Thursday, April 14, 2005

Amusing, yet true

A Graduate Nurse throws up when the patient does.
An experienced nurse calls housekeeping when a patient throws up.
  (I run in the opposite direction).

A Graduate Nurse wears so many pins on their name badge you can't read it.
An experienced nurse doesn't wear a name badge for liability reasons.  (I don't even have my last name on my badge, much less any pins!) 

A Graduate Nurse charts too much.
An experienced nurse doesn't chart enough. (I feel like I don't chart enough, but I probably chart too much.)

A Graduate Nurse loves to run to codes.
An experienced nurse makes graduate nurses run to codes. (Yep, I love running to codes, haven't participated in any yet...but I am a voyeur in these situations.)

A Graduate Nurse wants everyone to know they are a nurse.
An experienced nurse doesn't want anyone to know they are a nurse. (Yep, still proud to say "I'm a nurse.")

A Graduate Nurse keeps detailed notes on a pad.
An experienced nurse writes on the back of their hand, paper scraps, napkins, etc. (Napkins come in handy!)

A Graduate Nurse will spend all day trying to reorient a patient.
An experienced nurse will chart the patient is disoriented and restrain them. (Hmm, suppose I should reorient my patients, but I don't restrain them, well at least not too often.)

A Graduate Nurse can hear a beeping I-med at 50 yards.
An experienced nurse can't hear any alarms at any distance. (This is one of my pet peeves, I cannot stand to hear an IV pump beeping continuously.  It seems to be true though, the experienced nurses are unable to hear the annoying sound, but I can detect it even if the room is on the other side of the hall at the opposite end.)

A Graduate Nurse loves to hear abnormal heart and breath sounds.
An experienced nurse doesn't want to know about them unless the patient is symptomatic. (I don't like hearing themcause it usually means I need to do something about it!)

A Graduate Nurse spends 2 hours giving a patient a bath.
An experienced nurse lets the CNA give the patient a bath. (I've done my share of baths as a patient care tech, time to let the CNA's have their turn.)

A Graduate Nurse thinks people respect Nurses.
An experienced nurse knows everybody blames everything on the nurse. (I'm starting to see that the nurse does get blamed for everything, but I think we're still respected...at least I hope we are.)

A Graduate Nurse looks for blood on a bandage hoping they will get to change it.
An experienced nurse knows a little blood never hurt anybody. (Not me, I don't want to see any blood anywhere - cause once again, it usually means I need to do something about it.)

A Graduate Nurse looks for a chance "to work with the family."
An experienced nurse avoids the family.  (I'm not crazy about patient's families.  I understand their need to be involved, but they do create extra work/stress to the situation usually.  But I do understand, if my family member were in the hospital - I'd be one of those annoying family members wanting to know all the information possible.)

A Graduate Nurse expects meds and supplies to be delivered on time.
An experienced nurse expects them to never be delivered at all. (Yeah, I'm still a believer that meds should be delivered on time.  I try my best to accomodate.)

A Graduate Nurse will spend days bladder training an incontinent patient.
An experienced nurse will insert a Foley catheter. (The foley sounds much better to me!!!!!)

A Graduate Nurse always answers their phone.
An experienced nurse checks their caller ID before answering the phone.  (I only answer if I absolutely positively have to!)

A Graduate Nurse thinks psych patients are interesting.
An experienced nurse thinks psych patients are crazy. (I don't even want to think back to psych clinicals, but it's true - even if you aren't a psych nurse, you will be dealing with psych patients in the hospital.)

A Graduate Nurse carries reference books in their bag.
An experienced nurse carries magazines, lunch, and some "cough syrup" in their bag. (No reference books here.....magazines most definitely!)

A Graduate Nurse doesn't find this funny.
An experienced nurse does.  (I think it's very cute!)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I thought this was so true! HAHA!
-Nora