1. When a person is anuric, a fentanyl drip may not be the most appropriate option for them.
2. Patients seriously get spoiled in ICU. Boy do they get disappointed when they go out today the floor with 4:1 and higher ratios.
3. "Fever of unknown origin" is not the best possible admission diagnosis for your first ever needle stick.
4. If you're going to give a non-responsive patient a t**** twister to attempt to make them responsive, you should really warn the other people in the room first.
5. I am seriously getting tired of getting off work hours after my shift was supposed to end.
6. My family is out of town this weekend, and I have been working, so clearly, my dog has decided she is dying.
7. So.....apparently 11:30 on a Saturday night is the best time to take the family out to shop at Walmart.
8. If a nurse calls you for narcan, just say yes.
9. It sort of feels amazing to have a respected colleague say you'd be perfect for ICU. At least, I hope it was a compliment. That's a compliment, right?
10. It's crushing to see a person who did everything right in life slowly lose every piece of themselves to random illnesses that hit and leave damage.
11. Wegener's Granulomatosis is evil.
12. My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.
Man I had a whole list of good stuff a couple of days ago and now I am drawing a blank. I'll have to comment bomb as I remember.
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
A surgeon who thinks our ICU is his personal patient day care apparently has decided this is an awesome way to determine patient responsiveness. Totally didn't see that coming and totally don't have a poker face. It worked, though. I hear when it doesn't work, he goes south and twists other things. ������ The patient, thankfully, remembered none of this.
Dear God. I'd love to say what I'm thinking, but it would violate TOS big time.
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
-I learned that it's not uncommon for trauma patients to run tachy. I really need to gauge the reactions of those around me before I start freaking out.
-That patient family members really do expect us to wait on them hand and foot. A half hour wait on a cup of coffee completely obliterated the awesome 6 week stay of a patient's family. On the day of their discharge. I ruined this guy's life by being late on delivering coffee. I think Hospitals should hire a server for their floors.
I remember once being all garbed up to give chemo, was just waiting for the other nurse to come over to help me, when a visitor came up to me, and in a very irritated tone told me that we were out of coffee creamer. I mean, Oh. My. God. I told her that I was getting ready to give a patient chemo, but I would be happy to help her when I was done. (OK, well, not "happy" but I would help her.) She stomped off in a huff and flagged down another nurse to help her...the nurse who was supposed to be helping me get the pt's chemo up and running. But I guess a coffee creamer crisis tops a cancer patient getting his meds.
That things I thought were going well aren't what they seemed. That things at work can mess up my time at home after work. That I'm just having a hard time dealing with some crap right now.
Last week...what did I learn? Haha. What did I learn?
1. Oh. It SUCKS being on call for 72 hours straight and then scheduled at 7a for 10 hours at the end of that 72 hours. Wait, I learned that a while back.
2. What sucks worse than that (72 straight on call) is being called in, doing one case, leaving - making it home to hang with the furbaby and getting called right the heck back in. Um...at least they paid me to drive to work twice? Also - leaving work at 1am (after working most of the previous 12 hours) decidedly means I am not going to be at work at 7a? Yeah. Nope. I might be (am) dumb enough to agree to come in at 9a, 10a or 11a...but not 7a. Nope. Bright side? Overtime. Plus weekend and weekend nights differential. Also? You get paid more if you get called in than you get paid just to be on call...
3. I was afflicted with zero ounces of regret or concern that I called out after working nearly 12 hours and past midnight on call. I didn't even call out - I told the nights charge I was leaving and not to expect me at 7a. I did leave it in writing but I went home, set the alarm for later and slept. I matter too - both as a person and doing what's best for the patient I should have been assigned to care for at 7a.
4. I do better with assignments I'm familiar with and I really need to work, sometimes, on not letting my frustration define my day. It's not always and I'm becoming more self aware. Baby steps. I'm realizing when it happens as opposed to being unaware how I was "coming off" to others.
5. From the week of 7/4 - it is best not to schedule appointments for oneself after work. Doing so will guarantee that you have no relief at 1700 and will ensure that you DEFINITELY won't get to go home early. At least I had a good assignment...
6. Also from the week of 7/4 - convincing a coworker to call and cancel your previously mentioned appointment? Not only did my coworker call to cancel it - she persuaded them to move my appointment to an hour later (she drives a tough bargain). And I made my (later) appointment. :) I love my coworkers.
7. Funny that the original poster mentioned a purple nurple / t*ttty twister. That totally came up in a theoretical fashion last week for us too.
8. One of our residents asked ME for advice on how to handle a dilemma. :) Instead of approaching things in a manner that would infuriate half the staff assigned to our room, s/he asked me how they should handle the situation. It's so nice that they've been taught to use their resources, but also that I'm now a resource they ask!
9. Another (different) resident found out my age (aka how young I am and how "long" I've been doing this job) - and commented that while I'm the same age as their sibling - I am significantly more mature, they never would have assumed I was so young.
10. I have some of the best coworkers ever. Some are easier to work with - but I really enjoy nearly everyone I work with. I've learned so much, both work and not work related.
11. One of my coworkers who has really been there for me lately - I'd be insane without them!
12. Some of my (older - they said it, not me) coworkers feel they're corrupting me. As if.
13. People in my department have a tendency to be a have a smart mouth. Some of us might have a hard time surviving outside of the OR.
14. It's probably not a good thing when the house sup tells you it's "Nice to chat with you when things aren't hitting the fan"... (See #15).
15. According to one of my mentors and several other coworkers, I may or may not have an accumulation of water molecules that may or may not form the shape of a cloud. That "cloud" may or may not have a specific and gloomy color assigned to it that may or may not follow me around. We just don't speak it's name or put it out into the universe, otherwise it returns with a vengeance. Just like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. EXACTLY so.
I weekended in the Outer Banks frequently as a kid. Did you know that sand can actually embed under your toenails and take weeks to grow out? Like, fused to the toenail, underneath it in the nailbed. Boogie board accidents can really get sand in some interesting places. I really hate it in the gums and sinuses. Ugh.
OCNRN63, RN
5,979 Posts
Dear God. I'd love to say what I'm thinking, but it would violate TOS big time.