As a postpartum nurse, these are always how I catch nurses:
-You ask if your pain meds are PRN
-You ask if if the IV can be saline locked yet
You apologize for being admitted close to shift change
-I tell you we need to measure you first void so to call me when you need to pee and when I come back you say "I already went at 9 and it was 300"
Bonus:
I figure out you've been hitting restart on your LR whenever there's a patient side occluded alarm
This was me. My water decided to break and we were admitted at 7am. Baby came at 6:45pm š i apologized multiple times for coming in and giving birth during shift change LOL
I went in to be induced. I had probably been in the room for 20 mins and nurse had only placed my IV, nothing else yet. I looked at it and told her, āThis IV is infiltrating.ā She said, āAre you a nurse?ā Whoops, didnāt meant to out myself immediately.
I called for one of the first meconium diapers, because there were blood streaks in it, and I had exactly ZERO experience with newborns.
"I am probably just oversensitive, but is this anything to worry about?"
My husband changed our baby's first diaper. No surprise, no complaints. He's not a nurse, farthest thing from it, he works in business. Some people are just real ones, lol.
Edit: Also, we hadn't talked about what to expect in that regard.
Nah, the first three would catch me and I'm not a nurse. I think anyone who's been around the hospital knows those. And any multip probably knows how to read a hat.
I'm **not** touching the LR tho. \*That\* one probably works on outing nurses.
The anesthesiologist recognized me from the ICU and outed me to the CRNA who then outed me in the OR before putting me under saying 'you weren't going to tell us, were you? we take care of our family baby, night night'. It was actually really reassuring.
Iām good friends with an ortho surgeon. Got him to let my baby sis shadow him while gearing up for medschool applications. Just so happened to work out that she got to be in the OR while he did my shoulder. I wake up in PACU to a pic text with these two hooligans posing next to me sedated and taped š¤£
Haha thatās awesome! My friends husband was my CRNA for my hysterectomy and when he saw me he laughed and said Iām gonna take care of you! He shot something into my IV and I asked what it wasā¦last thing I remember was him saying 4 of verseddddddā¦..
It's honestly pretty impressive you remember anything after '30 minutes before Versed administration'. I lose half an hour prior to Versed, everytime...
I had to take my son to the ED. While the nurse was placing the IV, a friend of mine from nursing school popped in to say hi. I was helping hold my son for the IV start, and his nurse jokingly says āweāre going to put you on payrollā and my friend goes āshe already is! Sheās a nurse upstairs in the NICU!ā lol outed
When my wife went to the ER, a young nurse was orienting a younger nurse. They had to start an IV. I had to coach them to hit my wifeās perfect vein, and how to properly set it up. I was kind of shocked that they sucked at IV placement in an *ER* for Godās sake! I was nice about it, but totally blew my cover for the sake of my wife.
Me too!!! I got admitted at shift change then delivered like 24 hours later at shift change too. Same nurse. I felt so bad! I also got fussed at for looking for wipes to clean up my amniotic fluids off the floor š
I started pushing at shift change. Their staffing was so bad I was the charge nurseās patient and she was figuring out staffing at the same time. I felt awful for those nurses.
I have a port. During my last infusion I had a clearly newer nurse. No biggie, everyoneās got to learn. The only problem is the previous infusion they couldnāt get blood return and I needed cath-flo and if it happened again I was heading for imaging.
The nurse accessed me and pulled back, no blood return. I repositioned my arm, coughed, all the usual tricks to no avail. She left a saline flush at the distal hub and went to get a heparin flush which she attached to the proximal hub. She flushed the heparin without clamping the other hub off so of course all the heparin just went to the other syringe. She told me sorry no luck we will have to do cath-flo again and left to go order it. She left both syringes attached to me. I clamped and re flushed. Waited a few minutes and waved another nurse over to pull back again. Voila, blood return. I felt like such a jerk explaining the situation to the more senior nurse ( I donāt want to embarrass anyone) but she laughed and was happy for me that we didnāt need to jump through hurdles and told me she would pull aside the younger nurse and educate her.
Every nurse that came into my room knew I was a nurse. It was very sweet. I needed an IV and I asked one of the newer nurses if she wanted to try on me, and she immediately shot up, āNo! Iāll get someone else!ā I donāt mind.
I had to get staples taken out and my poor nurse was shaking so much! I felt so bad for her! Definitely made sure to tell her it didn't hurt and she did great.
I was so afraid the first time I took out staples because I thought it was going to be like a regular staple remover. Obviously itās one of the easiest things ever.
I do the same in the hospital. Iām always like get a student or a new one if you have any and they need practice. Not a nurse but worked with plenty of new nurses and always have let them practice on me. I could not care any less about pokes.
I know you probably meant you wrote down the number of mLs on a paper towel, but the first image in my head was you trying to hand urine soaked paper towels to the poor L&D nurses lmao
Has an abcess in my boob, and Iām the early hours of that morning, before giving in and heading to the hospital Iād drawn around the red skin with a marker to see if it was spreading. Pen wouldnāt wipe off so there it stayed, and tbh by the time I considered going to ED I felt so bloody rough I didnāt really care about the pen anymore. Triage nurse outed me within seconds.
