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?

Specializes in L&D, Antepartum.

Make sure your epiduralized pt has been cathed recently before she pushes. Along with that, make sure your face isn't near her perineum. I've been sprayed with urine when a pt pushed and I've had my arm covered with urine when I've had a pt push past a lip of cervix. I make sure the bladder is empty now.

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I feel lots better after reading this thread...I'm the only person in my class that's taken a D5W shower, but now I know it's a common occurrence!

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Specializes in NICU.
I feel lots better after reading this thread...I'm the only person in my class that's taken a D5W shower, but now I know it's a common occurrence!

Better D5W than TPN... sticky AND stinky!

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

1. I have learned that boiled urine is not a good cure for 'those voices'.

2. I have learned that some people are REALLY, REALLY good at faking seizures...and some are not.

3. I have learned that there are lots of things you can do with toilet brushes that, oddly enough, don't involve cleaning toilets.

4. It is my experience that, when you go to do a show of force, the guy that doesn't back down is going to require the strength of everyone on your team to take him down. The guy that does back down is just testing ya.

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.

1. Make sure that the foley bag is clamped securely - especially after you've emptied it for a sample (or after just inserting it). Urine apparently makes tiled floors very slippery - you do not want to walk into the patient' room, slip on a floor full of pee (NOT kidding - room floor entirely covered with pee), land hard on your back, whack your head and soak your scrubs. :imbar :chuckle

Especially on a semi-unstable pt. you're collecting a 24-hour urine sample on... :icon_roll :nono:

2. Be careful when irrigating foley's. Especially when you think that you aren't getting any return... (I yanked my tech's head out of harms way just a split second before pt. dislodged a giant clot. The bloodied urine missed her head but soaked her arm and scrub top).

3. Be careful when inserting foley's. Ensure that you have an adequate sized catheter. Folks can and do pee around their foley's... sometimes with great force and accuracy.

4. Always, always, always remember to label lab specimens before sending them to lab. The last thing you want is to have lab discard specimen you collected from your septic patient with a BP of 60/nothing who required 4 nurses and 6 sticks to get blood from.... just because you forgot to label them.

5. Ativan is not always the best drug to give to benzo-naieve patients. Especially the elderly, confused ones. Be alert to the paradoxical effect where patients become MORE confused and agitated... and constantly keep screaming out that they want to make babies with you...

cheers,

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
1. make sure that the foley bag is clamped securely - especially after you've emptied it for a sample (or after just inserting it). urine apparently makes tiled floors very slippery - you do not want to walk into the patient' room, slip on a floor full of pee (not kidding - room floor entirely covered with pee), land hard on your back, whack your head and soak your scrubs. :imbar :chuckle

especially on a semi-unstable pt. you're collecting a 24-hour urine sample on... :icon_roll :nono:

2. be careful when irrigating foley's. especially when you think that you aren't getting any return... (i yanked my tech's head out of harms way just a split second before pt. dislodged a giant clot. the bloodied urine missed her head but soaked her arm and scrub top).

3. be careful when inserting foley's. ensure that you have an adequate sized catheter. folks can and do pee around their foley's... sometimes with great force and accuracy.

4. always, always, always remember to label lab specimens before sending them to lab. the last thing you want is to have lab discard specimen you collected from your septic patient with a bp of 60/nothing who required 4 nurses and 6 sticks to get blood from.... just because you forgot to label them.

5. ativan is not always the best drug to give to benzo-naieve patients. especially the elderly, confused ones. be alert to the paradoxical effect where patients become more confused and agitated... and constantly keep screaming out that they want to make babies with you...

cheers,

beverage alert! now i have to go make myself a new cup of tea, and while i'm waiting for the kettle to boil, clean off my computer screen!

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

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.

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Specializes in Oncology, Triage, Tele, Med-Surg.

Empty your pockets BEFORE you leave the hospital ... so you don't have to embarrass yourself (again) by driving all the way back to work to put the PCA keys back in the Pyxis! :smackingf

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

Take your badge off before entering any store.:typing

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
empty your pockets before you leave the hospital ... so you don't have to embarrass yourself (again) by driving all the way back to work to put the pca keys back in the pyxis! :smackingf

empty your pockets before you throw the scrubs in the washer. unless you really like scrubs with big black blotches of ink on them. (or, in my husband's case, washing your wallet.)

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

Although, I can attest that washing a tracker doesn't necessarily break it....

And I view washing a handful of alcohol preps in a scrub pocket as a way of killing germs in the wash....*grin*

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Specializes in Telemetry.

sternal rub looks like vtach on the monitor.

(pt was going bad and team leader was in the room with the pt as well as several other nurses so I stayed in the nurses station to watch the monitors- they were all the way down the hall at the end, and next thing I know the monitor was alarming and the guy looks like he is in vtach, so I ran down and said "hes in vtach" and they told me to call the code and so I did... only to realize the vtach was the team leader doing a sternal rub trying to get the guy to come to. )

Hey, better to be safe than sorry right?? :rolleyes:

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