Worst nursing experience

Nurses General Nursing

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Hope you guys don't mind sharing this. What was your worst nursing related experience? Could be dealing with a patient and something disgusting happening, or a fight with a coworker or something else. Looking forward to your replies :)

This didn't happen to me but was told by a co worker who had been a clerk in a freestanding dialysis unit. The patients would sit in recliners along a horseshoe shaped wall and receive dialysis. After they all left the lines were flushed with a bleach solution.

Someone overlooked the guy in the back who had fallen asleep but was still connected. He was very green when they unhooked him. EWWWWWW

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Around 15 years ago,the inner city MSICU I worked in had 5 pregnant or newly delivered women,all on vents,with ARDS from a variety of causes.This was in late december,and i remember losing 2 moms,with the bonus of fetal demise and miscarriage on Christmas Eve,losing two moms on Christmas,and losing one mom on the day after Christmas.I remember one intern throwing his body across the body of a 17 year-old mom we lost,and just heaving big sobs.we all had to have debriefing and therapy with the chaplain for months.I definitely had PTSD after that.

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Worst? No comment.

I had a pretty crappy experience today, though. :scrying: I had some colorful words to call that nurse afterwards, too.

But I don't feel like talking about it.

Sorry to be a spoil-sport. :p I'm just acknowledging that poo happens. And it stinks.

I don't know what happened with u & ur nurse. I am a new nurse & i said to myself i would never treat my cna's the way i had been treated at times when i was a cna. But things are different when ur the nurse & on the other side. My responsibilities are very difficult. If cna's do not turn & reposition the pt's, their skin breaksdown & then i'm the one who has to explain to the pt's family why their skin is even brokdown to begin with & i'm the one who has to hold the hand on the dying diabetic who is dying because of an infected skin ulcer. I'm the one who has to explain to families why are cna's did not shower their loved one last nite. I'm the one who has to explain to the DON the next day why one of my cna's upset a pt. I'm the one who has to explain to the pt & then the DON why they had to wait 23minutes for some1 to come in & assist them. I'm the one who has to explain to the supervisor why a pt has been sitting in their wheelchair,& dripping pee (and u just know they have not been touched or toileted). I'm srry for what happened to u but trust me when i say this everything is different on the other side. Please take some of the above things i mentioned & take them into consideration & think for a moment what would you would say or how u would respond if u were the nurse.

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MY CNA, or we call them PCA's don't do much and it is hard. I am new, if I complian will they ever do anything for my patients. It is really bad and sad. They are all chit chatting at the counter.....I think the boss needs to get on thier butts and it should not be our responisbility. Everything is our responsibilitiy....we have to watch them and write them up...why do they keep their jobs? I have had CNA's upset pt.s because they are rude and don't want to work. They get huffy if an obese person needes help to the commonde...like they should not be obese or should not need the help? It is terriible. This is the patients we have and it is our job to take care of them, not to psychoanalyze why they got that way or if it is their own fault...leave that for another dept. We just take care of them....so just do it and keep attitudes to yourself. And if you are a CNA and don't like it...got to school, go into another field. Geez!!

I don't know what happened with u & ur nurse. I am a new nurse & i said to myself i would never treat my cna's the way i had been treated at times when i was a cna. But things are different when ur the nurse & on the other side. My responsibilities are very difficult. If cna's do not turn & reposition the pt's, their skin breaksdown & then i'm the one who has to explain to the pt's family why their skin is even brokdown to begin with & i'm the one who has to hold the hand on the dying diabetic who is dying because of an infected skin ulcer. I'm the one who has to explain to families why are cna's did not shower their loved one last nite. I'm the one who has to explain to the DON the next day why one of my cna's upset a pt. I'm the one who has to explain to the pt & then the DON why they had to wait 23minutes for some1 to come in & assist them. I'm the one who has to explain to the supervisor why a pt has been sitting in their wheelchair,& dripping pee (and u just know they have not been touched or toileted). I'm srry for what happened to u but trust me when i say this everything is different on the other side. Please take some of the above things i mentioned & take them into consideration & think for a moment what would you would say or how u would respond if u were the nurse.
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My worst nursing experience was brought upon me by myself. I had my license suspended for documentation problems involving narcotics of all things. Got fired, had to go before the board of nursing to try to explain that it was my stupidity that I was not on drugs, had to go to a rehab facility for 5 days for an addiction eval, finally I got them to do a follicle hair test to prove I was not an impaired nurse, this came back negative, finally after 2 months of absolute he!! I will get my license back but I will be on probation for three years and I have to do a multitude of things (continuing ed, pay fines, random drug screens). All of this, but I did clear my name in the accusation of diverting narcotics, which is all I wanted, and to have my license back!! So to everyone out there, BE CAREFUL!!

