When housekeeping...

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

When housekeeping accidentally presses the code blue light and all the nurses go running and there stands a sanitation tech saying sorry in her broken English. I think this has happened about 7 times in my a little over two year long career.

Always makes me laugh. Just had to share

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Far from humorous. A huge and dangerous waste of the code team's time.

Director of environmental services needs to know this.. to prevent it from EVER happening again.

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

Far from humorous. A huge and dangerous waste of the code team's time.

Director of environmental services needs to know this.. to prevent it from EVER happening again.

Okay, the code button doesn't call the code team at our facility. Plus I work in the ICU, we are the code team! Lol

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I always feel a bit sorry for them; all these folks come galloping into the room, and they don't know quite what to make of it.

It's also funny when the new hire or travel nurse does the same thing . . . Even when it's me!

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

We had an agency nurse do this within the first five minutes of her first shift. Ever after it was referred to as 'pulling a Mindy'.

Lovingly

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Okay, the code button doesn't call the code team at our facility. Plus I work in the ICU, we are the code team! Lol

Ah! Time for you to get brownie points for quality improvement. I have worked many units where the code button has a simple plastic shield over it that needs to be pulled down .. before the button can be pushed. Similar to a fire alarm. Would save on a lot of adrenalin and wasted team response time.

[sevensonnets]

We had an Xray transporter who didn't think she got a quick enough response to a request to put the patient back in bed so she pushed the code button. She KNEW what she was doing. Earned herself 3 days off for that one. Did something monumentally stupid later and got fired.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

We had an Xray transporter who didn't think she got a quick enough response to a request to put the patient back in bed so she pushed the code button. She KNEW what she was doing. Earned herself 3 days off for that one. Did something monumentally stupid later and got fired.

I had an intern push the code button in the MICU years ago. I was watching my colleague's patient while she was at lunch, and the intern came by and wanted me to wash the patient's hair immediately. I explained to him that I was only doing lunch relief and that I couldn't get tangled up with a shampoo while my own two patients needed watching. He said if I didn't, he'd call a code. I didn't. He called the code.

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

Ruby....... I can't believe that!!!You're F****** kidding me right? I am so amped up reading this. Jesus Christ.

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

Duplicate comment in error.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I hate that. Our code buttons are very easy to push. They're just like the buttons to open doors, and situations right under oxygen hook ups and the call light. Further, they're green, which is the same color the button to cancel a call light is. So I've told people to "Press the green button to cancel the call light wait no not that one the small one too late." I've visited switchboard before. When a code is called they have a large computer monitor mounted on the wall that shows the location. All activity stops and they call the code overhead and send out the code team group page. However, after that, activity resumes again. If you want to cancel a code you call the standard switchboard number, which takes much longer. By the time the "code" is cancelled overhead everyone has already dropped what they're doing and ran there. This is made worse by not having dedicated rapid response nurses, so the assigned nurses have all left a patient assignment to come. I've seen other hospitals where their code switches are more like a lever that needs to be pulled. I wish ours were a little harder to push.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I hate that. Our code buttons are very easy to push. They're just like the buttons to open doors, and situations right under oxygen hook ups and the call light. Further, they're green, which is the same color the button to cancel a call light is. So I've told people to "Press the green button to cancel the call light wait no not that one the small one too late." I've visited switchboard before. When a code is called they have a large computer monitor mounted on the wall that shows the location. All activity stops and they call the code overhead and send out the code team group page. However, after that, activity resumes again. If you want to cancel a code you call the standard switchboard number, which takes much longer. By the time the "code" is cancelled overhead everyone has already dropped what they're doing and ran there. This is made worse by not having dedicated rapid response nurses, so the assigned nurses have all left a patient assignment to come. I've seen other hospitals where their code switches are more like a lever that needs to be pulled. I wish ours were a little harder to push.

Or blue.

Could you take some red (or blue) duct tape and cover the button? Then it wouldn't be green and would be a bit harder to push.