Things you learned the hard way? (funny)

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I'm sure we all have many stories to tell on ourselves how we learned something the hard way.

The first one for me was learning that it's not a good idea to squat down to a little boy's level when you're assisting him with a urinal. Also, that leaving a gown down as a 2nd barrier isn't a bad idea either. :lol2:

Good thing urine's sterile, right?

When I first started I made the mistake (more than once) of asking the daughter or grandaughter of the pt, "So are you her sister?"

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Specializes in Oncology, Cardiology, ER, L/D.
OK - Here are a couple of good ones

OFF TO PATIENT - then - OPEN TO AIR

Steps in balancing a hemodynamic transducer... if you do it the wrong way, arterial blood shoots dramatically across the room & everything else in its path.

NEVER PUMP UP THE PRESSURE TOO MUCH ON A BLOOD BAG

They tend to explode in a really spectacular way.

Gosh, it seems my "life lessons" have a tendency to leave me looking like Carrie in the prom scene.

Oh man, I can relate, was doing an ABG on an ER patient, when I went to push the plunger up, it got stuck, so I forced it and this poor old man's blood ended up splattered on the wall behind him so I had to stick him again which sucked. I felt so bad for this little old man cuz you know those things don't exactly tickle.:(

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

If a ruptured AAA comes in put a plastic sheet on the operating table. Otherwise blood will get in everywhere, wreck the velcro holding the mattress to the table and it will take hours to clean the blood off.

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Specializes in Mother-Baby, Rehab, Hospice, Memory Care.

Don't assume that the pt knows that the Dr. screwed up - as in almost letting it slip in conversation that your para 3 pt had an unnecessary primary c-section for supposed breech that was really vertex position...

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Observations from codes....

The 95 pound nurse always gets the 400 pound pt.

If you hear a loud "BANG" and see a nurse throwing the chairs and the bedside table into the hall, don't wait for the code tone, just run go get the ambu bag.

The likelihood your pt will code will depend on: How short staffed you are, how tired you are, and if you've got cramps. I swear to you, the presence of Advil/Midol your pocket pretty much guarantees you're going to have a code.

The right bed height during a code will be different for the 6 foot nurse doing compressions and the 4'9" foot nurse doing the bagging.

If you're coding a pt, and you hear a kinda "squeeky squelchy" sound just after they insert the airway, grab the suction, 'cause compressions are about to make them show you what they aspirated on -- and it's going to come out at a good speed. For comic relief, watch the experienced respiratory tech tell the newbie tech to "check tube placement" about that time. Have towels ready.

When you're putting said pt into a body bag, it generally bad form to roll the 400 pound pt over onto the 95 pound nurse. I promise you, she won't be able to catch him. She really will get trapped under the body, and our cadaver transporter is not geared to getting bodies that are on the floor and half under the bed. It's very embarrassing to call for the lift team for a dropped cadaver/trapped nurse...

Your drugseeking jerk in the next room will walk into the code, demanding demerol, and file a complaint when you don't stop CPR to go get it for him.

:chuckle:chuckle I've had a family member of the coded pt come and ask for a Coke during the code.

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Don't assume that the pt knows that the Dr. screwed up - as in almost letting it slip in conversation that your para 3 pt had an unnecessary primary c-section for supposed breech that was really vertex position...

Or that they had a cath on both legs b/c the doctor did the wrong one the first time.

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The secret heart rhythms you never hear about in school:

"Pee"-tach

"Poop" - tach

"Puke" - tach

and "brushin' my teeth, why'd everyone run in here?" - tach

All can cause false v-tach...

You forgot "wacky tacky". :)

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

Jevity + linolium+ very old shoes= broken coccyx and a week off work. I work at night and ended up laying in a puddle of jevity until my aide came in during her round. She got the supervisor and now everyone on my shift tells me to watch that last step! Sheesh. Now I make sure to buy slip proof shoes and spike the stupid bottle foil side up first.

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Yeah, repeating take off the tourniquet before removing the needle. Also, don't allow a lagtime to get the pt a bedpan after the barium enema!

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Specializes in Oncology, Cardiology, ER, L/D.
:chuckle:chuckle I've had a family member of the coded pt come and ask for a Coke during the code.

You gotta be kidding!:eek: Actually, no, that doesn't really surprise me. Didja want to smack em in the head and yell get out or what? banghead:

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I learned this one at home, but it probably applies at work/school too...

When it comes to stains, spaghetti puke is just as bad as spaghetti sauce.

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Specializes in CVICU, Burns, Trauma, BMT, Infection control.
Jevity + linolium+ very old shoes= broken coccyx and a week off work. I work at night and ended up laying in a puddle of jevity until my aide came in during her round. She got the supervisor and now everyone on my shift tells me to watch that last step! Sheesh. Now I make sure to buy slip proof shoes and spike the stupid bottle foil side up first.

OUCH!!:balloons:

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