LISA

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You mean you just counted wrong? It sounds like an utter nightmare. How unfair, what they heck kind of people do you work for. You poor thing.

NancyK

My worst nursing experience was brought upon me by myself. I had my license suspended for documentation problems involving narcotics of all things. Got fired, had to go before the board of nursing to try to explain that it was my stupidity that I was not on drugs, had to go to a rehab facility for 5 days for an addiction eval, finally I got them to do a follicle hair test to prove I was not an impaired nurse, this came back negative, finally after 2 months of absolute he!! I will get my license back but I will be on probation for three years and I have to do a multitude of things (continuing ed, pay fines, random drug screens). All of this, but I did clear my name in the accusation of diverting narcotics, which is all I wanted, and to have my license back!! So to everyone out there, BE CAREFUL!!

LISA

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

It was about 4pm, after report I had just sat down at the station when I heard "Excuse me, who is in charge." I turned around, smiled and said "I am, how can I help you?" SHE WENT OFF ON ME. "WE HAVE BEEN CALLING FOR A BEDPAN FOR MY FATHER FOR OVER 45 MINUTES. WHO THE BLEEPITY BLEEP DO YOU THINK YOU ARE BIT**? I WILL COME OVER THERE AND WHIP YOUR F'N A$$"

She continued like this the whole time I called the police and up until they showed up on the unit. Then sent a letter to the administration that I was rude to her and cursed at her. She also said I called the cops in retaliation of her complaints. THEN she complimented the wonderful care the HCA gave her father, you know, the same one who actually IGNORED the call light for 45 minutes. My manager called me in, I read the letter and threw it back on the desk, told her it was a bunch of crap and I did NOTHING wrong. She never said another word about it to me, lol.

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Several years ago I worked newborn nursery and we would have to ship out any very sick babies. No in house docs at night and one RN in nursery usually. One night was kind of slow and I got a call from ER saying to come get a baby that delivered there. Didnt sound urgent. I got the transport isolette and gear and made my way to the ER. When I got there they said they didnt need me cause the baby had died. I was stumped at how casually I was told this and asked where the baby was. They directed me to a room that looked to be a supply closet that had a small table. The ER doc and a nurse were standing beside the table staring at a metal bowel. In the metel bowel was a baby still in the sack and it was moving!!! The doc looked at me and said I wasnt needed because the baby wasnt viable. I told him he wouldnt know if it was viable unless he took it out of the sack and if he didnt remove the baby then I would. The ER nurse then reached in and got the baby from the sack and it was very much alive though very premature. Over the next few hours that doc and I were in each others faces and that is sooo not my nature. My assertiveness was tested on every level that night. We got the on call ped on his way as well as the transport team. The ER doc heard the supervisor and I talking about how we needed to get the baby up to the nursery and ready for transport. He waited until she left then told me I wasnt taking the baby anywhere because he had "initiated the resusitaion" and he was responsible for it and he couldnt leave the ER. At one point he got directly in my face and asked me "What the f*$% is your problem". The nursing supervisor came back and told me to go back to the nursery. I had to leave the baby down there with personel who had little clue how to care for it although at that time I wouldnt have been too much better but at least I had the equipment. The baby was transported out but died a few days later. This was about 13 years ago. Today its not uncommon to get babies smaller than that one in the NICU where I work. I had nightmares for years.

You are a true nurse and a hero. You spoke up and and you did everything you could in your power. You inspire me, a new nurse, to have to same courage. Thank you for sharing.