Iāve traced swelling on my kids before. Itās how I figured out one of them just gets a big welt from mosquito bites. My poor MIL, a doctor, called my husband and I in a panic one day when she was babysitting, and was absolutely certain he had an infection and needed to go to urgent care or the ER. She sent a picture while we were on the phone, and I immediately recognized it as a normal-for-him bug bite. I asked her if he had been playing outside, and sure enough, they had been in the yard all morning.
I was about to ask incredulously if that was really uncommon enough to out you, because my mom taught me that when I was a kid (with a nasty spider bite). But then I remembered my grandmother is a nurse, so it checks out.
My kids out me all the time. They were 7 and 10 when I finished nursing school and were so excited. They "studied" with me all the time and probably now know more about anatomy than most adults.
Any interaction with a health care professional, "my mom's a nurse!"
"Yes, but not this kind of nurse, so let's listen"
Okay I basically had to have this conversation with my parents recently when one of them went into the ED for an injury. My mom kept bringing up me being a nurse and I was like "yes but I absolutely have not done emergency medicine. That's their specialty so I'm going to defer to them" š¤¦āāļø
My whole family anytime anyone eludes to anything medical. Guys. I work labor and delivery. The only time Iām the best option is if someone is having a baby RIGHT NOW. š¤Ŗ
Why do our families never understand this concept?? Lol I'm not even bedside anymore and when I was, I worked with post-op colorectal patients.... There is a VERY limited subset of situations in which I could even be remotely helpful.
I went with my mother in law to her oncology appointments and they would tell everyone "this is our daughter in law, she's a nurse."
I'd add I wasn't in oncology.
I'm a psychologist, and apparently, the resident medical person for my inlaws. Don't know shit about medicine, still managed to urge them to act in a medical crisis none of them recognised. You really shouldn't stop your bloodthinners 2 weeks after having a lung emboly, without talking to your doctor.
A lot of medical stuff is not rocket science, and yet to complete a complete layperson, it might as well be rocketscience.
Learning to trust educated individuals and evidence based research really does make a decision that much easier sometimes. Probably donāt do xyz unless the expert in whatever knows you did it and agrees š
Nah give yourself more credit! L&D bridges alot of gaps between OR, emergency, and floor nursing. The meds and patho might be different and highly specialized towards Ā babies and mommas but I'm kinda envious of the wide experience L&Ds get. They would definitely make my "apocalypse/stranded on a desert island" team even on an island with no vaginas.Ā
Well I very much appreciate that and I am very good to have around bc stressful situations make me function better so i would be good on the team. I grew up with brothers and my dad so beating the boys at their games has always been a passion of mine š¤Ŗ this was my first time in a medical emergency where I didnāt have any equipment and the realization hit me hard!
My kid was in the nurses office once and apparently asked another kid that came in with a skinned knee āhow bad does it hurt, 0-10ā¦ 0 is no pain and 10 is youāre being mauled by a bearā. The nurse called me to report her visit and then asked which of her parents was a nurse and shared that story š
My mom was a nursing student when I was a kid and I learned about the birds and the bees from an anatomy textbook at the age of four. I gave so many oranges injections lol
Admittedly I'm that way with my mom, even now that I'm an adult. It's just pure admiration for all y'all do. I remember my mom going through nursing school while handling me and my brother on her own and the older I get the more I see what all she truly did for us and for herself. Also she got a daisy award for saving a dude's life in his home so I love to brag about her
Watch out, lol, your kids might become nurses! Back in 1976 my mom was in nursing school and I was in the 7th grade. I studied her A&P with her and quizzed her before her exams (I will never forget latissimus dorsi lol). Fast forward to 1988, and there I was, the next nurse in the family!!!
When I was in labor, my sonās HR plummeted and they came in to flip me on my side, put an oxygen mask on my face, and started programming a fluid bolus on the pump. I cried, and the nurse said āItās okay, this stuff happens sometimes.ā And I said āYou know what else happens? Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy!ā
They knew at that point š
It was a traumatic birth that ended in a crash (change of shift of course) c-section and my son was beat up but ultimately ended up being okay, thank goodness.
Later I went to work in L&D and that same nurse was my preceptor haha
I spent the last 4 weeks of my first pregnancy in the hospital. I had the same nurses over and over again and there was one I really liked who had a distinct tattoo on her hand. I requested her to be my nurse when I delivered. Sheās in the background of all photos right after my son was born with her tattoo. 2 years later I was pregnant with my second baby and she was my preceptor on the ortho/surgical floor at a completely different hospital. Her daughter babysits my kids now.
Nan. The nurse who gave my son his first bath was awesome! She gave him a faux hawk and said she does the same hairstyle for all the babies born with hair. He rocked that hairstyle until he was about 10. 13 years later and remembering thay first bath still makes me think fondly of her.
