What was your most embarrassing moment?

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Specializes in Med- surg, Amb. Surgery, Recovery Room.

as nurses we all have embarrassing moments. what was yours?

let me tell you mine.....

while working in ambulatory surgery; which held 16 beds, we would pre and post -op patients. in addition, we had to assist in the minor procedure room. on top of that, i was in charge.

well, we had a nurse call in one day which left 2 of us and i had to assist in minor procedure. after a hectic morning, i had a couple come in with their son for a scheduled circumcision . while filling out the paperwork, i had to ask name, any medical history of the child and the sex, in addition to other questions.

so, i said, "hi, my name is mary, i see the doctor is doing a circumcision. i need to ask you a few short questions. what is his name? ( they answered "scott"). is he a boy or a girl.........?"

the parents just stared at me...... i could've died! :bugeyes:

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Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).

Just last semester, while I was teaching a clinical on the postpartum unit, I walked in on a patient's husband who was getting out of the shower!

:imbar

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I asked a patient post left leg above knee amputation to ' hop out of bed’ so I could change the sheets !!!!!!

Luckily she had a sense of humour

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Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.

I told an 18-year-old that he needed to quit smoking because it was going to kill him. Quickly realizing that I had misspoke I made it worse by clarifying, "Unless something else kills you first!"

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Specializes in LTC, wound care.

Ages ago, while wearing my cute "candy striper" pinafore uniform and nearly new gum-soled nurse shoes, I was exiting a patient's room with a full full full urinal and heading for the dirty utility room a couple of doors away from the patient's room. My shoe sort of stuck to the squeaky clean linoleum floor, and semi-tripped me. I spilled most of that urinal all down the front of me...................................

I quickly hot footed it to the dirty utility room, dumped the urinal, blotted myself off with paper towels, washed my hands and then went to the nurses station to let them know what happened to me and to ask what I should do. I told the nurses there, they just about laughed their heads off and told me to call my mom and that I could leave early that day...;:mad:

My mom came and picked me up, but boy those nurses at the desk sure had some good laughs.... and of course, it's funny now that I think about it, but at the time, I was mortified!

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Specializes in NICU.

My last semester of nursing school on the cardiac floor:

The gentleman in the bed next to my patient's bed was just sort of watching me. I felt he was kind....expectant. You know, that look they get when they want to ask for something, but don't? I finished my patient's care, and asked the gentleman if I could help with anything.

He was a younger man, and said that he was just waiting for his wife. "Oh," I said, "Is there anything I can do for you until she gets back?"

No, he insisted. He would just wait. So now I feel bad, right? The guy obviously needs something. So I don't give up, because I'm a good little nursing student. I asked when his wife was returning. "Oh, she just ran to the car. I'll use the restroom when she gets back."

I know that at our hospital, "running to the car" can take better than half an hour, and most of the patients were standby assist or bedside commode. So....I don't give up! Ha ha! I am Super Nursing Student, here to save you! "I can certainly escort you to the bathroom!" I say, all full of confidence!

"Okay," he says....smiling, "Do you happen to have an extra set of legs? My wife will be back with mine in a few minutes."

Um. So much for my powers of observation. Double amputee. :smackingf

I DID offer a urinal, be he politely declined, and took great enjoyment in my very red face.

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