What have other nurses done that have freaked you out?

Nurses General Nursing

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What have other peers done intentional/unintentional to freak you out? Good or bad. Happy or sad.

On my FIRST day as an LVN, (LTC) a res was screaming in her room as I was walking out to leave. I went in to see what was going on. She was having an anxiety attack and severe pain (post stroke). I pulled the call light, and no one came. Uggg.

So I peeked out the door and saw my CNA walking down the hall, and told him to come sit with res. I went down to get her a Xanax and a pain pill, well relief nurse was in the restroom, and relief CNA (with call light still going off) was sitting behind nurses station reading a newspaper. I told CNA to tell the nurse to get a Xanax and pain pill for res. She said OK. I go to relieve my CNA. Said goodbye to him, and stayed with res. after 10 minutes, CNA COMES INTO ROOM WITH XANAX AND MORPHINE PILL. She is soooooo shocked to see me still there, she hands me the pills and RUNS to the relief nurse. I could NOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW!!!!

(I did immediately call DON and tell what happened. Luckily, my CNA was still checking on another res, and saw the whole thing.--------they got a slap on the wrist! that was it!!!):madface: :madface: :madface: :madface:

Specializes in Stroke Seizure/LTC/SNF/LTAC.
How awful for the pt! When I was 17 I had my first of two kids. He had several VSDs and ended up with open heart surgery. I was so young and did not know that I could stand up to a nurse. She tried over 8 times:angryfire :angryfire to get his IV during a CHF hospital stay. It was horrible. I then let loose. I will never allow someone to stick more than 2 times now.

Also, I do not want anyone to flame me for having a child so early, ect. He is the best thing that has happened to me.

Hey, Texas, I had my first 2 weeks b4 my 16th bd! Like u, she's the best thing that happened to me!

It is so weird that this post is here-because i had one of these moments TODAY!

This is my first week working for an agency, and today was my first day to one of the assignments that i will be doing quite frequently (a LTC facility). This morning, i was orientating with a nurse and we were doing the a.m. medpass, when a CNA called the nurse's name i was working with (we'll call her Jane..) So, Jane runs after the CNA & follows her into a patient's room ( & i follow too. ) The resident isn't breathing, but is making this weird snoring noise. So she starts doing compressions- in the middle of his STOMACH! I couldnt believe she didnt know where to do them! And she had been a nurse for at least 20 years! Well, in the end, they got the order for DNR (he was a full code). So they had to stop the CPR anyways. And the whole time me and another nurse we like, "let me take over." and she wouldnt let us! :(

humme....story sounds very strange, did the nurse check for circulation before starting compression??There is different types of breathing, a person snoring doesn't mean he's expired. And during the process of CPR who and how did they quickly obtain the order for DNR?

Ususally, a code, if there is a team available then all should be involved. If what happened is exactly how you saw it, you should mention this to your staff development nurse, because there is a 2 person CPR. One can focus on the breathing, and the other can focus on compression. LTC you have limited resources probably less then 8 nurses in the bldg. depending on what time of the day it is. That's why when they announce the code all nurses should attend, one can also start paperwork, call 911, double check code status etc... Can you imagine if a family member just so happens to be in the room and saw the performance of that nurse...OMG! Who knows just maybe the family member knows how to perform that CPR too...:smackingf

Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC,Oncology,Orthopedics,Psych.

I was hospitalized recently in PCU due to complications from medications I was taking for HTN and allergies. A float nurse from my orthopedic floor came and said she was my nurse, I knew her... so OK... Came lunch time I asked if I could please get up and shower before I ate, the doc had given permission. She got very nervous. I got my shower, though I had to take of my tele patches in the shower myself. When I got back into bed she came in, handed my new tele patches to me and told me to put them on myself, she did not know where to put them and did not feel comfortable asking one of the regular nurses in the department.... then she said bye and off to lunch she went.

I know how and where they go (I have worked in PCU alot) but figured I would wait the half hour til she got back. In that half hour no other nurse checked on me and no one noticed I was off tele. (During the night my HR kept dropping into the 30's and SPO2 was in the 70's. She returned on time and came in to check on me and SHE then learned where to put the tele patches.

