Taboo: 10 Things Nurses Should NEVER Say!

[Conqueror+, BSN, RN]

Anyone who has ever worked psych or geriatrics during a full moon just knows....

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

"I can't believe I made it to Sunday night and haven't been called-in all weekend". That just guarantees a midnight case.

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

But full moons honestly make the freaks come out at night. They don't call em lunatics for nothing!

[Mavrick, BSN, RN]

"My vacation starts tomorrow so I'm hoping to get out early", said optimistic PACU nurse never.

What were you thinking? Do not tempt the easy shift gods.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

macawake said:

Hmmm.. Yes, I have noticed this behavior among quite a few fellow nurses and honestly I don't understand it. Perhaps it's because I don't have a single superstitious cell in my body. I simply don't believe that anything I say will affect the future in the way described in this post.

Obviously if I yell "fire" in a crowded movie theater I'll likely cause a panic but I don't think that my voicing predictions about future events will make them happen. If a code is about to happen it will happen regardless. I didn't seal the poor patient's fate by uttering; "we haven't had a code in a long time".

The only logical reason I see for nurses (or anyone else) to think this way, is a bad case of confirmation bias. All the times when someone says something and nothing out of the ordinary happens are quickly forgotten whereas the events that confirm the beliefs are remembered.

Most doctors/physicians and rocket scientists are reasonably smart

WOW!, nice to meet a fellow skeptic. I'm usually the naysayer on these kinds of threads and satire or not, people believe that the power of their words causes that 4 car pile-up on the interstate with multiple trauma victims. Or the full moon caused it.

There is abundant research about the medical myths and all prove there is no proof that our words or the moon causes havoc to ensue.

Confirmation bias indeed!

[macawake, MSN]

SubSippi said:

Outside the hospital, I'll step on cracks and walk under ladders all day long.

I'm relieved to hear that ? I agree that confirmation bias can be tough avoid, we are probably all vulnerable to it to some extent.

@OP, I don't know if I hear a defensive tone in your reply to me? I actually didn't realize that your OP was satirical and that the intention was to gently ridicule the follies of human beings.. ? I interpreted it differently. Either way, I wasn't criticising your post. I was simply expressing that I don't understand why so many nurses who are scientifically trained, actually believe that for example saying a "frequent flier's" name will magically make that person appear on the hospital's doorstep. I think the clue is in the assigned label Frequent.. I they're not there at the moment, chances are they will be soon.. Whether someone says their name, or not...

@Spidey's mom. I recall us being in agreement on several anti-vaccine type threads, so it comes as no surprise to me that we agree on this ? According to my parents I've been a sceptic since about the age of two.. It seems like I was a royal pain in the behind from time to time, always asking why and questioning the rationale behind pretty much every claim.

[LTCangel, ADN, BSN, LPN]

Us opp

[Dogen]

I try not to do things like lay my hands on a patient, close my eyes, hum a little bit, and then yell, "You're healed!"

I say "the q-word" all the time, mostly around one of my superstitious colleagues because it makes her cringe. I pay no attention to the moon phase. I just looked it up and I've picked up an extra evening shift on the next one here (8/29). I'll have to remember to tell everyone about it during the first half of the shift. "You know tonight is a full moon, right? Think it'll be quiet? Maybe a nice, slow, easy shift? I mean, X, Y. and Z aren't admitted, so it should be really smooth, right?"

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

As some have said or conveyed, I am one of those that are not normally super superstitious,..maybe a little...but I am certainly superstitious at work because things really DO happen. I especially hate the word, "Q". See! I can't even say it at home now!

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

macawake said:

@Spidey's mom. I recall us being in agreement on several anti-vaccine type threads, so it comes as no surprise to me that we agree on this ? According to my parents I've been a sceptic since about the age of two.. It seems like I was a royal pain in the behind from time to time, always asking why and questioning the rationale behind pretty much every claim.

Me too. Royal PITA.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

Dogen said:

I try not to do things like lay my hands on a patient, close my eyes, hum a little bit, and then yell, "You're healed!"

I say "the q-word" all the time, mostly around one of my superstitious colleagues because it makes her cringe. I pay no attention to the moon phase. I just looked it up and I've picked up an extra evening shift on the next one here (8/29). I'll have to remember to tell everyone about it during the first half of the shift. "You know tonight is a full moon, right? Think it'll be quiet? Maybe a nice, slow, easy shift? I mean, X, Y. and Z aren't admitted, so it should be really smooth, right?"

That's bad. LOL Make sure to volunteer for X, Y or Z when they are admitted. All I can say is the psyche patients seem worse around the full moon! Good luck!

[SeattleJess]

macawake said:

Hmmm.. Yes, I have noticed this behavior among quite a few fellow nurses and honestly I don't understand it. Perhaps it's because I don't have a single superstitious cell in my body. I simply don't believe that anything I say will affect the future in the way described in this post.

Obviously if I yell "fire" in a crowded movie theater I'll likely cause a panic but I don't think that my voicing predictions about future events will make them happen. If a code is about to happen it will happen regardless. I didn't seal the poor patient's fate by uttering; "we haven't had a code in a long time".

The only logical reason I see for nurses (or anyone else) to think this way, is a bad case of confirmation bias. All the times when someone says something and nothing out of the ordinary happens are quickly forgotten whereas the events that confirm the beliefs are remembered.

Most doctors/physicians and rocket scientists are reasonably smart

Cannot like this enough! (Probably why I quoted you, so everyone gets a chance to read this again.)

I appreciate and enjoyed the humor of the article. I think it's very human to think this way. We still carry around our lizard brains, after all. It's great to share war stories. But don't let The Lizard rule.