What did you see at clinicals that shocked you (re/the nurses and doctors)

RedSox33RN · Nov 27, 2004

Okay, this guy doesn't sound very bright. "Soap is for sissies"--WHAAAT?!? I'd like to know how a county health inspector would react to this guy's philosophies about soap. :uhoh21: And, umm, if he figured that some of the counter cleaner getting on his hands got them spic-and-span, what about the rag he touched with his hands? I mean, they touched his little willy while he was taking a pee break, right? What if he had an STD?
Wouldn't be surprised if this guy is still working for the local pizza place. It sounds like his elevator doesn't quite reach the top floor, KWIM?

Isn't he just gross and dumb, all rolled up into a neat package? I truly want to throw up when I think back on that, and all the other unsuspecting people he could have infected. Believe me, I put a serious dent in their business by my word-of-mouth campaign against the pizza place.

What's funny is my lecture instructor was talking about all those signs you see in restrooms "Employees must wash hands before returning to work". It just heebs me out that people have to be REMINDED to wash their hands! Shoot, my 4 kids were taught that from a young age, and tell me that they are the only ones that wash their hands at school! So much so, that I taught them the open-the-door-with-a-paper-towel trick. Doesn't do you much good to wash your hands and dry them, then open the door with the same door handle that all the non-washers have used. I'm glad that they "get" it!

30andconfused · Nov 27, 2004

Isn't he just gross and dumb, all rolled up into a neat package? I truly want to throw up when I think back on that, and all the other unsuspecting people he could have infected. Believe me, I put a serious dent in their business by my word-of-mouth campaign against the pizza place.
What's funny is my lecture instructor was talking about all those signs you see in restrooms "Employees must wash hands before returning to work". It just heebs me out that people have to be REMINDED to wash their hands! Shoot, my 4 kids were taught that from a young age, and tell me that they are the only ones that wash their hands at school! So much so, that I taught them the open-the-door-with-a-paper-towel trick. Doesn't do you much good to wash your hands and dry them, then open the door with the same door handle that all the non-washers have used. I'm glad that they "get" it!

Wannabe I was responding to z about how nasty nurses and doctors try to treat you when you're a student. The nastiest thing I saw on the unit though, was a doctor drinking orange juice from a male urinal in the E.R. I also saw a nurse eating chinese food out of the yellow spit dishes...with chop sticks. Bona-petite!

RedSox33RN · Nov 27, 2004

Wannabe I was responding to z about how nasty nurses and doctors try to treat you when you're a student.

I was responding to boulergirl's post anyway, but yeah, that's gross! :)

Nemhain · Nov 27, 2004

When I did my Labor and Delivery rotation I saw a nurse stick her ungloved finger in a baby's mouth. The baby was positive for Group B Strep and hadn't been started on the Ampicillan yet (they had just called the IV Therapy team to come up. I wanted to strangle her. :angryfire

Mandylpn · Dec 1, 2004

When I did my Labor and Delivery rotation I saw a nurse stick her ungloved finger in a baby's mouth. The baby was positive for Group B Strep and hadn't been started on the Ampicillan yet (they had just called the IV Therapy team to come up. I wanted to strangle her. :angryfire

:uhoh21: :uhoh21: I saw this same thing! Only it was my clinical instructor who put her ungloved hand in the baby's mouth to check the suck reflex, and she did not wash her hands first either!!!!! :uhoh21: :uhoh21:

Okay, here's another one, nurse inserted prostaglandin gel into patient, did not wash her hands first, wore sterile gloves, did not wash her hands after and the woman was group B positive, then the nurse went to the desk and started to eat something!! :chuckle

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Dec 1, 2004

I was told in nursing school to watch the age of the nurses that don't use gloves..you will find them being in the 50 yr range mostly..they simply didn't get the training we did...also sadly they have a much higher rate of hep c....

The worse thing I saw...well not gross saw just NO WAY...was.......

I was doing clinicals and had a patient that was terminal. 90 year old female, cancer of the bladder but had a total hemi stroke...non responsive really...no movement...just alive. I had to talk to the family about why we were giving her IV fluids...they were very unsure of if they should do that to her or not...and I was trying my heart out to explain the pro's and con's without swaying them....

Then all the sudden a doc came in...now switch gears here Like I did!

You are in bed..you might hear your family talking to a doctor...you can't move, you can't speak..and all the sudden someone is talking about letting you DIE! They are talking taking out your IV, taking off your O2, taking you off all your meds...and saying...it may take a couple days..but eventually you will die!

I was horrified that that doc did that in earshot of the patient instead of taking the family out to another room (they had privacy rooms!). To hear that...and not be able to even lift a finger to respond..being in the dark alone and not able to communicate in anyway is my worse nightmare now..I was utterly horrified..and the scariest part...I was the ONLY one that was!!!!