I survived as you can tell, I am here telling you about it. I used the experience to start some changes in expectations of and from the float nurses without anyone reacting horribly. Floor nurses who float are expected to be assigned a resource nurse on the shift .... and the float nurse is to communicate to with the resource nurse things she/he does not understand. It has a lot more to it, I am trying to make it simple on this forum. The education department of the facility has now developed a short review of specialities of each department and nurses attend classes to help them become better acquainted with equipment of each speciality department.

Recently I have only heard positive feed back from nurses that float and the departments they have floated to. It sometimes takes a nurse being patient to recognize and how we as staff can help each other to provide for the safe welfare of those we have in our care.

IMHO

I have learned nurses need to take care of our own.....we all have been freaked out... I sure have....But I want to be a part of fixing the problem.

Specializes in Med/Surg, ER and ICU!!!.
Hey, Texas, I had my first 2 weeks b4 my 16th bd! Like u, she's the best thing that happened to me!

I can not imagine life without them!

Well, I'm still a nursing student and I work for a Developmental Center and I often have to sit with my individuals when they go to the hospitals because they are under protective services by the State of New Jersey... this particular individual was very... restless to say (kept on trying to take out his i.v. and rip off his neck brace, despite a possible vertabre fracture)... so the nurse kept on giving him doses of morphine through his i.v. to calm him down.... what kinda freaked me out is that she would often leave the room for hours and all night long she just left the vial and syringe sitting up their on the counter. I have never met this lady before, it was kinda spooky that she would just trust me with that potent drug just sitting there on the night stand, of course I wouldn't have taken it to begin with, but I couldn't believe she took that chance! I wouldn't have been so easily trusting, even if I am a State Employee.

One of our nurses came to work without her makeup on, that not only freaked me out but scared 10 yrs off my life Im sure.

haha! I was feeling very bad one day and had to work. I went in without a bit of makeup on. I had been working the same floor at a LTC for 2 years so my patients knew me very well. I went to give my favorite patient his meds and as I walked out of the room I heard him ask his roommate "who is that ugly new nurse" lol I went back in and said "its me!! wendy!" he wouldnt believe me lol

another patient said "honey, now I know why women wear makeup" lol

needless to say, if I ever feel that bad again, I just call in lol

Specializes in Trauma ICU, MICU/SICU.
It wasnt an insult on that particular nurse she and I have worked together for almost 15 yrs, and were friends. She remembers that day also and jokes about it too.

Never seen without makeup since. Thank God.

I saw Teeituptom WITH makeup on and now THAT was SCARY!!! :chuckle

Specializes in Trauma ICU, MICU/SICU.
we have IV paracetamol here in Ireland which is the equivelent of us tylenol!u guys noy have it over there?

I don't think there is any form of IV tylenol in US. I looked up paracetamol in my drug guide and found it, but routes noted were PO and rectal only.

I don't think there is any form of IV tylenol in US. I looked up paracetamol in my drug guide and found it, but routes noted were PO and rectal only.

iv paracetamol is relatively new over here and it really is fantastic. It is used alot post operativelyand on pt's with morphine PCA's. Its also useful in situations where the pt is NPO but refuses any rectal medication.

It is however very expensive, it costs 200 euro for a 1gram little bottle whereas the po paracetamol costs around 1 euro 50 cent for a box 12 500mg tablets!! :chuckle

Specializes in Cardiac, ER.

I really shouldn't repeat this story, because I really like this girl and she has turned out to be a great nurse,..but,..just a few weeks after she was off orientation,.getting used to a full load of pts, and working nights,....several of us are at the nuses station checking MARS,.she turns and asks "is Rocephin compatible w/ Jevity, she has a PICC Line?",.....got everyones attention!

A nurse crushed Percocets, mixed with water, and gave it through a central line IV.:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Maybe she thought it was TPN--Total Percocet Nutrition!

Specializes in Developmental Disabilities, LTC.

I was working as a CNA at a center for developmentally disabled...Nurse calls a medical emergency (which means every MD is paged, as well as several nurses from what we called "sister buildings") because her patient had no heart rate.

Nurse had stethoscope on backwards :smackingf . Patient was fine. Medical staff that responded were all pissed.

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