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 med surg.

I worked with a nurse that would work the whole twelve hours and NEVER used a stethescope !!:banghead: Ended up after a week there she was stealing demerol too!!!

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Specializes in acute care.

Walked away from a patient in respiratory distress. Thank goodness the MD and RT were there. The nurses on that unit didn't have the greatest reputation.

I guess her phone call was more important.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

This thread is like smack - highly addictive!:smokin::smokin::smokin:

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I'm a CNA in LTC. I would NEVER EVER put my hands on a medication, especially a narcotic. It is out of a CNA's scope of practice. What nurse would put herself at risk like that? Sheesh. And obviously, in this situation, they DID have the time to sit with the resident for 10 minutes, since the CNA was chilling at the station with the newspaper.

As far as things that freak me out, I'm sure most of you have seen this, but I work with a nurse who, for the past 30 years, has recapped needles with her teeth. I shudder.

Had to LAUGH....with her TEETH, no less!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Had to LAUGH....with her TEETH, no less!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've heard a lot of the "capping with the teeth" stories. I'd probably stab myself in the lips!

I used to work in a LTC facility. One of the nurses was so lazy, she would sit at the nurses station and get her meds ready, then call over a CNA to administer them.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatric, Hospice.

I've seen a nurse pull 70mg of IR oxycodone instead of oxyCONTIN and think it was 'the same thing'. I stopped her.

A nurse I was working alongside of got report from the offgoing nurse that she had given vanco through the PICC even though CXR confirmed it was NOT in place- it was somewhere subclavian or something. Pt was fine, however.

I've had a nurse tell me she was giving a PPD- she had a 1 1/4 inch IM needle in her hand! She said she thought PPD's were supposed to be IM and had been doing that all her life! :uhoh3::uhoh3:

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Eating pizza by an empty bed in a room shared with an isolation patient!

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It greatly helps to place one's self in the shoes of the CNA, especially a LTC CNA. I work at a nursing home, and each one of my CNAs is assigned 12 to 15 patients each. They simply do not have the time to sit with one patient for an extended period of time when there are other call lights that need to be answered in an expedient manner.

In addition, most LTC facilities suffer from high employee turnover and attrition rates, so the DON usually won't bestow severe punishments upon lazy staff members. The DON is just happy that a warm body has arrived to fill the necessary shift. In addition, there's typically not enough quality time for most LTC nurses and aides to devote to non-emergencies such as panic attacks and screaming. Few, if any, procedures are done by the book in LTC. You'll learn as you spend more time in your new LVN role.

She said the CNA was reading a magazine. I think she probably had time to sit with the patient. There is a difference between "by the book" and unsafe. CNA's dont pass meds. period.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

I had a nurse try to give me a PPD into a vein on my arm when I was in nursing school. Also a few days ago, I got in report that a pt. Had heartburn for six hours straight. I went in to assess him and found that his HR. was in 150s he didn't have heartburn he was in v tach. and off going nurse never assessed him. She just kept giving him antacids even though he had a history of heart problems. He ended up in icu. Its not the first time I have come on shift to find people critically ill without having been assessed by offgoing nurse.

If your a Rn and you can't bother to do a quick 5 min. assessment.... please quit... your patients will be safer that way.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
I had a nurse try to give me a PPD into a vein on my arm when I was in nursing school. Also a few days ago, I got in report that a pt. Had heartburn for six hours straight. I went in to assess him and found that his HR. was in 150s he didn't have heartburn he was in v tach. and off going nurse never assessed him. She just kept giving him antacids even though he had a history of heart problems. He ended up in icu. Its not the first time I have come on shift to find people critically ill without having been assessed by offgoing nurse.

If your a Rn and you can't bother to do a quick 5 min. assessment.... please quit... your patients will be safer that way.

This should go for doctors too! I've seen so many doctors dictate full "assessments" while I was in the room the entire time and the doctor did not get within 3 feet of the patient. I had a doctor the last time I work dictate a normal cardiac assessment when 2 minutes later I went in the room and the patient had a heart rate in the 160s. I've previously seen heart rate regular dictated for a patient in a-fib, lungs clear to auscultation bilaterally for a patient with audible crackles and admitted for pneumonia, PERRLA for a patient with a prosthetic eye, BLE pulses palpable and equal in a pt with a prosthetic leg, etc. Not to mention the number of access devices, drains, surgical incisions, pacers, etc not documented on by nurses and assessments ordered Q4 or Q2 hours documented once in a 12 hour shift, only to get there and there be an obvious change since that assessment was done, then you are left calling the doctor and now explaining not only is there something wrong with the patient but that the last assessment that was done was 12 hours earlier :madface: I once had one poor exasperated very nice doctor ask me "Why did they do this? How could this have happened?" Trust me doc, I wonder that too.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
I've seen a nurse pull 70mg of IR oxycodone instead of oxyCONTIN and think it was 'the same thing'. I stopped her.

A nurse I was working alongside of got report from the offgoing nurse that she had given vanco through the PICC even though CXR confirmed it was NOT in place- it was somewhere subclavian or something. Pt was fine, however.

I've had a nurse tell me she was giving a PPD- she had a 1 1/4 inch IM needle in her hand! She said she thought PPD's were supposed to be IM and had been doing that all her life! :uhoh3::uhoh3:

At my job we frequently have the Oxycontin versus Oxy IR debate. Especially if the doctor only writes something like Oxycodone 20mg BID.

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A nurse I worked with left an 28 year old with respiratory distress and sp02 of 82% and did not notify MO. Pt ended up coding and intubated.

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