The Unwritten Rules of Nursing

[GregRN]

From my own observations I have seen a number of unwritten rules when it comes to nursing practice. Policies and procedures are fine but often times these unwritten rules are more powerful. Here are some I have noticed:

1. Your nose will not itch once all day...until you enter the room of someone on contact precautions.

2. Run around like crazy and you will be labeled unorganized and harried. Move around looking calm, cool and collected and you're labeled lazy and become a target for more work.

3. Never say "oops" in front of a patient. Instead, replace it with the word "there." Same effect for you...and less fear for the patient.

4. The moment you think it's safe to drop ass in your comatose patient's room is the moment their family decides to show up for their first visit in a month.

And my favorite personal observation:

5. Never underestimate the healing powers of being over-bedded.

Feel free to add some of your own unwritten rules of nursing...

[Sweeper933]

When you are giving report to the next shift, the moment that you tell that that this one patient hasn't desated once all shift long, they will start to desat down to the 60's...

[Fiona59]

I believe registrar, in Australia or Britain, is what we here in the US call an intern or resident.

I think it might be what the British call a "consultant" and we just call the specialist.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

top 3 of mine...

1. NEVER assume that someone else will get your lights....if you ignore lights, pretty soon you'll have 23 going off one after the other and will be 3-4 hrs behind schedule...

2. When someone asks for you by name with a question, RUN....it's never good news....

3. do not underestimate the power of a friendly smile, and a well-timed quip....I personally make one liners about axillary temps(make like a chicken and make a wing), mouthcare (purse those lips), and ted hose(well, they're not pantyhose, so we'll be taking them off for the evening)

[oneofHIs]

I'm in my first year of nursing school, and these are all great advice. Keep it up, I'm rolling on the floor over here.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

Your new admisson, who has been in ER for at least 10+ hours, is coming to the floor at 1900 and ER says there's no way to hold them for another hour.