Weird habits you've picked up since starting Nursing school

Nursing Students General Students

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A few of mine:

Checking the expiration date on EVERYTHING.

Evaluating everyone I meet for IV placement.

Laying out every utensil I need before cooking.

Watching every person I see with a cane to make sure they're using it correctly.

I have started to think in terms of nursing diagnoses. For instance I will say: That person has activity intolerance related to blah, blah or impaired skin integrity. It is so crazy. I also ask a lot of question when people tell me thay have a headache. How long have you had it, do you get them frequently, what brings them on, does anything help to relieve the pain?

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One of my new habit is that every time I am free and just sitting with my sister just watching TV, I'll be talking to her about something related to health. I'll either be explaining to her how her heart works, or her respiratory system works or if I am watching Gray's Anatomy, I'll be very objective and make sure she knows if they do anything that's not right.

Now she doesn't watch Gray's Anatomy with me (sigh)!!!!!!!!!!:o

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I critique every medical show I watch ( doesnt matter what show) for mistakes. It drives my fiancee nuts because I'll be screaming " UGH! Thats not right! UGH who put that nasal cannula in upside down? UGH who do they have on staff to HELP them with this stuff? Because they should go back to school! hahaha

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Specializes in LTC, med-surg, critial care.

After LVN and RN school I have picked up no habits other than I don't buy blue pens.

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Handwashing nursing style.

I find myself giving patient education to all of my relatives. I can't believe how much I have learned in this first year of nursing school.

:lol2:

After I finished my microbiology course, I became a regular user of gloves in the apartment. I also definitely clean more thoroughly now that I know of so many possible microorganisms.

I recently visited a family member in the hospital and found myself fixing the sheets.

I seem to be watching more Discovery Health shows.

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OMG..this is way too funny...lol....

I notice lots of stuff too now that I never paid any attention to before....

If someone is coughing without covering their mouth, I kind of casually walk away so I don't get in the area of where they coughed, If someone like a cashier coughs in their hand, then hands me change I get sooooo grossed out that I will not touch anything until I wash my hand. How about a baby in a carriage in the store gnawing on the handle?? ewwww!!! I also (for some odd reason) pay close attention to how people pronounce words when they speak...I think it's my family that got me because after nursing school with all the medical terminology, listening to my aunt talk medical stuff......oh my...... remission is "emission" macular degeneration is "macular generation", digoxin is "dioxin":lol2: . What else.....Oh ya...my bf uses a glass to drink out of, when he is done he will leave it on the counter & keep using it over & over without washing it out >>>>germs, germs, germs.....and also .....one thing that really gets me is in our bathroom our hand towel near the sink....he will wipe his mouth on it after brushing his teeth......and I have told him many times that nobody wants to dry their hands on a towel he wiped his mouth on, and I'm sure he wouldn't want to be wiping his mouth with a towel everyone and their brother has dried their hands on :trout: .......he still doesn't get it.......

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Specializes in Front office for Ob/GYN.

Hi, I'm new here and I just have to say you are all blowing my mind because I though I was the only one doing all those things. My husband thinks I am a complete OC germophobe, but I guess I'm not alone...bless you all!

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Yeah I'm definately doing the germ thing. I was recently at a cook-out and the guy who was cooking was sweating profusely. I stood there and watched him take his hand ( that was also cooking the food) and wipe the sweat off his bald head. I gagged immediately. And to make matters worse he poked the meat wtih his finger to see if it was done! OMG! And guess what.... he was a manager at KFC!!! LOL. Needless to say as much as I love BBQ.... I didn't eat that day.

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making sure i don;t make mistake in calculation.. cuz i sucks in math

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Specializes in Front office for Ob/GYN.

Re: Mercy83's post

I'm with you on that one and who knows where that meat had been and at what temp. before it even hit his sweaty hands - Ugggh! I have worked in various food establishments over the years and rarely eat out myself. When we do eat out, it is usually in a restaurant that has a reputation to uphold - no fast food joints.

I would like to post a little trick I learned from a friend years ago that I ran by my micro/path prof. and he agreed it was a good idea:

Any vegetables you can't scrub with soap and water, such as spinach (bagged or not), salads, you can soak in a pan of water with a little peroxide for a few minutes. Then rinse in fresh water until completely clean. I do this with all my bagged vegetables and it is less expensive than those vegetable sprays they sell.

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i tell my husband and teenage son: "this is my rationale for why this needs to be done."

it used to drive them crazy, now not so much.

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I constantly think I'm going to drop dead from any number of diseases.

I constantly think everyone I love is going to drop dead from any number of diseases.

I look up information on any and all drugs I take and prompty fear for the worst.

I check out IV access on people and tell them whether or not I think they have good veins.

I ask people about BMs, discharge and other generally inappropriate things.

I "educate" my parents, my boyfriend, my friends about everything from breastfeeding to diabetes.

Basically nursing school has made me super obnoxious haha

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