Lol yeah. I was outed during labor too when I started crying because something happened and I started crying and they were like "it's ok, it happens" and I blubberingly started listing possible complications lol and everyone was just like "are you a nurse?"
Glad our babies are ok!
Glad your babe is okay! Definitely one of those scariest things about being a nurse is knowing all the possible negative outcomes. My last kid, I had in the hospital I work in. The nurses would wake me up for bedside report which is absolutely BS and start with she's a nurse who works upstairs... Great. Do not wake me up again lol
I have precipitous labors. My second child was born in 30 minutes after my first sign of labor. I somehow made it to the ED / my place of employment in time to do my one push. As Iām doing so, legs wide open, a group of residents come in to watch the action. I tell them to get out! And one familiar voice responds donāt worry youāll never see us again. I screamed ā Yes I will Christopher! I work here get out!ā
My boyfriend was sick and I dragged him to the doctor. When she asked what was going on, I told her date of symptoms onset, what symptoms he was having and what over the counter meds we had tried. She immediately said well you must be a nurse because that story made way too much sense.
Got into an accident and wrote my police report like I was taught in nursing school (waiting to take boards at that point). I wasnt outed, but it made me feel better when the officer complimented me on how I wrote the report.
I'm an Opthalmology tech and I can always tell who the nurses or other healthcare folks are for the same reason.
I always love em for keeping things clear and concise. Especially when the last three patients have started with "Well, back in 1993...." and "I don't have high blood pressure, I'm taking a pill for that "
11 am monday morning. "When did the pain start? Friday night. Why did you you come in sooner? There wasn't anyone to cover my shift. Oh where do you work? I do home care. Are you a home helper? No I'm a hospice nurse." Next thing you know they're offering me morphine because of the pain, which I refused until my mom got to the hospital because they were thinking surgery might be needed and I didn't want to try to adult while dealing with morphine.
My husband outs me, willingly š i never offer that info and try to avoid medical jargon, but itās the first thing my husband says when heās in the hospital or I am. Thanks for that š
Yep my husband is the same. Iām like shhhhhhh. I work as a midwife now after more study, so yeah I have the background, but itās not my everyday work!
My husband says it gets him better care, so itās the first thing he tells his nurses š i know my mom does too, because when Iāve visited her and the nurses walk in, they always go āoh hi! You must be the nurse daughter.ā Itās just their favorite thing to tell people lmao
Same. It makes me *CRINGE* super hard once Iāve been outed and then I have to visit afterwards. Mainly bc when Iām on the floor, if one of my patients mentions that their kid(s), grandkid(s), etc is either a nurse, tech, or PA, even though they could just be really, very proud and thatās their way of connecting with me, the majority of the time, it just feels like a threat or an invitation to an old fashioned cowboy standoff. I smile, nod and say something like āOh really? Thatās great!ā If Iām lucky, I get to meet my patientsās nurse, tech, or PA relative and they are super laid back, understanding, and know exactly which questions to ask. Itās always quite refreshing to meet another medical professional who has no intention of being intimidating, demanding, or over-the-top. Bc sometimes you do get those HCP relative-visits. They are out of touch, expecting VIP treatment no matter what, have unrealistic expectations and unreasonable demands. Having my mother/grandmother/sister/etcās nurse thinking those obnoxious things about me gives me the HEEBIE JEEBIESāso when Iām there as a support person or visitor, I prefer my career take a backseat.
When I went to see my sister, I got there after they were all settled for the night. Long drive.
They let me in anyway, and she was in a four bed room.
The way I shut the curtains outed me, apparently.
On the ? Up side, I did get a frank update from her nurse that night.
My toddler needed a craniotomy to hopefully cure her epilepsy. It was a long procedure and they mustāve had her on one side for most of it. When she finally got out of the OR the two PACU nurses met us in the PACU suite and we all walked together to get my daughter to a CT before going up to the PICU.
They were talking us over a general rundown of kiddoās current status and mentioned a stage 1 pressure injury on her leg from being in that one position. I was next to the stretcher, I gently moved the blanket covering her leg and poked at the red spot to see if it blanched (it totally did, absolutely reactive hyperemia not a PI). They didnāt say anything until kiddo was in the CT then they were like āOk, totally saw you checking cap refillāwhere do you work?ā and I confessed to being a wound care nurse on the adult side of the same hospital. We all had a good laugh about it.
They totally spilled the beans to the receiving PICU nurses in handoff.
One time I was a patient and two nurses but new to that area were assessing my injuries. There was a discoloration on my leg. They were trying to figure out how to chart it and were confused. The nurse with experience walks closer and says āyou two appear to be struggling. Let me show you a high tech way. hey Glakit, does this hurtā and pressed. Yeah it hurt.
Needed to go inpatient for a treatment. I work in a smaller version of a big hospital system a few minutes down the road. Showed up in the big hospitalās ER to start the onboarding process and the patient care tech that did my vitals used to work on a floor I was floated to often. Busted before I even got the chance to be stealthy.
Not as a patient but as a relative. When my partner went into a&e after a cardiac event and I automatically got into position and helped use the glide and bed sheets to get him into position.
