Who really belongs in the bed...

tyvin, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2011

Don't you just love it! I had surgery a few months ago and the nurse would always come and do the ""What day is it today?" ... a few times she was so busy that she didn't actually know the date and I had to correct her. The first time it happened I had to show her my Droid's calendar because she was so certain that she was right and yet she was standing in front of a cow. Embarrassing for sure.

FancypantsRN · Jun 23, 2011

Ok, here's one that's sort of on the same path....

Walk into my pt's room (first day back after a week off)

Me: hello Mrs. X, what hospital is that water pitcher from, I don't recognize the name.

Mrs X: it's from this hospital, you guys changed the name of your hospital a couple of days ago.

Me: oh, of course - must've slipped my mind (we did???)

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jun 23, 2011

i once attempted to dispatch a helicopter to pick up a patient in the wrong state . . . .

the name of the hospital was similar to the name of a hospital in the other state. fortunately, the patient was a frequent flier (literally as well as figuratively) and the flight nurse knew where he lived.

Rabid Response · Jun 23, 2011

I never know what day it is and have been forgetting what year it was since I was just a kid. I told my daughter that if I'm ever hospitalized, she needs to tell the nurses that this is my baseline so I don't get diagnosed with delirium and get written for Haldol by the intern covering night shift.

raskol · Jun 23, 2011

Me: Mr. X I'm going to ask you some routine questions. Can you tell me what date it is today?
Mr. X: It's June 21.
Me: Pretty close. It's June 20.
Mr. X: No, it's the 21st. You guys are more confused than I am. The doctor told me the wrong date this morning too and I told that he should discharge me so that I can vacate the bed for him! He clearly needs it.
Me: Oops. Sorry, you're right.
This is not a random event.
A&0X2 here.

That is exactly why I wear a digital watch that will say "THU JUN 23 0840." I have to check myself every time. But I rarely use the question when I assess my patients, especially if they have been there awhile. Because if I don't know, why should they? Haha.

NightOwl0624 · Jun 23, 2011

Working nights, I often get my dates mixed up. It just isn't normal to go home from work, go to bed, sleep for 6-7 hours, get up, go back to work and still be on the same day!!!

Biffbradford · Jun 23, 2011

Then a doc comes along and steals your good pen. Day complete.

Flo., BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2011

One day I charted the wrong year all over my charts. It was about 10yrs off. A very nice doc caught it but boy was I embarrassed. I still don't know how I managed to do that.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2011

during the watergate period i had an old guy who answered the routine questions about orientation-- what's your name, do you know where you are, what day is it...he did pretty well on those, not perfect, but ok. when we asked him who the vice president was, he replied smartly, "well, it used to be that son of a ***** agnew, but i don't know who it is now." we gave him full marks for that.

0402 · Jun 23, 2011

I had a pt awhile ago, and she said, "I'm going to dialysis tomorrow, right?" I said, "no, your orders say that you're not going until Thursday." She looked at me very oddly. She then pointed out that today was Wednesday. So, she was correct, that she was going tomorrow (I could have sworn it was Tuesday). And I work on a geriatric floor. And I'm in my 30's. Oy!

DizzyLizzyNurse · Jun 23, 2011

One of my teachers was telling us when she worked in ICU as a new RN one of her pts asked her what day it was and she said November 1. The pt was so upset, saying, "I lost a whole month!" My teacher was confused....and realized it was actually October 1....and had to go back and apologize to the patient.

She told us this story because some students were afraid they'd make terrible nurses because they weren't "perfect."