What has been your worst nightmare about work?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello everyone! I ran a search and did not find a thread about this. This is meant for fun or catharsis, whichever you prefer. What was your worst dream ever pertaining to work? My worst dreams usually show me very pleased with myself at the end of a shift for staying on top of my work, only to find that I haven't assessed anyone or passed any meds all day! The docs are asking for info I don't have because of my mistake. Talk about anxiety! What's yours?

Mine was I was late for work but was having open heart surgery. They were ready to cut me open and I was still awake freaking out trying to tell the Dr. to stop, the anesthetic was not working! Just then my son woke me up saying "Weren't you supposed to be at work? Your supervisor is on the phone!". I do not work there anymore......thank god.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

My worse nightmare is the one I'm in now: that I'm working for an agency who today decided to treat me like a piece of $h*t, that no-one seems to be hiring full time staff near the end of the year, and I'm sitting here reading AN, cos nobody in my family or friends who aren't nurses believe the stories I tell them.

Sometimes, living, and facing up to reality, is the worse nightmare of all.

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My worse nightmare is the one I'm in now: that I'm working for an agency who today decided to treat me like a piece of $h*t, that no-one seems to be hiring full time staff near the end of the year, and I'm sitting here reading AN, cos nobody in my family or friends who aren't nurses believe the stories I tell them.

Sometimes, living, and facing up to reality, is the worse nightmare of all.

Oh Carol...what truly makes it a nightmare is that no one would believe you except maybe a few other nurses, and usually only experienced ones at that. I have found those that are not in healthcare have no clue. The ivory tower type make idiotic rules and have been away from the bedside for so long that they don't know what it is like. The new nurses, the grads and the students think it is all rainbows and unicorns, and if you complain they scream and yell that you are old bitter, and out to eat them.

Nursing is supposed to be a caring profession, but we don't care enough for each other. Then everyone sits around and wonders why nurses get burned out, quit caring, make stupid mistakes, and engage in self destructive behaviors. Sometimes I think the "angels of mercy" stereotype hurts nursing most of all. An angel of mercy gives all without needing anything in return, but nurses are human, fallible, and we need comfort, helping and healing in return.

Of course this is my opinion and people can make of it what they will.

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Specializes in NeuroICU/SICU/MICU.

I had an awful dream the night before my first shift on my own. I dreamt that my assignment consisted of 10 dogs..and a baby. It was nuts. I spent the whole night trying to figure out how to pass meds for all those dogs, and how to keep them in their beds. Also, I take care of adults..babies scare me :eek:

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The day before I was supposed to start orienting in level III NICU, I had a dream that I was taking care of twins that were in the same isolette (we don't do that) and one of them in on a vent. While I am assessing them, the vented baby starts crying and I realize I extubated him.

At least he was strong enough to cry :o

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
Oh Carol...what truly makes it a nightmare is that no one would believe you except maybe a few other nurses, and usually only experienced ones at that. I have found those that are not in healthcare have no clue. The ivory tower type make idiotic rules and have been away from the bedside for so long that they don't know what it is like. The new nurses, the grads and the students think it is all rainbows and unicorns, and if you complain they scream and yell that you are old bitter, and out to eat them. Nursing is supposed to be a caring profession, but we don't care enough for each other. Then everyone sits around and wonders why nurses get burned out, quit caring, make stupid mistakes, and engage in self destructive behaviors. Sometimes I think the "angels of mercy" stereotype hurts nursing most of all. An angel of mercy gives all without needing anything in return, but nurses are human, fallible, and we need comfort, helping and healing in return. Of course this is my opinion and people can make of it what they will.

Too true elthia, too true. I feel I've given a lot to nursing - not just to the patients but to nursing as a career as a whole - and the nursing agencies are not supportive of ME as a person, I don't believe. I was very very disappointed and down-hearted today, as I know the woman who runs the agency I work for - she is lovely. I thought I'd found the greatest agency & recommended them to many people who asked me about them. Well tonight I have spent most of the evening putting feelers out to other places, mainly hospitals. I got one positive response, but they may not be hiring till next year now.

I felt like when I came home today that I was living in this surreal dream that nobody could possibly understand what it was like - like I was the biggest loser of nursing! I swear to God I tell my family/friends stories from work, and they are NOT interested, they just smile & change the subject. Nobody wants to hear about nursing - it's an icky kind of taboo subject in our society! And I noticed there are HEAPS of shows on about young doctors, climbing the ladder with great ratings on TV - but none about nurses. What does that tell you?!

I'm still gonna make it my mission to warn young people to get another degree before going into nursing. It just is not worth the every day hassle trying to work as a professional when we aren't even PERCEIVED that way. I am tired of it, so ******* tired of it. I thought my agency was more supportive. We aren't seen as professionals by non-nursing people, heck, even doctors don't respect us much of the time.

I've worked in hospitals for nigh on 26 years now, and have many valuable and varied skills. But I think it's the town I'm living in; they just focus on NURSE and that's IT. You do not matter as a person. The agencies here are not proactive and don't think outside the square re jobs. I think I might be telling the boss all this tomorrow - if I'd rung them today, my Irish temper would have got the better of me.

People outside nursing don't understand and certainly don't care. But as someone on here said once, you make ONE mistake - even if it's not a huge one - they you are condemned for life.

It's all just NOT WORTH IT.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I had a series of dreams when I was a brand new nurse that I didn't pass any meds, another one that I didn't see any patients, another one that I wandered around the hospital instead of working (that one was fairly recent). I woke up each time so stressed then so relieved that they were just dreams that I felt like they made me a more diligent nurse.

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Specializes in LTC, Pediatrics, Renal Med/Surg.

I dreamed that I was assigned a patient that I forgot about that I never saw, assessed, or passed meds on all day long and didn't remember I had them until it was time to give report to oncoming nurse.:uhoh21::no:

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I had a dream where one of my patients was having a STEMI. Very high tombstones on the monitor. I was running down an endless hall towards the patient - I just couldn't get there. :(

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Specializes in CCU MICU Rapid Response.

I havent assessed or even seen my ICU patients and one of them is dead. I then realize I havent charted a single thing the entire shift. I leave the hospital and the road is flooded, my car gets swept off the road and into a raging rapid. All I am thinking about the whole time is the stupid documentation! :) Ivanna

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

Strange how the 'forgotten patient' seems to be such a common theme for nurses. I've had the exact same nightmare. More recently though, I spend the nightmare running around in some hospital I've never seen with about 100 floors and numerous dangers, trying to find my patients and no one seems to be able to understand me when I plead for help.

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Bad news, this question has been asked and answered, check out the allnurses central site. It has non-urgent, non-technical, not strictly nursing related topics.

Good news, I love this topic. I had a horrible dream once where I walked into our ER and there was so much blood on the floor, it was about 2 - 3 inches deep. Even worse a dead child was hung on a hook on the back of a door like you would hang a bathrobe on a hook, the hook was through the back of his neck!!!!

Even worse I honestly don't remember being upset in the dream!!!! It was like gee this isn't good, not yikes this is horrible!!!

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