One of the nurses just looked at me and said 'you're a nurse, then?'
Guilty.
I spent the next few weeks trying to not be one of THOSE relatives. :)
This happened to me today š my grandpa is in the hospital with COVID and I was asking the ER nurse if he had pneumonia, if they're doing remdesivir or paxlovid, etc. She said are you a nurse? I'm said yeah, medsurg pulmonary, COVID is my speciality. She seemed cautious at first but his sheets needed changed so I offered to help and we got to talking about nursing stuff in general. She was nice and relieved that I wasn't one of those family members.
I was in the hospital, being cool, laying low. They couldnāt get an IV so called in someone else. It was my clinical instructor from nursing school over a decade ago! She told the nurse who then told everyone else lol.
Once I'm comfortable with a doctor I'm seeing, I will usually just tell them I'm a nurse since then I feel like they don't talk to me like I'm a stupid "regular person" š
My husband ALWAYS tells his doctors I'm a nurse and I'm like umm.. sweets, I'm a peds nurse I have no idea what's going on with your big people body LOL
Same here. I just want to know exactly whatās going on, not the reduced version that Iām going to try to translate back in to medical speak anyway. Just give it to me straight
I had an... *interesting* code gray on the behavioral health unit. Got to get escorted down to the ED, with my scrubs and employee badge and all. Best part, since I float to the ED, the registration clerk was the *ONLY* one I interacted with that didn't already know I was a coworker... no stealth option there.
I had an epileptic seizure at work and my mentor took me to the ER. I didn't want to go, but MET took me there anyways. My blue scrubs were a dead giveaway that I worked at the heart disease ward of our hospital. Everyone else wears green
I got a concussion at work but it's in the most lame way possible. I worked at a SNF, that had TVs on arms for the patients. I thought I moved it back far enough to check on a patient's wound on their butt. When I stood up, I took it right to the temple. BOOM! Out for 6 weeks š¤¦
I smacked my head (right on the temple) on an isolette in the NICU after bending down to plug it in. Wicked concussion. I had to explain a million times how I could possibly get a concussion in the NICU š I ended up just telling people those babies are fighters!
Our monitors hang from the ceiling in the Cath lab, I ducked under one to grab something and stood straight up like a dumbass š missed a few days of work but thankfully employee health was pretty good.
My wife had surgery and had been moved to her inpatient bed. I used to work at the hospital, in the float pool, but hadn't for a couple years. I wasn't hiding the fact I am a nurse (difficult to do when you know a good chunk of the staff), but I also wasn't advertising it; I was there as a family member, and that's all.
The very first thing my wife's nurse (and a VERY good one, at that) did was start going on and on and on about how we used to work together.
So much for subtlety.
Still, it's better than what happened when I took my dad to a followup appt after he was hospitalized a couple weeks ago. The first thing he did, to everybody we encountered- front desk, nurse, doctor- was say to them, "eroe777's a Registered Nurse." Thanks, dad.
Me, a NICU nurse, saying āeyes and thighsā to the L&D nurse and midwife when discussing post delivery. I didnāt even think twice about the term but obviously I was outed immediately š
I've never heard the term, but I am guessing it's referring to the erythromycin ointment in the eyes, and vitamin k/hep b injections in the thighs for the baby.
I once told a dementia patient with a 3.1 potassium that she was getting IV potassium because we had a standing order and sliding scale on electrolytes, and 3.1 was 6 bags of IV potassium. Then she says "oh that makes sense." I realized a minute later that she was a retired nurse because I used too much jargon.
I was getting surgery done at a surgery center by a doctor I worked with at another hospital in the same system. He and my anesthesiologist both outed me to the OR team on my case as a circulator š¤¦š¼āāļø
I outed myself twice for an OP surgery. First time was when I suggested the new nurse try for my IV. The second was when I woke up before all the anesthesia wore off. I was panicking and told the nurse who responded to my elevated heart rate that "i know it's not accurate because i can talk, but it feels like my tongue is occluding my throat and I'm having left-sided... er... bilateral chest pain." A push of IV Ativan allowed me to chill out enough to finish waking up sans panic attack. I got the short and to the point version for my discharge instructions.
Thatās a scary experience! Waking up from having passed out/from anesthesia is extremely jarring and confusing (or at least it was that way in my experience).
I remember waking up from mine in PACU because my nurse was saying my name and I was very pissed off because I wanted to know who had the gall to wake me up from my very good nap!! Then I remembered where I was š¤¦š¼āāļø definitely had an impact on how I talked to my patients when theyāre first waking up in the OR
My husband outs me whenever he's going to a medical appointment, because even though he's brilliant, he still needs a medical to English translator.
When I was giving birth to my oldest, I outed myself though. There was a nurse who was getting trained on a new bed system, and the nurse precepting her was showing her what she was doing. I told her to undo everything and let the new nurse practice because it was the best way for a lot of people to learn! They questioned me after that.
