Nurses General Nursing Article Video

Taboo: 10 Things Nurses Should NEVER Say!

Nurses are a strange bunch with superstitions - whether we want to admit it or not. For some of the smartest people on the planet (more so than rocket scientists or...doctors...in some cases), we sure get bent out of shape when someone says certain phrases.

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You are reading page 3 of Taboo: 10 Things Nurses Should NEVER Say!

SeattleJess

SeattleJess

843 Posts

Specializes in None yet..
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?"

I love you. Love you. Love you. I am committing your formula to memory so I can use it to do a study.

Dogen

Dogen

897 Posts

Specializes in Behavioral Health. Has 1 years experience.
brandy1017 said:
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!

I'm a psych RN. There's a lot of research on lunar phases and behavior, and most of them either find no correlation between phase and behavior or are equivocal. You can sometimes find bad research, where they lump the one day of the lunar phase with a full moon against the other 28 days, which gives you a small experimental group and a large control. That kind of comparison stacks the deck in favor of finding a statistically significant result because the larger control group experiences regression to the mean more than the smaller experimental group.

Which is all just to say that there's no good reason to believe anything different happens on a full moon. If it's hectic that's because it's often hectic. As a PP said, it's probably mostly confirmation bias, where you notice when it's busy on a full moon and forget how frequently it's just as busy on any other night.

BuckyBadgerRN

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN

3,520 Posts

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical. Has 4 years experience.

Meh, I'm not a big believer in this. I'll say "it's quiet", SAYING those words doesn't change things. Just like "It must be a full moon". Full moon, Schmull moon---it's just another night

BuckyBadgerRN

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN

3,520 Posts

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical. Has 4 years experience.

KNOWING you believe in such fluff as the word QUIET (because, it's just that, a word) would make me say it around you all day long.

SubSippi said:
I was never superstitious before I became a nurse. Now I keep a lucky rock in my pocket at work, and will jump down someone's throat if they use the "q" word. I also don't schedule myself during a full moon, if I can avoid it.

Confirmation bias is a hard thing to overcome!!

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

NursesRmofun

NursesRmofun, ASN, RN

1,239 Posts

Specializes in Registered Nurse.

The COB's that trained me when I was a new/youngish nurse always told me not to say the "Q" word. I found out what happens when you do...you get hit with several admissions OR a code happens...something will happen! lol

bagladyrn

bagladyrn, RN

2,286 Posts

Specializes in OB.

It doesn't take any psychic ability to predict that Dogen is going to take a lot of abuse on the night of the full moon - at least from the other staff!

Farawyn

Farawyn

12,646 Posts

Has 25 years experience.
Dogen said:
I'm a psych RN. There's a lot of research on lunar phases and behavior, and most of them either find no correlation between phase and behavior or are equivocal. You can sometimes find bad research, where they lump the one day of the lunar phase with a full moon against the other 28 days, which gives you a small experimental group and a large control. That kind of comparison stacks the deck in favor of finding a statistically significant result because the larger control group experiences regression to the mean more than the smaller experimental group.

Which is all just to say that there's no good reason to believe anything different happens on a full moon. If it's hectic that's because it's often hectic. As a PP said, it's probably mostly confirmation bias, where you notice when it's busy on a full moon and forget how frequently it's just as busy on any other night.

Well, shoot, there goes my alibi.

Farawyn

Farawyn

12,646 Posts

Has 25 years experience.
BuckyBadgerRN said:
Meh, I'm not a big believer in this. I'll say "it's quiet", SAYING those words doesn't change things. Just like "It must be a full moon". Full moon, Schmull moon---it's just another night

*throws salt over my shoulder and knocks on wood*

bronte3

bronte3

3 Posts

The Q word is a definite no no on any shift in Oz. I've worked with agency and after 17 hospitals it is a definite resounding "Never say that word".. The quiet shift I've yet to find and as for the full moon I often forget until around midnight the crap hits the fan. Codes, deaths, dementia patients escaping or getting into other pts beds. Mental health pts line up 2 hours earlier for their meds. Pt's ready for d/c the following morning end up with complications as I have also found with day pt's.

I guess if it was a world wide study the answers may be different but it seems that having so many hospitals over a 5 year period you have to wonder.

For me personally once I walk out the door I sigh with relief and agree it was indeed a quiet shift.

In the real world it rarely passes my mind. It is comforting to know that there are many of us worldwide who do think the same way.

GadgetRN71

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN

1 Article; 1,840 Posts

Specializes in Operating Room. Has 17 years experience.

Yeah, well, I used to be like that. Outside of work, I don't believe in any of the usual superstitions.

In the OR, we never used to mention those cases that consisted of the first letter of the alphabet repeated 3 times. Invariably, someone would mention it by name, and whammo, one would come up from the ER,lol. Confirmation bias? Maybe, but I'm not taking any chances.

canigraduate

canigraduate

3 Articles; 2,107 Posts

I am sooo superstitious at work.

I knock on wood, I avoid the "Q" word, and I try not to pay attention to the phases of the moon so I won't borrow trouble.

I have always had a harder time sleeping during certain moon phases, so I don't discount the moon crazies.

Also, the last time I said the Q word at work, I had an AMA discharge and two inappropriate admissions that I had to upgrade back to back. I don't know if it's because I'm intuitive and am giving myself a reason to believe, or confirmation bias, but it's true around me.

Farawyn

Farawyn

12,646 Posts

Has 25 years experience.
canigraduate said:
I am sooo superstitious at work.

I knock on wood, I avoid the "Q" word, and I try not to pay attention to the phases of the moon so I won't borrow trouble.

I have always had a harder time sleeping during certain moon phases, so I don't discount the moon crazies.

Also, the last time I said the Q word at work, I had an AMA discharge and two inappropriate admissions that I had to upgrade back to back. I don't know if it's because I'm intuitive and am giving myself a reason to believe, or confirmation bias, but it's true around me.

Oh, who cares if it's confirmation bias?!? It's not like we are hurting anyone by shushing the Q word. It used to be kind of fun to go out to breakfast the next day and talk about the full moon and all that.

Is there a Pfffffft smilie?

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