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 Brain injury,vent,peds ,geriatrics,home.
Although I can see the humor in these posts, I can also see why patients & their family members need to be advocates for their own or their loved one's care. I have been the family member & usually you get nothing but attitude from the nurses if they know you're a nurse- in fact they avoid coming into the room. I always try to keep it a secret that I am a nurse for that very reason. It's rather scarey w/all the new nurses w/out adequate orientation & the patient population getting older and sicker!!

I too keep it a secret,just sit by and observe,until I notice thier mistakes then I ll nicely question it.We are patient advocates.

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

An elderly gentleman was recovering from hip surgery. He began retaining fluid in his tissues... third spacing horribly in his legs. Internist came in and wrote order to compress area rhymaticly until all fluid released.

The patient was transferred to a transitional floor from the surgical floor for rehab. Charge nurse signed off on the transfer orders.

Upon arrival on the transitional floor the order was put on their treatment plan. Very new nurse was doing treatments. Want to guess what she did?

hint: when transferred the only area which was edematous was his foreskin.

The staff said he was VERY happy down there........until they realized that is NOT what was to be rhymatically compressed until all fluid released. He was to have TEDs and leg pumps on.

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Hospice,IV Therapy.

:roll :roll :roll :roll :roll Ohmagawd!! That's hysterical!!!

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Specializes in RN CRRN.
:nurse: I worked with a newer nurse (six mos?) and she asked me to check her insulin. I said "5 units. Of?" just as my eyes went to her hand that held the bottle of insulin in--just as she answered, "of Regular." I replied, "Regular? You are holding Humalog." She said, "Oh well it is the same thing." I kid you not. How long had she done that!!!??? (Education was provided. New nurse licking wounds)
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Specializes in RN CRRN.

ok I didn't yell at her-so she didnt need to lick any wounds but I did happen to mention it to a couple of seasoned nurses above me anonymously on her part (just so theyd watch newer nurses closer-cuz where did she learn that hum and Reg are the same? What school!>? To this day when any nurse that heard about this has us check each others insulin we always follow it with, "Humalog. Regular. Lispro. Hey its all the same thing!" I know I have done stupid things-but hopefully I'll never have a med error like that . I once almost gave insulin with a Hep syringe, but as I went to draw it up I realized it was too big. Another time a nurse came in the next day aftershe had followed me and said 'yesterday instead of packing the abd wound you packed the belly button (very shallow by now and ready for dressing to be DC'd but we persevered) and bandaged it up. Granted I forgot to tell her the day before (she followed me) the wound nurse had done the dressing so I had to eat that mistake for a month. Not my fault!!! But I should have noticed at least!:trout: :idea:

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a nurse run Heparin 25,000u/250ml in one hour (she thought it was an antibiotic):nono:
I found that once on our unit; it wasn't entirely the nurse's fault. The pharmacy had labeled a premix heparin bag as Flagyl. However, if you turned it over, the bag was clearly marked heparin. And it was given to a chemo patient who had a platelet count of less than 20 :(
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I walked in our med room to find an experienced nurse pulling up syringe after 10 cc syringe of heparin flush (the 100 units per 1 ml vials we used to lock our central lines and portacaths). I calmly asked her what the HELL was she doing... she stated she had an order to give a patient 5000 units of subcut heparin.

You do the math >

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER, ICU.

At my hospital we have eMar, (all med doc goes on computer) and we have to have 2 nurses check and cosign insulin. Well an LPN asked me to cosign for her, I said sure. I look and she has 100 units of humalog drawn up. I said "um, watcha doin?" She said "well his BG was 187, so I'm giving him 100 units!" I asked where she got that number and she points to the part tht says Humalog Insulin 100 units per ml. I carefully explained that this is the concentration of the insulin, not the dose!!!!! I was scared to death!

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Specializes in Hemodialysis, LTC, Peds,Family Practice.

how about an RN that I was working with try to get blood glucose on a deceased pt. and couldn't figure out why ???? :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Trauma acute surgery, surgical ICU, PACU.

A family member of one of pour pts was an ICU nurse.

She used her finger to scrape some of the crust from the corner of his eye and TASTED IT. She told us that it tasted like his albumin was low, and asked if he was getting enough nutrition! (His albumin level was normal)

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Specializes in ub-Acute/LTC, Home Health, L&D, Peds.
A family member of one of pour pts was an ICU nurse.

She used her finger to scrape some of the crust from the corner of his eye and TASTED IT. She told us that it tasted like his albumin was low, and asked if he was getting enough nutrition! (His albumin level was normal)

That is absolutely disgusting!!!!! :barf02:

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Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.
A family member of one of pour pts was an ICU nurse.

She used her finger to scrape some of the crust from the corner of his eye and TASTED IT. She told us that it tasted like his albumin was low, and asked if he was getting enough nutrition! (His albumin level was normal)

Yummy! And to think we waste time drawing blood to check albumin.

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