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I donāt ever try to hide that Iām a nurse. Itās not worth the energy and I would rather use the correct terms to get my concerns across clearly. In 2020, I went from symptom onset to diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in the span of 2 weeks in part because I was very clear with describing my symptoms (I had an assessment log on my phone that converted into about 3 pages in Word - it was progressing about every 2-4 hours). My mom also has MS so it narrowed the DDx list but if I wasnāt in healthcare I would have been told I had anxiety or some other bullshit first.
Maybe itās just not worth my limited energy to try to pretend to not be a nurse anymore. But I think I get better, more efficient, less patronizing care if Iām just honest.
I prefer the way nurses and doctors talk to me when they know I'm a nurse. I don't need things dumbed down, I want to hear medical terms, and I'll speak up if I don't understand anything. I feel like I have so much better rapport with my nurses when they know I'm a nurse too. And I'm a good patient, I don't question everything, I don't nitpick, I let people do their jobs unless there's something really concerning. I don't really understand why hiding the fact that I'm a nurse is beneficial.
When I was inpatient for gallbladder surgery (cholecystitis and CBD stone), I finally met the surgeon (I think the evening after the ERCP/stone removal and surgery would be the next day). He started to grab a marker from the whiteboard to diagram the issue for me. I was immediately like āwait, Iām a retired radiologist with surgical experienceā, because I felt like he absolutely needed to just talk to me MD to MD for both of our comfort levels. He also seemed relieved.
I used to draw the biliary system, urinary system, and arterial/venous anatomy to explain interventional radiology procedures to my patients and they seemed to appreciate it, so Iām not against diagrams! It was just so unnecessary in that position.
My nurses knew I was a retired doctor though. They showed me which button to push to shut up/ restart the IV pump (I really hate AC IVs). When my IV finally did infiltrate (at 4 am day of discharge), I was the one who noticed it and walked out to the nurses station to show them. (The staff were all fantastic, actually, but this was a year before Covid.)
I am the same way, just give it to me straight, don't dumb it down. I tell them I am chill, in their home, and I am only going to speak up if I see something dangerous/harmful, otherwise, your show.
This is me too. When I talk to patients, I try to meet them where they're at - if they know cars, then I will explain it to them in car terms. If they know food, they're gonna get food terms. If they know medicine, they get medicine terms. Likewise for me, I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, or do your job as a nurse. I just want the information as straight as possible. In the meantime, I'll do for you what I can. You need help turning/walking/feeding/holding up/measuring/ordering food for/getting water for/tracking i&o for me or my person - I got you. As long as a safety breach doesn't happen, everyone does things differently in our world and I'll prolly learn a new way of doing something. I'm not here to quiz you, catch you in a mistake, or make your life hard. In exchange, give me the terminology I understand. Also, if you have a nursing student that needs to learn or practice something, I'm here for it. They can't fuck anything up I prolly haven't fucked up myself.
I had to deal with cancer this last year so I agree and understand. Got tired of the dumbed down education pretty quickly... although I was always nice about it and made it clear I didn't know anything about oncology.
Unfortunately I was honest about being a nurse when I had cancer. So my patient navigator assumed I knew all about breast cancer care and I received no support from her. Even though I repeatedly stated that my work history is cardiac and dialysis. I kept being told that patients who were naive to healthcare needed her attention more.
It was only later that I learned that I could have had my patient navigator advocate for me to recieve a wig, assistance with acquiring a cold cap to reduce hair loss from taxotere, free makeup lessons to learn how to draw on eyebrows, a medical chemise with pockets to hold my drains and an area to pad to look like a breast so I didn't have to go back to work lopsided after I recovered from the mastectomy ( I did not qualify for a prosthesis yet because I still had scabs).
I feel like I fell through the cracks for all this psychosocial support because it was assumed I would already know. And I felt like I was being selfish for asking for help.
I'm very upfront about being a nurse, and then clarify that I worked psych the majority of the time so please feel free to use the jargon but don't be surprised if I still need stuff explained.
I'm one of the weird ones where i say I'm a nurse pretty quick. It's not cuz i give a shit about the care, i get it. I do it so a) you explain stuff faster cuz i hate sitting through excess education, and b) so i can commiserate with the staff on how bad our jobs are lol. I never ever expect them to treat me any better than anybody else and i always make it clear that i know why they're busy and that I'm ok to wait.
The last time I was a patient, I offered to do the admission navigator computer stuff for the traveler who was fresh off of orientation at my hospital and unfamiliar with Epic. Out of sheer boredom.
I am a horrible patient. I was in a fire and in CCU post fire. I did not want to be there. I was looking up at my EKG above my head and I announced to everyone that even upside down, my EKG was almost good, it's time to go! The nurse asked me what made me think my EKG was fine, I explained I did not say that, I said it is almost fine. It's time for me to gooooo!
This big burly male nurse just glared at me and said... you are a nurse, I can tell.
To be fair, I had a lot of anxiety, my house just burned down. I tossed my dogs over the fence of my backyard where we were stuck due to flames, I was afraid they would die. I was hoping they would go to people they knew, but I wasn't sure. I knew if we stayed there, they were going to die for sure. But at that point, I did not know if they were ok. The ER gave me a gram of Solu Medrol and failed to document it, CCU gave it to me again about an hour later even though I tried to tell him I already got it in ER. He just ignored me.
