Weird little things you do as a nurse

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello AN people,

I am in private duty home health and I assist with my patients with all sorts of odd things as part of being their go-to gal in their home.

This weekend I had a blast assisting a patient make a Facebook page.

It really did warm my heart because this patient is extraordinarily isolated due to medical and psychological issues. He is learning to use a communicator to reconnect to the world around him, and one of his first forays into new territory is to make a Facebook page. Suddenly all the junk info I knew about Facebook became useful, and this patient made a stride in coming out of his shell. :up:

What sort of weird little things you have done as a nurse? Stuff that made you go, "I'm doing this on the clock? Really?" :lol2:

Specializes in LTC.

I'm in LTC, an although it gets a bad rap (sometimes from myself) I do love working here. Geriatrics are great fun.

I also work weekends, so I'm here for longer days, and there's no meetings or administration to drain your time.

I've gone out in search of strawberry icecream, have done mini makeovers, went and had my hairdresser teach me how to do LOL hair, begged donations from businesses, bought clothes, and this year, the weekend CNA's and I have personally ensured that every person on our hall has a present under our tree. Even had to go and drill a local Rabbi about Hanukka because we didn't want our two Jewish residents to feel left out.

It's not like this every day, but hey- some days are slow and you've got to do something with your time.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I work private duty. My client goes to a program 3 days a week. One day our ride got us there early, so I got to hang out at Starbucks and read the paper, on the clock.

My client's family goes camping in the summertime. I have to do some shifts at a campground. We watch movies in the camper and go for walks around the campground. Sometimes we even go to the beach (though not in the water). If I'd known about a call-out, I would've gotten paid to go to the state fair.

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Specializes in ICU.

fun thread. I can't remember everything, but on Nurses Day at the LTACH I managed, we got all the nurses a flower to pin on their scrubs. We had a patient who was a nurse. I made sure she was honored likewise and pinned a carnation on her gown.

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As a nursing student during our psych rotation each student was suppose to teach the pts something about their illness. Instead of standing there telling them something boring. I had an easter party for the pts, we dyed easter eggs, told stories of past easters, and had an easter egg hunt.inside the eggs was messages like take ur meds everyday,etc It took the pts over 10 minutes to find the hidden eggs cause they were so slow from the meds they were on. It was the funniest thing to watch. And they were so grafeful a couple Lol cried.

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i played backgammon with a new quad while we were waiting for the air ambulance to take us to rancho los amigos for his rehab, and we were delayed by snow on the field. i rolled and moved the pieces but he told me where to move his.

i was working 3-11 in a heart transplant unit and at the time we had to do 1:1 with the patient and stay in the room at all times, but they weren't very sick at all (new hearts, right?). i had a guy who was a sports nut and i loved football, and that was a year they had thursday night football as well as monday night football and all the weekend games, all the howard cosell and dandy don meredith you could ask for, from august until the super bowl. it was terrific.

as a student in psych i helped my classmates throw a halloween party for the residents, lifers in a grotty ward in the state system. i thought this one woman was going to drown doing the duck-for-apples thing but she came up with the apple snagged on her one remaining lower tooth to raucous applause. not much dental care in those years.

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Specializes in NICU.

These are great! What a wonderful topic!

I think I have the best downtime perk of all; I am a NICU nurse and when things are quiet, I get to sit and hold babies. It's even encouraged as developmentally appropriate care ;).

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Specializes in ICU.
These are great! What a wonderful topic!

I think I have the best downtime perk of all; I am a NICU nurse and when things are quiet, I get to sit and hold babies. It's even encouraged as developmentally appropriate care ;).

I'm jealous!

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Specializes in Intellectual Disability Nursing.

I think I have everyone beat.

I just did the cha-cha slide and cupid shuffle with my residents.

(I work in ID/MR facility-- and it was the winter dance) :)

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Specializes in maternal child, public/community health.

Working with pregnant and parenting teens in a home-based program, I get to do lots of awesome things that make a difference for the families and give me a sense of satisfaction.

Last week, i visited a mom with a sick toddler. She was out of milk and had no one to go to the store for her. At the end of my day, I bought and delivered milk to her. She was SO happy.

I held a newborn baby while the mom got in the shower to pump her over full breasts. I showed her a few tricks and in a few days she was a smiling, successful breastfeeding mom.

I teach moms to make toys with items found in their home. I get on the floor and play with babies and toddlers to show moms how to play with their children.

I asked a mom with absolutely no money what she wished she could buy for her baby. Her answer was socks because baby socks are so cute and she always thought that would be fun. Her simple wish made me cry when I left. We got a "donation" of tiny baby socks that week which I took to her. She was so happy with such a small thing.

I arranged an emergency food pantry for a large family with no food due to a problem with their food stamps. They have no car so I delivered the food along with some extra items from the grocery store.

Helped a mom who had nothing make a fleece tie blanket for her baby. She opened up and talked about her hopes and dreams for her baby while she worked (like driving with your kids - they often find it easier to talk about deep things when they don't have to make eye contact). I reinforced how special it will be for her baby to have something she made for him.

I have done visits at the zoo and the Children's Museum. (and the mall, the laundramat, the school, a library, sitting on the front porch in 100 degree weather....) I have gone on a walk and to the park with a mom with 3 very young children who wanted to learn how to make them obey so she could take them out alone. (It gave her an opportunity to implement her plan with an extra pair of hands there)

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Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.
Go to a vending machine on a different floor for Cheezits. It wasn't a busy night...

They put credit card swipe readers on some of the vending machines at work. I'm in trouble.

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

You guys all rock! :)

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I spent hours once searching online through episode guides for a specific Golden Girls episode that my patient ALWAYS talked about. Found it and brought it for her on DVD. She was so happy :o

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