What ridiculous things have you seen happen in the workplace?

[pink_shoes99]

This may be too broad of a question, but what crazy things have you seen happen in your workplace or seen another employee do? From the nurses who don't wear gloves...to the patients who bring you urine in a smacker's jar...to a dr. telling a pt's family that their father is "stable" even though he has crashed 5 times and is currently in the middle of another round of CPR...and so on. Please share!

[shhhh]

I had a preceptor a few weeks ago state that she wasnt going to make it if she had to keep putting on those yellow gowns everytime she went into our patient's room. So she wore only gloves regardless of what type of care she was doing. Mind you this patient had MRSA & VRE. No wonder these infections run rampant...

Oh my gosh, you NEED to report that!

[shhhh]

Worked with an RN in the NICU once who must have gotten her license out of a cracker jack box. She was part of the contingent staff. They would normally only use her when completely desperate, and give her the easiest assignment possible....three feeder growers under the very close watch of the nurses around her and the charge nurse.

One day she ended up with two feeder growers and a chronic with a trach. I watched her squirt the saline down the trach and set the empty saline ampoule into the trach blocking off the baby's airway and then turn her back to put her gloves and face shield on. It was like watching it in slow motion.

Before I could get there, the charge nurse took the saline out of the trach and bagged the kid up. That was the last time she took a patient assignment in the NICU. Whenver they needed her, they used her as an extra pair and never let her have an assignment. Getting paid RN wages for NA level work...and this woman had her BSN. Last I heard she completed her MSN at the University of Phoenix and was hoping for a nurse manager's job. At least she won't be at the bedside anymore.

And THIS just made me physically ill.

My mom (way back when she was a CNA) used to work with another CNA who was given preferential treatment; the woman had an ankle that was sore frequently, was very overweight, and was hopelessly depressed because she was single and didn't want to be. All of this added up to a very slow-moving, apathetic worker who forced my mom to pick up her slack. The nurses felt sorry for this CNA and told my mom that she should just get over it. My mom grew resentful of having to work harder when she worked with this particular CNA. But your story is SO MUCH WORSE. Did this woman know how much of an idiot she was??

[DizzyLizzyNurse]

Worked with an RN in the NICU once who must have gotten her license out of a cracker jack box. She was part of the contingent staff. They would normally only use her when completely desperate, and give her the easiest assignment possible....three feeder growers under the very close watch of the nurses around her and the charge nurse.

One day she ended up with two feeder growers and a chronic with a trach. I watched her squirt the saline down the trach and set the empty saline ampoule into the trach blocking off the baby's airway and then turn her back to put her gloves and face shield on. It was like watching it in slow motion.

Before I could get there, the charge nurse took the saline out of the trach and bagged the kid up. That was the last time she took a patient assignment in the NICU. Whenver they needed her, they used her as an extra pair and never let her have an assignment. Getting paid RN wages for NA level work...and this woman had her BSN. Last I heard she completed her MSN at the University of Phoenix and was hoping for a nurse manager's job. At least she won't be at the bedside anymore.

Makes me angry someone like this wasn't fired and instead got to do less work for the same money. Makes me angry and I don't even work there!!!

[kcmylorn]

Administration shows up for work.

[djsugar]

While at work 3 aids clocked in for work then later that evening got there paychecks and clocked out right after not saying nothing to anybody. Leaving me the supervisor to find a replacement.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

When I worked in an ALF, we were constantly reminded not to accept gifts from residents. It was partly for our protection; some residents had dementia, and accepting a gift could lead to a theft or abuse accusation.

When an office worker got pregnant, administration threw her a baby shower, in the dining room, just before supper. It was even advertised in the elevators as "X's Baby Shower." True, some residents were dying to knit a hat or a pair of booties, but throwing a shower for an employee in a job where employees are constantly told not to accept gifts from residents struck me as unethical.