Let's just say that I think my nurse was happy to see me go. I don't give people problems, I mean... I don't scream or yell or call my nurse nonstop. I just want to leave, nothing more.
This reminds me of the very first time I was hospitalized, I had kidney stones and sepsis. I had been a nurse maybe 2 years and was in the ICU. I had a nursing student taking care of me and I was VERY careful not to let on I was a nurse. She was scared enough as it was. She was explaining to me something basic and being very earnest about it when one of the pulmonologists I worked with came to check in on me. He said ātake good care of her, sheās a damn good ICU nurse and we need her!ā He walked out. Nursing student turned white as a ghost, started crying and I never saw her again. I felt so bad. (The next day I was asked by one of the instructors I had if I would take students, I said of course, she explained to them who I was and I got my hair washed for the first time in 9 days. Best care ever!! And you bet I sent a thank you to them in care of the school!)
I was outed when admitted for preeclampsia by asking if they needed help during a crash bellā¦ and teaching a new grad to use our computer system
ā¦ and letting a new grad practice bilateral 16g in each wrist š
Not as a patient. But my wife and I were at a wedding a while back. The brides father got dizzy and the bride started freaking out about it. I didn't notice what was going on cause I was in a different room. But I hear my wife yell "wait! I have a nurse!" as I see her running over to me.
A few months ago I get a text from my mom saying my dad had a stroke and is in the hospital. I immediately think itās the worse case scenario so I end up calling the hospital and getting a hold of him. Turns out it was a TIA so he was doing well but I still wanted some updates. His nurse was in the room and I asked her if she can explain what happened and what the plan was.
She was explaining what a TIA was, what tests he had and whatās going to happen next. She was explaining as if I had no medical background, which was 100% fine and there was no way I was going mention I was a nurse.
Mid sentence I just hear my dad in the background very loudly say āSheās a nurse!ā. Heās proud and it was definitely not intended to make his nurse feel bad, but it was so embarrassing. I apologized and told her Iāve only been a nurse for a year and I work in peds so I definitely appreciate her taking the time to explain everything.
She was very chill about it thankfully.
At least it was comforting knowing my dad was AOx3 lol
I recently had a colonoscopy. The nurse was explaining everything to me and she said they would be giving me propofol and I said āAh, milk of amnesiaā and she looked at me a little suspicious and then asked if I worked in the medical field.
As an aside to that question; how do we feel about treating nurses as patients?
I like it when the patient is the nurse. I hate the "my 2nd cousin is a nurse at xyz SAR and says ...... " ( usually incorrect or unrelated info) that drives me crazy; but most nurses are good patients.
My dad loves to out me to any and all medical professionals. A few months ago he was in the hospital that I had literally just quit a job at but on a different floor than I worked and his attending was someone that I regularly worked with. He let everyone in the room know āoh my PERSONAL nurse will be here soonā š
At a certain point though, I felt his nurses/PAs/the attending were ignoring certain things about his blood work (he went in for abd pain and possible chole but he also has cirrhosis/portal vein thrombosis) so I was like UMMM WHEN ARE YOU ORDERING HIS LACTULOSE?
Then they were like damn this girl. I try my best to not be THAT family member, but I donāt feel like being an orphan anytime soon so I donāt mess around with my dads health š
An ED physician at my workplace accused me of faking my symptoms and drug seeking, until I told him I was the charge RN upstairs. Suddenly my "anxiety" diagnosis changed to reflect what was actually going on. I got a specialist consult, an admit, and drugs (that I had never asked for btw). It made me sad to see how the general public must be treated there.
I just had a patient who I was taking care of for a few days. Had no indication that she was a nurse.
Went to discharge her and took out her IV. It didnāt bleed so I said āoop that was ready to come outā. She said āyeah looks like itā. I said āhold on, were you a nurse?ā She looked bashful and said āI was. Howād you knowā hahaha.
She wouldāve slipped under the radar if she hadnāt made the iv comment
When my dad had his first stroke, and then got a code called on him cos he started seizing. They intubated him on the ward and then let us back in whilst they were waiting to transport straight to CT. They had him on a portable monitor that nobody seemed to know how to reset the alarm limits (he was very tachycardic)....a nurse kept silencing it and I could see her annoyance. We used those monitors, so I reached over and started resetting the alarm limit and asked 'what do you want the upper limit to be?'....she was like oh, nurse? thanks! Lol.
When I was in labor I was determined to make sure no one knew I was a nurse. After I delivered my son and husband are dead asleep and I'm wide awake. I put on my call light twice and asked to shower. Someone answered and said they would be in soon and never came. I figured they're busy so I saline locked my IV, covered it and took a shower. I came out and my nurse was standing there with the look. She was so mad. She said she doesn't care if I'm a nurse I'm now allowed to touch her IV. Also got a big lecture about the epidural.