Okay I about got kicked out of clinicals and school..I soooooooo told that doc off...I was diplomatic, but at the same time very firm...okay don't do that to a doc..they could care less (learned that fast!). But OH MY...I thought a nightmare would have been choosing to keep those machines from keeping you alive...now it has changed!

That to me was the most horrible because I soooooooo saw into my own patients world..and it scared me more than anything I could imagine! Yeah I have seen nurses do things I don't agree with..but this one took the cake...AND I have NEVER let it be done since (I take family out to a private room BEFORE a doc comes in that always helps!!!!!!!!!!).

NewEnglandRN, RN · Dec 1, 2004

Last week, we were watching a RN do a wet-to-dry dressing change on a Stage 4 pressure ulcer on a pt's sacral area. The Nurse has long blonde hair and never pulls it back. Well, she leaned over the patient and her hair went into the undressed wound! She didn't even care... Gross ! :stone

student_girl · Dec 1, 2004

When I was in clinical, I was in long term care, and a lot of patients had c-dif and all, and believe it or not, MOST of the staff didn't put a gown or even gloves! Yuuuck! :eek:

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2004

MY pet peeve
Lots of nurses do this too...I just don't get it!!!
I hate it when nurses clean an incontinent patient and throw the poopy linens on the floor, or set it in a chair next to the bed, or drape poopy washcloths/towels over the siderails...and THEN throw them in the laundry bin when they are done. SICK. I don't want to walk in it, I don't want patients and families sitting in it, and I don't want to put my bare hands on germy bedrails either. (or ANYTHING else in the room just knowing these other nurses practice this way).. Why people, why?! Remember micro? How about some common sense? I always roll the linen bin to the bedside and immediately toss in what I have used...undo the bed and right in the bin the linen goes! AND yes...ALWAYS GLOVES! I practically live in gloves at work.

I always bring a clean chux into the room, and pile all the dirty stuff on that- then roll it up, take it to the dirty utility room and separate out disposables from linens.

As for the stuff in this thread, a lot of it is pretty typical, unfortunately. EXCEPT- I have never in 14 years seen anyone do peri/incontinant care without gloves on, or wipe a foley on a sheet and reinsert it.

mattsmom81 · Dec 1, 2004

I don't feel the need personally to put gloves on every time I enter a room like some nurses do. I tend to see too many nurses wearing gloves in lieau of handwashing which REALLY concerns me. Altho I agree gloves are important and I wouldn't immerse my hands in poo without them, I don't think I should be judged if I choose not to wear them in all situations.

IMO there's a lot of pizzy judging going on already out there...lets not add to it.

Tony35NYC · Dec 1, 2004

Actually, wearing gloves isn't always a choice in any situation especially if the patient is immunocompromised. But I agree there are times when its redundant like when passing oral meds in cups. Its up to us to use good judgment about this.

I had a nursing instructor once tell our clinical group that we were wasting the gloves because we wash hands and immediately put them on after entering the pt's room, even if we're not going to do any pt care that requires gloving. On the other hand, the theory instructor told the class that we should always wash hands and put gloves on when we enter a pt's room anyway because there are so many germs about that can be transferred both ways.

rnmi2004 · Dec 1, 2004

The worse thing I saw...well not gross saw just NO WAY...was.......
I was doing clinicals and had a patient that was terminal. 90 year old female, cancer of the bladder but had a total hemi stroke...non responsive really...no movement...just alive. I had to talk to the family about why we were giving her IV fluids...they were very unsure of if they should do that to her or not...and I was trying my heart out to explain the pro's and con's without swaying them....
Then all the sudden a doc came in...now switch gears here Like I did!
You are in bed..you might hear your family talking to a doctor...you can't move, you can't speak..and all the sudden someone is talking about letting you DIE! They are talking taking out your IV, taking off your O2, taking you off all your meds...and saying...it may take a couple days..but eventually you will die!
I was horrified that that doc did that in earshot of the patient instead of taking the family out to another room (they had privacy rooms!). To hear that...and not be able to even lift a finger to respond..being in the dark alone and not able to communicate in anyway is my worse nightmare now..I was utterly horrified..and the scariest part...I was the ONLY one that was!!!!
Okay I about got kicked out of clinicals and school..I soooooooo told that doc off...I was diplomatic, but at the same time very firm...okay don't do that to a doc..they could care less (learned that fast!). But OH MY...I thought a nightmare would have been choosing to keep those machines from keeping you alive...now it has changed!
That to me was the most horrible because I soooooooo saw into my own patients world..and it scared me more than anything I could imagine! Yeah I have seen nurses do things I don't agree with..but this one took the cake...AND I have NEVER let it be done since (I take family out to a private room BEFORE a doc comes in that always helps!!!!!!!!!!).

I'm sorry, I don't see what was wrong with that situation; I really do not see why you "told that doc off." Maybe there is more to the situation I'm not getting, but why should the patient, if she is still in there somewhere, be kept in the dark about her prognosis? There are worse things than death that can happen to a person; for many, many people it would be far worse to be kept alive by machines.