What was your first speechless moment?

MissHaleyDawn · May 12, 2011

Nothing on my end to report. Some nurses at my clinical site told us that another clinical group from another school royally messed up on a pt. Pulled a urinary cath out of male without deflating the bulb. :chair: That left me in shock and with a pained expression.

dudette10, MSN, RN · May 12, 2011

Getting yelled at by a doctor the first time. The second time (by the same doctor), I was definitely NOT speechless. After the second time, it never happened again.

afox · May 13, 2011

Mine was in Psych and a young girl was singing a song that I could barely understand. All the sudden I recognized "nanananana batman" and thought, "oohhhh" until she continued with her version of the lyrics that started out seeming kind of innocent and quickly turned into her screaming "He laid me on the couch, then He *** me out, BATMAN" at the top of her lungs. I was definitely speechless and I'm sure my eyes were bulging out of my head, and I had to bite my lip so hard not to laugh. Talk about awkward!

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 13, 2011

Hey, what was your first patient-student nurse (or nurse) speechless moment?
I've been on the Oncology ward for a few weeks, and my patient who was not so cooporative and sometimes just downright abusive, asked me to sit with him. I thought he wanted to continue our conversation, but he said he was tired--- but he didn't want me to leave--- he wanted me to SIT by his side. For weeks I thought I was annoying the hell out of him! but apparently he found me comforting. I sat by his bedside. I was speechless.

Something I have come to learn, very few patients are just mean people. Usually, especially since they are in the hospital, there is something going on. A lot of times, something small on your part, can make a world of difference on in there stay and change their attitude. I took on many patients that the previous nurse and student a lot of times, had nothing good to say about. Right away I tried to problem solve and help them. I never had the same problems the other nurse or student had. Of course, some people just suck. But a lot of times, they are just needed something, whether it be for you to sit for a few minutes with them, ask them how they are feeling or if there is anything you can do, be proactive in getting their pain under control or simply adjusting their sock. Illness and being in a setting like a hospital can bring out the worst in people understandably. It's hard to be so vulnerable and out of control and scared.

Despareux · May 13, 2011

Caring for a baby going through horrible drug withdrawals and the mother asked me if her baby was okay...she was kidding, right? I had to really put myself in check. Well, at least she cared enough to ask--I guess that's a start. :icon_roll

okredrobot · May 14, 2011

Oh, I had plenty of interesting moments with patients; but one clinical in Psych beat out all the rest.

This was my first official psych clinical. I was speaking to this one boy who was a few years younger than me. As we are taught in psych; we are supposed to not just "shoot the breeze" with them but have an actual therapeutic conversation with them. So we keep talking and the conversation is deep and excellent! I think in my head "wow, I am really good at this". Then we come to this point where we discussed his issue's and I try to find out about his coping mechanisms. So I reply "Can you tell me about how you deal with your problems?".

Patient replies "I, masturbate".... [then he gives me a really straight look and tells me] "Don't think about it."

NOW SEE....if this was said to me anywhere other than a psych ward...I would have had the perfect comeback, I am sure. But because I was on the psych ward...I had to use theraputic communication. What was I going to say? "You masturbate? How does it make you feel when you masturbate."

AGHHHHHH! :banghead:

Nonetheless, he was a very receptive patient. He still follows me when I am on the floor though... :uhoh3:

sandyfeet · May 14, 2011

Assisting the wound care nurse with a female patient, my age, who had deep infected wounds all over her legs from injecting heroin. We had to unpack, irrigate, and pack the wounds. The patient was frantic, calling her regular nurse for more pain relief, and when she reached the max allowed, she just cried and cried. I kept thinking about how her pain tolerance was shot. How if I had passed her on the street and she was wearing pants, she would have looked completely normal. How she kept injuring herself to the point of tunneling wounds. And when it got bad, her friends tried to cauterize them at home. She was polite to us; she was a couple of months drug-free and trying to stay clean. This was on a regular floor in a rich hospital. I was speechless.

morningland · May 14, 2011

Back in Med/Surg 3 clinical, I was charting at the nursing station and a nurse asked if one of us would help decompact a patient. For some reason, I offered to help and we went to the patients room who was a/ox1. So I had my hand in her back side and it was just a solid block of poop and the lady turns around and crocks "hey, you got your finger in the wrong hole". I was horrified and speechless and looked at the nurse, hoping to see her laughing but she was completely straight faced. When we left the room, she burst out into laughter and said it was one of the funniest things she had seen and I agreed.

starry_midnight · May 15, 2011

It may be expected, but witnessing a birth during clinical. Speechless and teary eyed. :)

akita_mommy · May 23, 2011

I agree with the first delivery I got to sit it on... AMAZING! I think I found my calling that very moment.