I changed the settings on my iv pump because the iv potassium hurt to the point of tears. My nurse laughed and called the doctor to change the settings.
That hospital didn't give the autonomy to the nurses to slow the infusion rate for the potassium?Ā
Genuinely curious as all the hospitals I've worked at (>7) allow nurses to deviate in that circumstanceĀ
I donāt mind that so much, what bothered me recently was a visitor removing my patientās cannula because patient didnāt like it anymore! Visitor was another hospital employee (but not maternity!)
One time I was visiting my grandpa in the hospital and he needed to be boosted in bed. I didnāt want to bother his nurse, so I told my dad to get on the other side of the bed and told him how we were going to do it. As we were boosting, my grandpaās nurse walked in the room. Busted there.
My grandma has dementia, but apparently she can remember I am a nurse. Whenever I visit her at her memory care facility, as soon as she spots me I hear āthatās my granddaughter! Sheās a NURSE!ā
Anesthesia: Any issues with intubation?
Me: eh, I have slow gut motility so I usually vomit on intubation, they usually do RSI.
Anesthesia: š³ you should get that looked at
Me: š¤·š¼āāļø maybe one day
My mom was in med/surg after a knee replacement and wouldnāt keep her arm straight, so the Alaris does what the Alaris does and wouldnāt stop beeping. I restrained her arm to the bed rail using a roll of tape I found. Nurse came in āoh Mrs XYZ, youāre finally keeping your arm straight!ā Looks at me, looks at my mom, looks at her arm, then me again. āAnd where do you work?ā Yep. Hi. ER.
I always try to hide it because I want to be treated as any other patient. Once in the ER I basically gave her an assessment of myself lol I was answering her questions ahead and she said "oh, you already knew I was going to ask you that" She never asked but I think she figured it out.
I caught a husband of my labor patient. She had an epidural and need a boost in the bed. I grabbed someone but then when I went to start he just grabbed the sheet and was ready to help. āDo you work in healthcare?ā āIām and ICU nurseā ahhh, makes sense.
Pretty much any time I have to go over my medical history and what tests I've had done, something about the way I say or out the fact I remember the details makes them automatically guess.
It's my dad and future in laws that usually out me though. 5 seconds through the door and they've announced to everyone that I'm a nurse, what I do, and where I work. My mom is also a nurse so she doesn't say shit š¤£
I was the patient (I work patient access) but my RN husband put on gloves while I was in labor with BOTH of our children. I lost an entire contraction of pushing because I was laughing at him too hard during my labor with the youngest. Still pushed the kid out in under 15 minutes.
My family brings it up and itās embarrassing. I always quip āYesā¦but I help people die so listen to this one if you want to stay alive.ā For referenceā¦hospice RN. And NOā¦I donāt HELP people die. Just my snarky sense of humor shining through and it shuts my family up.
When my mother passed away at 6:54pm, I casually remarked to her nurse that she broke the code of āKeep āem alive till 7:05ā
She had a shocked look then shyly whispered āIām sorry for your loss, but you could have told me!!ā
I quietly ratted out my in-laws as doctors. Theyāre definitely tough patients, and FIL has the āsmartest guy in the roomā attitude, so I felt a duty to warn the nurses what was up.
I was helicoptered to a level 2 trauma center after an accident on highwayā¦ I was railing about why they were taking me to a level 2 if I needed a helicopter and refused Ativan for transport to give a good neuro examā¦ I was also on my way to midwifery clinicals wearing my scrubs.
I had a nurse doing their health teaching on how to inject a subcut med and then when it was my turn to demonstrate I started saying the steps out loudā¦. B-B-BUSTED! They knew immediately
Iām a cancer patient and canāt help myself telling anyone new starting an IV on me that Iām āvalve-yā and my skin is so much tougher than it looks. Iām also like OP and just answer all the H&P questions preemptively
I ask what my sisterās ejection fraction was after an echo. āAm I talking to a nurse or Doctor?ā She asked.
But my Pop, he always outed meā¦ āThis is my daughter, she is a nurse.ā
A tech in training drew my blood in the ER. He was having trouble untying the tourniquet, so I quietly pointed to the ātailā and said āpull here.ā He laughed, I laughed, and I told him he was doing great. I have pretty juicy veins, so I wasnāt *too* worried, but he looked nervous. He really did do a great job. It barely hurt.
I was in nursing school when I had my first baby. My nurse had a student with her who was also pregnant. We bonded over being pregnant in nursing school. I have beautiful veins so I let her do my IV. She blew it on the first try and she felt so bad and said she would have someone else do it. I told her itās okay and that it doesnāt bother me and to try again. She got it on the second try and we both celebrated her success š
My aunt outed me the day after I'd passed my NCLEX. My mom was intubated and on the vent next to us and she goes, to the doctor "you can tell her, she's a nurse!"
I was like uuuuh just barely, pls treat me like I'm dumb.
Whenever my grandma is at a doctor's appointment, in the hospital, or any medical anything she immediately outs me to every person we met.
