What pranks have you played on your boss?

[systoly]

I need a laugh and perhaps some ideas. So come on all you pranksters out there - fess up.

I'll start with a couple:

1. Wander alarm - I had a coworker distract my DON while I placed a wander alarm in her pocket. Every time she tried to leave the unit the doors would lock. She called maintenance a couple of times and they assured her everything is in working order. She tried all the doors in the unit (4) and finally called maintenance a third time and after being subjected to several funny remarks by maintenance, they finally figured it out. Later that day, she called me to her office, got the wander alarm out of a drawer and just when I thought it was time to pay the piper, she casually says, "I believe this is from your unit, would you see that it gets back there."

2. Rattlesnake paper clip - I bend a large paper clip into the shape of a bow, attached a rubber band with a smaller paper clip in the middle to it, wound it up and carefully placed it in an envelope with my DON's name on it and placed it on the desk at the nurse's station. When she opened the envelope, the rubber band unwound and the small paper clip rattled the envelope. She shrieked, through the envelope down and stomped off.

To my former DONs and supervisors: Thank you for being such good sports.

[BEDPAN76]

Well. systoly, truthfully, right now I would like to play a prank on my former(as of today) DON that would involve her LOSING HER LICENSE!!!

[systoly]

Sorry to hear that. Sounds like you had a bad experience. My sincere wishes for a better tomorrow.

[SolaireSolstice, BSN, RN]

We once put a bedside commode in our NM's office with a few bite sized unwrapped chocolate bars in it.

Another time we blew up like 20 packages of balloons and put them all in her office. We could barely get the door closed.

She was a good sport, but finally took the weekend charge nurse's key to her (the NM's) office away.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

This one was good, and was not even intentional...

We were having a send-off for a fellow co-worker who loved frogs. My gift to her was this dinner-plate-size resin frog statuette that croaked when you walked by. My boss hid it in her bottom file cabinet drawer for safekeeping.

Can you tell where this is headed?

About 4 hours later, we hear this blood-curdling shriek, followed by some choice words, followed by the slam of a file cabinet drawer.

Boss had forgotten about the frog being in there, opened the drawer, and scared herself silly.

I knew I might get into trouble for it, but I literally got down in the floor over that one. Eventually, she laughed too.

[beachmom]

Before I was a nurse I did medical transcription out of my home for a doctor. The doctor would dictate his notes on his patients. I would pick up a tape each day, type it at home, print it and bring it in the next day.

One day I printed a page of transcription with a font that looked like the cursive you see on diplomas. I told the doctor I had computer trouble, and I was sorry but this was the only font that worked. He was really upset until he turned to the next page which said "April fool," and underneath that was the completed transcription in the proper arial font.

[suejara]

Last year one of the doctors in our office broke her right arm. One of the other doctors has a life sized model of an arm which displays different types of tuberculin skin tests and how to read them. Well for our X-mas secret Santa gift we wrapped up the "PPD" arm and gave it to her. She ended up getting her real secret Santa gift right after but we all had a good laugh when she opened her present.

[husker_rn, RN]

We got a bedpan and put apple juice and bite sized Baby Ruths in it. Let it sit awhile and put on the boss' desk. Looked like the real thing. Good thing she had a sense of humor.

[systoly]

Here's one that was on me. Worked 7p to 7a in LTC. Sometime around 2 am, while walking back to the desk after rounds, I noticed a dark object on the floor in the hallway. The hallway lights were dim and I couldn't make out what it was, but thought it might be a resident's shoe and went to pick it up. Just as I was getting reday to reach for it, I saw a big, black, ugly rat. I jumped so far I think I could have made the olympics. Of course it was a fake rat, strategically placed by my dear coworkers.

[systoly]

Oh yeah, just thought of another good one, again on me. Same place and shift around 6 am, glad to be caught up and talking to dietary staff while enjoying some fresh java. One of the CNAs comes up to me, casually puts her hand on my shoulder and says, "we had a good night didn't we". Not paying much attention, I just said, " we sure did", and continued talking to dietary. About a minute later, the same CNA, with a terrified look on her face and a shaky voice goes, " systoly, what's that on your shoulder?". As I turn my head and look at my shoulder out of the corner of my eye, I come face to face with a big ugly bug. Another olympic jump and I swear I saw the coffee jump out of my cup and all over my whites in slow motion. Of course the bug was fake, again, strategically placed while I was distracted. I can assure you, trying to play it cool while wearing a half a cup of coffee all over a white shirt just doesn't work. When the DON came in, she immediately offered to inservice me. "We'll start with bringing the cup closer to your mouth", she said. What can I say - owned again.

[SaraO'Hara]

I found a small rubber mouse at work last Halloween...

1. Hid it in the narc drawer before counting out with the night shift. Poor night nurse opened the drawer, screeched, jumped five feet straight backward. She hasn't forgiven me yet...

2. Our chart rack is a circular carousel. I set the mouse on top of the protruding end of a chart... DON came along, reached for a chart... shrieked, jumped, threw the chart across the station in the process.

I still have the mouse...

[HmarieD]

I worked in a bank prior to nursing, and our prez went on vacation the week after Christmas. We had those white 3D wooden reindeer outside for decor, brought 4 of them in and placed them in his office in very suggestive positions, two on his desk and two on the floor, awaiting his return.

When he came back from vacation, he entered his office for the first time with a client right on his heels. Client thought it was hilarious, boss not so much...