This week, I have learned..... (6/13)

Nurses General Nursing

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1. That I can get sucked into this place for entire days at a time when I'm sick, off, and in an empty, quiet house.

2. When I have an electrolyte imbalance, my heart goes into trigeminy and I have seizures (not scary tonic clonic ones, so not as scary as that sounds).

3. Throwing up a potato when you are dehydrated is seriously horrible.

4. Wounds can smell THAT bad.

5. Then the next day they can smell worse.

You?

Specializes in Pediatrics/Developmental Pediatrics/Research/psych.

As a school nurse...

Any teacher can decide that the student does not need stitches (ended up with seven on the forehead)

Only the nurse can unpack the go bag at the end of the year.

Although I should but have anything to do with religious exemptions for immunizations, I am not allowed to tell that to the family because they will be upset at the principal if it isn't granted.

If you work at the school, deadlines and health policies don't apply to you...

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This week I learned:

-wine and back flips into pools do not mix

-doing CPR for real is terrifying

-your adrenaline rushes so hard that you don't realize how scary it is until after everything is over with

-I liked it (sorry)

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Specializes in ER.

I haven't been to work yet this week but I did learn something nursing related without reading a journal article or anything.

-Wood files will take skin off

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There really is some pure evil in the world, and that some families are never going to be the same again. Some horrific traumas this week, only one made it to the ER and then the OR.

Sorry! (hugs) That was us last week (week ending 6/6). We had two OR deaths on day shift that week (both really bad traumas). The events were probably simply non-survivable but we sure tried everything (makes you feel a little better - as horrific as what happened was we gave them the best chance possible). I happened to be unassigned when both of those came in and I was in both...

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

Punting responsibility for discharges is a sport often played by attendings and consults when they decide to make a patient non-teaching, and nurses become unwitting referees to said sport.

When you hear horror stories from agency about ratios in other hospitals in the system, you realize you've got it pretty good and know you will never leave your current facility.

The most anxious family members are usually those who are dealing with a catastrophic stroke in a loved one in which said loved one went from being active and independent to totally dependent. Lives are turned completely upside down. :(

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.
that when the doc wants to go home for the night and you page him it is apparently ok to call an RRT

Why do you need a physician permission to call a rapid response on a patient?

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This week? I learned many things - we've been trialing some new products.

I learned all kinds of things about my facility overall with a project I'm working on. It's been kind of nice.

I learned that it's fortuitous to just put the microscope in the hallway when not needed in your room...if you leave it in the corner in your room it will be needed for another room's emergency case.

I also learned that I really dislike being extracted from one assignment and re-purposed elsewhere.

One of the surgeons I work with said that our service's staff is the best in our facility's OR. You don't always hear nice things from people you work with but when they mean it and it's completely unprompted. It's not to say that this particular surgeon is usually mean - he's not (not by a long shot) but it's still nice to hear the people you work with every day say something nice about the people they spend a lot of working time with. :)

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Why do you need a physician permission to call a rapid response on a patient?

I think the physician didn't want to be bothered with being called for orders so their response was to rapid response the patient.

Kind of like when the PA for a surgical specialty insisted I page anesthesia over a concern I had about a patient. The patient had had surgery the previous day and the PA assisted it was an anesthesia concern not something related to the surgery... Yeah. Right. Okay.

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Specializes in Inpatient Oncology/Public Health.
Reminds me of my night last night.

*Ding ding*

"I have to go to the bathroom"

"Ok, stay in bed, someone will come help you."

*Ding ding*

"I have to go to the bathroom"

"Someone is on the way, stay in bed"

CNA helps patient to bathroom, patient is sitting on side of bed, I come in to help CNA.

"I need my meds!"

Me putting on gown...patient is on contact precautions "I have your medication"

"I can't lie back, I need my meds. Where did you go"

"I'm right here, I'm still putting on my gown"

"Don't leave me!"

CNA opens curtain "She's right there, she hasn't left!"

Patient gets meds, lies back in bed..."where's my ice pack?"

"Its by your side"

"Cover me with the blanket" *covers patient*

"Uncover my feet" *uncovers feet*

"Where's my water? I need my water"

"Its on your table"

"Lower my head"

"Too far"

"Where's my pillow?" *repositions pillow*

"Turn off the lights"

Laaassst chance before I leave...anything else???

Sorry this was so long...it was a long night.

I had someone a few weeks ago, also on contact, who would scream out that he had an emergency and had to see the nurse. I would sprint in there...and he needed ice chips. Sigh. Let's talk about the definition of emergency.

I also love when you've given a bunch of meds per tube and then the pt requests one more med when you're done. Or when you've asked if they need anything else, they say no , then call 30 seconds later.

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This week I have learned a lot about myself and most of it is not good. :(

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Not something new exactly, just got reminded about a few things.. That the same amount of work can get done with or without certain people present. That my employer seems to LOVE terrible employees and rewards them left and right. That there are other jobs out there and that I really need to finish school so that I can get on to bigger and better things..

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
This week I have learned a lot about myself and most of it is not good. :(

I am sure your have many more good attributes compared to bad!

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