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If you would, please elaborate. Im always interested in protecting myself when in comes to med admin, narcs in particular. Thanks in advance!

My worst nursing experience was brought upon me by

myself. I had my license suspended for documentation problems involving narcotics of all things. Got fired, had to go before the board of nursing to try to explain that it was my stupidity that I was not on drugs, had to go to a rehab facility for 5 days for an addiction eval, finally I got them to do a follicle hair test to prove I was not an impaired nurse, this came back negative, finally after 2 months of absolute he!! I will get my license back but I will be on probation for three years and I have to do a multitude of things (continuing ed, pay fines, random drug screens). All of this, but I did clear my name in the accusation of diverting narcotics, which is all I wanted, and to have my license back!! So to everyone out there, BE CAREFUL!!

LISA

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I'm a CNA and I am by no means perfect. Today at work really pissed me off. There were 3 CNA's total for 16 pts. which is good. No joke, I ended up doing 10 daily weights and 6 blood sugars when it was supposed to be split btw. us three. I started to do baths and the other 2, using your words, were chit chatting at the counter not doing a darn thing!! I'm running around answering lights and everything else that needed to be done and they have the nerve to ask me if they could go out and smoke!!!! So CNA's frustrate you and guess what? They frustrate me too and I'm one!

BTW---I am leaving the CNA field---to be a RN.

MY CNA, or we call them PCA's don't do much and it is hard. I am new, if I complian will they ever do anything for my patients. It is really bad and sad. They are all chit chatting at the counter.....I think the boss needs to get on thier butts and it should not be our responisbility. Everything is our responsibilitiy....we have to watch them and write them up...why do they keep their jobs? I have had CNA's upset pt.s because they are rude and don't want to work. They get huffy if an obese person needes help to the commonde...like they should not be obese or should not need the help? It is terriible. This is the patients we have and it is our job to take care of them, not to psychoanalyze why they got that way or if it is their own fault...leave that for another dept. We just take care of them....so just do it and keep attitudes to yourself. And if you are a CNA and don't like it...got to school, go into another field. Geez!!
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I don't know what happened with u & ur nurse. I am a new nurse & i said to myself i would never treat my cna's the way i had been treated at times when i was a cna. But things are different when ur the nurse & on the other side. My responsibilities are very difficult. If cna's do not turn & reposition the pt's, their skin breaksdown & then i'm the one who has to explain to the pt's family why their skin is even brokdown to begin with & i'm the one who has to hold the hand on the dying diabetic who is dying because of an infected skin ulcer. I'm the one who has to explain to families why are cna's did not shower their loved one last nite. I'm the one who has to explain to the DON the next day why one of my cna's upset a pt. I'm the one who has to explain to the pt & then the DON why they had to wait 23minutes for some1 to come in & assist them. I'm the one who has to explain to the supervisor why a pt has been sitting in their wheelchair,& dripping pee (and u just know they have not been touched or toileted). I'm srry for what happened to u but trust me when i say this everything is different on the other side. Please take some of the above things i mentioned & take them into consideration & think for a moment what would you would say or how u would respond if u were the nurse.

Just so you know, the situation had nothing to do with me being irresponsible. It was just plain mistreatment, and other people have said so themselves. The nurse in question, to my knowledge, had to see the DON regarding how she treated me. So please, make no assumptions. Thanks.

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I'm a CNA and I am by no means perfect. Today at work really pissed me off. There were 3 CNA's total for 16 pts. which is good. No joke, I ended up doing 10 daily weights and 6 blood sugars when it was supposed to be split btw. us three. I started to do baths and the other 2, using your words, were chit chatting at the counter not doing a darn thing!! I'm running around answering lights and everything else that needed to be done and they have the nerve to ask me if they could go out and smoke!!!! So CNA's frustrate you and guess what? They frustrate me too and I'm one!

BTW---I am leaving the CNA field---to be a RN.

I have been irritated with other CNAs, too, for this reason. Like, I can ask if they can help me clean up a patient, and they just look at me. Seriously.

And I hate it when we have pull-ins from other units who use the excuse that they don't know anyone to not do anything the whole night. :angryfire

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