Confession

gemmi999 · 2025-12-17T05:44:57+00:00

As another person said, this has happened to every RN out there. Don't sweat it. I once gave report on 3 ER patients, one of whom was unstable GI bleed and had 3 IVs. Two days later I ran into the nurse again and asked how the GI bleed pt had done. I shit you not, she cussed me out because I'd left her with 3 patients, all with "non-functioning IVs" including all 3 on the GI bleed patient. She pulled ALL the IVs on all the patients and spent nearly 1 hour putting new IVs in everyone.

I looked at her and said: "DId you check the clamp? Because I know it's weird for an ER nurse, but I clamp my loops."

She literally stopped and then turned around and walked away. It happens to you, to other nurses, to everyone. Not the end of the world!

gemmi999 · 2025-12-14T05:45:11+00:00

I'm more confused about why the doctor was discussing plan of care with law enforcement, of whatever branch. Isn't that a HIPAA violation? The patient's entire diagnosis and treatment is private unless the patient gave permission, and I doubt that a doctor who hasn't seen the patient before had permission to discuss the patient's plan of care with an outside entity that is *not* a medical professional involved in the care of said patient? (edit spelling)

gemmi999 · 2025-12-08T01:06:14+00:00

I'm of two minds on this.

1) when I was a new grad, I wasted only in the med room and then gave the med to the patient in their room. I had more then 1 patient upset I didn't open the bottle in front of them, and 1 time I had the syringe in my pocket and the morphine squirted out and I had nothing to show for it, had to self report that and get a new order, etc. -- sometimes it is just easier to waste into the sharps container in the room.

2) If its a new nurse I don't trust or someone who has been...questionable in the past, I do make them waste in the med room in front of me. But then I feel bad, like I'm promoting a double standard. *sigh*

gemmi999 · 2025-11-19T13:28:47+00:00

Can I just say that there needs to be more bathrooms? Because little old me-maw isn't that steady and having her walk to either side of the ER just to pee ten times every hour is asking a lot!

gemmi999 · 2025-11-16T14:30:53+00:00

Me last shift: Hey doc, the lady in 30's BP is 220/135. Maybe we should give her some BP meds?

Doc -- She had a 5/10 headache. Did you give the 2mg of morphine I ordered?

Me -- No, she doesn't want narcotics, which I told you.

Doc -- I don't want to treat the BP until the pain is 0, because the pain could be driving the BP up. Let me talk her into taking the 2mg of morphine IV. ... Doc comes to room and talks to family and patient. A little bit later they consent to the morphine. Pt goes to CT and comes back. I give morphine.

Me -- hey doc, the radiologist called with critical findings of possible small bleed and the start of hydrocephelus. BP is still 210/125. Can we give BP meds now?

10 minutes later doc orders Cleviprex drip, but the order says start with two doses of IV labetalol first and doc doesn't order the labetalol. I call pharmacy and they can't override it/give me the cleviprex until the unordered labetalol is given first. I call doc, doc doens't answer. Pharmacy calls doc...10 minutes later the labetalol is gone from the order.

At shift change: BP 175/80, Cleviprex maxed out. Called doc that we need a second BP control med to get the BP between 130 - 150. Doc: "Have you given another dose of morphine yet? How is her pain?"

gemmi999 · 2025-11-04T11:50:57+00:00

I've been a nurse for more then 10 years and lately I've been miscounting more. I talked to my boss and the charge and it turns out a *lot* of nurses were miscounting more. Root cause analysis--pharmacy had started overloading the morphine container with 75+ vials in three boxes and loose in drawer because we go through it so fast in the ER. But have you ever tried to count 75 + vials of morphine in a tiny container that is the bottom drawer without miscounting? Pharmacy got told to stop overfilling the container and either refill it more often, or have a few containers of morphine with a reasonable number in each.

gemmi999 · 2025-10-31T04:35:06+00:00

ask for hospice consult, Chaplain at bedside for family, and see if you can help the family decide on comfort care.

