What nursing task do you loathe???

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Just realized today that I can't stand ostomy appliances. It's not the poop, it's just cutting and sizing the appliance and that messy paste. Tedious and irritating but somebody's gotta do it.

How about you?

Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

Anything to due with suctioning and phlegm or sputum set's my gag reflex off big time - after that the poopy stuff - Don't get me wrong I do it all and would never leave a patient untended - but some things do gross me out.

Hppy

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
I hate feet flakes! Oh and chunky vomit! Aaaahhhh!

I also hate watching other people put in IVs where they can't get the vein and the catheter is sliding in and out... in and out... I swear I get faint watching that. Lol!

So you don't appreciate having to sort through the chunky vomit looking for something specific?

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

I had a job once that involved removal of ear wax.

Almost daily.

I also removed plenty of small toys, vegetables, and bugs.

Once a fellow came into the clinic complaining of terrible ear pain.

He had a HUGE cockroach in his ear canal and it was very much alive but stuck.

He was so very happy to have it removed. It came out in pieces.

BLECH

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

The only task that really gets to me is trying to keep a critically ill person with hypoalbuminemia, severe third spacing and weeping edema clean and dry.

I have seen it form puddles on the floor when a patient is turned. Many many people recover from this state but it just horrifies me to see the skin tears and fluid loss.

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Specializes in ICU.

Oh, while we're on the subject of skin tears, I was helping to admit a new patient last month and I literally ripped off the entire top layer of her left hand from where her fingers meet her hand to her wrist joint. Just straight up peeled it all the way back from her pinky finger to her thumb, and I hadn't even grabbed her hand very hard.

I was like, "Holy ****!" and I did use the actual word at the time. Patient was unconscious and it was just us nurses, after all. We put steri-strips on it to attempt to hold it in place. That was a feeling, though, the skin sloughing off under my fingers. UGH.

...So I guess my least favorite thing is ripping giant chunks of old people's hands off. At least that's not something I'm supposed to be doing.

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Deal.

I'll also do ktwlpn's ear irrigations, but I don't think I can ever look at ear lobes the same way again.

Thank you,thank you,thank you !!!!!I know it's weird,it's a phobia.I'm your "go to" for any smelly,steamy pile of body fluids just don't make me go near a waxy old ear....

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
I had a job once that involved removal of ear wax.

Almost daily.

I also removed plenty of small toys, vegetables, and bugs.

Once a fellow came into the clinic complaining of terrible ear pain.

He had a HUGE cockroach in his ear canal and it was very much alive but stuck.

He was so very happy to have it removed. It came out in pieces.

BLECH

Oh!I would die!I would just die!!!

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Oh!I would die!I would just die!!!

Seriously.

Roaches give me the creeps.

The relative absence of the little devils in this part of the world is a very attractive feature to living in this state.

(People bring them here in their luggage and house hold goods)

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Charting.

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU, ER, PICU, Corrections.

Trach care! Sputum and go...ick. After almost ten years I still dread it!

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Charting for me too. Hate hate hate documenting. Understand the reason for it, but I still hate doing it.

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

Vital signs! SO MANY VITAL SIGNS. I don't know why I specifically dislike this so much! I would be a happy woman if I never had to touch another BP cuff or count another baby's respiratory rate.

Also! The hospital where I work as an PRN RN is half paper, half EHR. I have to chart my meds twice and it drives me bananas. We also have pre-loaded electronic "nursing care plans" that have only a token ability to be individualized. And no option to add in care plans for non-standard LDRP patients- no way to add in a postpartum care plan specifically addressing diabetes, or pre-e, breastfeeding difficulties, neonatal jaundice, or whatever. Of course we have protocols for these patients, but if you are going to make me go through the 25 steps to put these cookie cutter care plans in my patient's EHR, I'd like to at least be able to individualize it and address actual PROBLEMS in my patient. I hate clicking those meaningless radio buttons so much!

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