Wacky Nursing Dreams

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We've all got 'em, right?

My most ridiculous relates to something I call the 'baby escape vest.' In NICU, we stock adult-sized vests that have several pockets; in case of emergency evacuation, we are literally supposed to put as many kids as we can into the pockets before we run away.

So in this recurring dream, I'm wearing my baby escape vest, and I've got like 6 babies in the pockets. And all of the cardio-respiratory monitor alarms are going off. And we're running through the jungle, in the style of Rambo. And I just just keep thinking to myself, "Something about this situation just does not seem quite right, maybe these babies shouldn't be in the rain forest..." :lol2:

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Apparently many NICU nurses have a similar recurring dream in which there isn't any coverage on the next shift, and so the charge nurse tells them that they have to take some of the preemies home with them. I've never personally had that dream, but I've heard it from several different NICU nurses at different hospitals.

What's your craziest nursing dream?

Specializes in Hospice.
Hmmm! Whattaya know?!

I once dreamed I was asking this nurse questions about her patients while she was taking a bubble bath in the middle of the nurses station!

I just noticed this post. I think I remember seeing you there.

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The other day we had 2 EMS and one POV who were all in various states of acute cardiac problems. Minutes later, turns out all three of them are in vtach at the same time! One of them converted, one was stable, and we intubated the third. That night when I got home, I wanted to get to bed at a reasonable time to go back the next day. Went to bed around midnight, I reached over and switched the light off and within seconds, all I could hear was three vtach monitors going off at the same time. Uggggh.

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Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.

I dreamed I worked on med- surg. At the end of the hall, thru the double doors, was a casino!! Guess where I took my breaks!!!

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Explain this?

I dreamed I was at an old job I left many years ago. I was working ICU (that part, the patients etc. was crazy enough in itself), but co-workers from the med/surg unit came to see me in ICU and were trying to plan my retirement party. Sooooo of course they had me put on a Cat in the Hat costume, not just the hat but a head to toe costume. Then suddenly we were outside I was going down a gentle ski slope still in my costume. I have never lived or worked where it snows?

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Recently on Geriatric Psych we had five male dementia patients who were high fall risks and would pee and/or poop anywhere. So the MN shift floor staff camped outside of these patients' rooms in between rounds and other duties. At one point in the early morning, all the demented male patients were up, wandering around, trying to pee and poop everywhere. It was all the three assigned staff members could do to keep them corralled. One of the patients bit me on the bicep as I was assisting him to sit on the toilet and another punched me in the head as I was plugging up the IV pump after assisting his room mate to the toilet. One of the staff members was dealing with one of the patients who was smearing his poop all over his bathroom wall.

Now that I've written the probable cause for my Wacky Nursing Dream, the dream doesn't seem so wacky. Reality was wacky enough. But anyway...

In my dream I was therapeutically restraining a combative male patient on his bed as another was slipping off the bed between my legs. A lovely redheaded woman in a green dress came into the room and started punching me in the head. So I attempted to restrain the woman and the male patient while the other male patient was slipping off of the bed between my legs.

I tried yelling "Code Green!" several times, but couldn't yell. Finally, another staff member came into the room but couldn't help me because he was therapeutically holding two combative male patients.

Yep. Reality was as wacky as the dream.

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Specializes in LTC, Rehab.

I like 'therapeutically restrained' and 'therapeutically holding'. Sounds like you literally had your hands full, both in reality and in the dream. :^)

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Today I had a dream that I went to the DON of Weed Rover Township Hospital where I worked from 1984 until 1991. I told her I needed to go home because I was ill. She said, "If you go home, you're fired!"

I replied, "Well I guess that means I'm fired!"

When I was in the stage between sleep and wakefulness, I thought, "Why'd I do that?"

In my 30 plus years of working as a nurse, I can only remember leaving work one time due to being ill. And that was about 20 years ago when I worked in a community mental health clinic.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

I watched an episode of the 6th season NCIS before going to bed last night where Gibbs and McGee go to LA. I believe the episode was called "The Legend" with Chris O'Donnell.

Recently, on the GeroPsych Unit, I successfully dealt with an ex-con diagnosed with schizophrenia who had threatened to kill two female Staff Members.

In my dream, the LA team worked with me on the Gero Psych Unit. I was the Charge Nurse and we worked well together until this big burly ex-con was admitted to the floor. The patient started to act out and I had to therapeutically hold him on the hallway floor as he was to be given a chemical restraint. At this time, the NCIS LA team did nothing, and I requested that they assist me. I was holding the patient's left arm and asked Chris O'Donnell to hold the patient's right arm.

Chris O'Donnell gave me a smirk, did nothing, and told me holding the patient's right arm was unnecessary. I feared the patient was going to punch me with his right fist and told Chris O'Donnell that if he did not do as I instructed I would write him up for insubordination.

Chris O'Donnell huffed, went over to the patient, and placed two fingers on the patient's right arm.

I was so frustrated with Chris O'Donnell when the dream ended.

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I've recently begun having a recurring dream in which my coworkers and I are all attending NICU summer camp, and our permanent charge nurses are the camp counselors.

In my last dream, one of my favorite coworkers was in charge, and she was trying to explain to my why it's a terrible idea to pack a whole pizza in a suitcase. No idea where that one came from.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
In my last dream, one of my favorite coworkers was in charge, and she was trying to explain to my why it's a terrible idea to pack a whole pizza in a suitcase.

That is a wacky dream, adventure_rn!

Because it's not a terrible idea if you have a Pizza Dream Suitcase!

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Specializes in Burn ICU.

I've had several! In one, I neglected to give any medications from 0300 to end of shift because I didn't feel like it and I charted it as such :saint:

In one I had yesterday, I made an error at work and my dad had to follow me around to sign (like in grade school when you had a bad grade or something) a document each shift that I followed the policy :sniff:

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