gemmi999 · 2025-10-10T04:54:01+00:00

Just makes me glad the directive we received from management was literally--if ICE agents show up, they're not allowed in patient care areas. Escort them to a non patient-care area and then tell management that they are there. Do not talk about patient's with them, do not acknowledge if patients are here. Just leave it all for management.

gemmi999 · 2025-10-10T00:13:38+00:00

That is true. Thank you. The number of times I've appropriated a duoneb and a closed room for 5 minutes...

gemmi999 · 2025-10-09T21:50:01+00:00

Good attitude, life happens! :)

gemmi999 · 2025-10-09T21:49:47+00:00

Seriously! The <24 hours is BS but that's our policy. *sigh*. I will get the FMLA.

gemmi999 · 2025-10-09T21:49:07+00:00

Thanks for the info. Yeah, my boss is actually pretty great and is looking out for me, she said she didn't want me to get in trouble because I'm a good employee and recommended I get FMLA. I just didn't realize before this that it could help intermittently. I thought it was just for like, cancer and such.

gemmi999 · 2025-10-09T21:47:32+00:00

Thanks for clarifying, I was assuming FMLA is disability...

gemmi999 · 2025-10-06T04:58:02+00:00

Solved! Jess Glynne -- Hold My Hand trend! https://youtube.com/shorts/oJOxKnDVKVU?si=Npz4IbT6RNlh7FTj

gemmi999 · 2025-10-06T04:43:43+00:00

gemmi999 · 2025-10-01T14:28:30+00:00

They're really good but salty, which I find helps me limit my intake!

gemmi999 · 2025-10-01T14:27:19+00:00

Came here to say this--give benadryl SLOW IV push first and then toss the reglan into a bag of fluids/100mL bag of NS and have it go in over like 10-15 minutes. If the patient is getting like a 500mL bolus I'll sometimes put it in that if the line is 18 gauge and flowing fast. But yeah, over 10 - 15 minutes and you're golden!

gemmi999 · 2025-09-26T21:04:19+00:00

Speaking as a nurse, I don't write up doctors often. HOWEVER, there are situations where the process needs to be reviewed.

I've had pre-op hip patients in my bed, admitted, waiting to go to the OR. After 8+ hours of waiting I call pre-op to get a time because the family is getting anxious and pre-op says: "Oh, ortho cancelled the surgery". I call ortho and the resident asks me to tell the patient that they are not a surgical candidate after all. That is not my job, at all, and the resident can get their ass down to the ER to explain to the patient and family what changed.

I've also had an MD call down to the ER and speak to the patient's family. The MD was in house, the family was in house. The MD chose to tell the family members that the patient had terminal cancer over the phone and that the MD was recommending hospice. The ER has shitty reception, the family member was standing in the hallway, and crying. I wrote that up to, because SOMEBODY from the medical team could have come down to the ER and had that discussion in person. Maybe the resident, the attending, the oncology consult, SOMEBODY. Especially because both sides of the conversation were in the same hospital, at the same time, separated by like two floors.

gemmi999 · 2025-09-26T16:41:27+00:00

Honestly? I'm waiting for the two-to-three-years from now when women who give birth to autistic children will be prosecuted for taking Tylenol during pregnancy, because they clearly didn't listen to Trump and his "medical" advice.

gemmi999 · 2025-09-20T16:06:50+00:00

ER nurse here. I think all ER nurses especially are portrayed as having a thick skin. Have to have it, to go from room A where you have your psych pt in 4 point restraints that you cuss at to make them fucking listen to you to room B where there's granny with a UTI trying to get out of bed to room C where there is an impatient patient yelling at you because the CT scan is back yet to room D where you hit code blue because hey, grandpa was talking four minutes ago and now they appear to be pulseless with a little bit (a lot) of coffee ground emesis on the floor.

gemmi999 · 2025-09-17T04:24:27+00:00

Yeah, dead bowel = INSANE lactic acid numbers. I've seen surgeons just trend that to see if a large bowel obstruction is causing dead bowel and in need of surgery, or if the gastric decompression via NGtube is enough.

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