN, NP]

I had a coworker who whenever she had an unstable patient, she would tie a knot in the corner of their bed sheet so that the patient didn’t die on her shift. Looking back I have to say we didn’t have any codes when I worked with her.... ?

[Ioreth, ADN, RN]

If my patient is nauseated even a tiny bit, always bring an emesis bag to the bedside. ALWAYS prep a post-surgical room with an emesis bag, even if the PACU nurse said that the patient hasn't had any nausea. If the patient has an emesis bag, then it will never be used. If there is no emesis bag, then there will be a huge mess to clean up. I even tell my patients "I'm going to put this here, because if it is here then you won't need it."

[Emergent, RN]

Crash cart outside the room wards off a code...