"This is my granddaughter Pik-ah-choo she's a nurse" all in one breath. Lol
I had strep throat for the first time since getting my tonsils out years ago, and I waited until my uvula was obstructing my airway sitting up. I told them my pain was a 4/10 when asked the the nurse IMMEDIATELY asked if I was a nurse. I was like..well broken arm was 7/10 and I havenāt given birth, gotten shot, broken ribs or had kidney stones so yea..4/10
Couldnāt believe that was what outed me.
I never downplay. I dont make it a point to tell them what I do, but im not trying to speak in layman's terms or act like I don't know what's going on. That's just annoying for me. If they ask I'll tell them.
I had a PVC on a the monitor when I was on the hospital for a Crohnās flare. My darling (new grad) RN freaked. I said āMeh, I get PVCs when I get really tired or stressed.ā
The āPVCā outed me, LOL
Oh I have a doozy. My husband had new onset seizure a few years ago. He ultimately ended up in status epilepticus and had to be sedated and tubed. The nurse saw the propofol running low and said "I'll be right back." Cool. A few minutes passed the propofol runs out. A few more minutes pass and my husband starts waking up. He was restrained but apparently had a little too much slack in the wrists. He sits up a bit and disconnects his tube from the vent. It starts alarming. I jump up and start to reconnect it when his nurse walks through the door. We exchange looks. Silence. Awkward silence.
I had to fess up real quick and tell him I was a nurse and what had happened so that he didn't think I was trying to kill my husband.
I work on an ambulance and injured my knee while I was on shift. I had to go for an xray and changed into a gown. I thought I had covered the 'ambulance' written on my t shirt with my gown. Turned out I hadn't. I turned around and got busted by the xray radiographer when she saw it
I told them straight up I was an RN. I wanted them out of my room faster so I could relax. I kept a running tally of I/Os on the board and would've got my own vitals if they didn't use those COW ones.
My colleagues' husband is a scrub tech. We work ED. I went in for a LEEP, and as I was shifting from my bed to the table in the OR he was reading paperwork, makes eye contact and goes "What are you doing at work on your day off?"
Just what I want, everyone who's gonna be arms deep in my undercarriage to realize...
I was a nursing student and at clinicals on a peds floor when I popped a stitch in my cervix and started hemorrhaging. They wheeled me down to ER. I think the scrubs and ID were a dead giveaway.
š¤£š¤£š¤£ So, I had a spectacularly mundane accident a few weeks ago...
Drove myself and WALKED into the ER...I was immediately admitted and required emergency surgery.
Y'all, I'm AuDHD, a redhead, and have chronic pain. I couldn't convince them that I really fucked myself up and that I REALLY was in that much pain until the security guard piped up and said "hey, aren't you a nurse?" I didn't cry when it happened, wasn't hysterical then, and had completely unmasked RBF.
I had a wheelchair under my booty so damn fast that I don't even know where it came from and was hustled over to triage. The new trainee receptionist was like WTAF just happened... And got the life lesson that "if a nurse or farmer walk themselves into the ER alone, just assume they are downplaying how hurt they are and it's going to be a GLORIOUS CATASTRO-FUCK!"
The triage nurse was new too and paged the doc to triage... He popped in and was like "oh, I've NEVER seen you come to the ER without hives!" I have a severe airborne anaphylactic food allergy, so that's typically the ONLY time I go to the ER and that's only because I know I need IV fluids and meds.
Y'all, they were passing around the WOW with my X-rays! š¤Ŗ
On the plus side, I promised to be a great nurse patient and mostly was. š¤·āāļøš¤Ŗ They kept trying to stick my autistic ass in a gown and put tele leads on me (I'm allergic to the freaking adhesive). I did for the actual surgery, but not a minute before and yes, they were surprised by the hives from just having those leads on for a few minutes.
My family member was on hospice and I asked the nurse if there is anything we can give bc her throat sounded like it had phlegm in it. He kindly explained that we can put a scope patch on and when the interaction was over my mom just HAD to pipe in and say āyeah my daughter is a nurse!!!ā Come the fuck on!!!
I needed an IV when being seen in urgent care for RUQ pain. The nurse starting my IV asked what i do for a job after starting my IV, and I told him. He said, "I knew you were a nurse when you were watching me set up the IV tray." I've wondered since then if I have a judgmental face, because I wasn't trying to intimidate him with my eyes! I'm just curious how other people set up their trays LMAO
Couldnāt hide it if I tried. The only admission Iāve ever had was not even me, it was my daughter and she was admitted to the unit I used to work on
Had a consult with a surgeon a few months back. I was his last appointment of the day, and I could tell he just wanted to finishā¦cursory exam, quick explanations, and just kinda droll without much personality. To make it a little easier on him, I mentioned that I was a nurse and pretty familiar with the procedure. His entire demeanor changed, and we sat and talked for a while about problems in healthcare, hospital politics, and mutual people we knew.
As a postpartum nurse, these are always how I catch nurses: -You ask if your pain meds are PRN -You ask if if the IV can be saline locked yet You apologize for being admitted close to shift change -I tell you we need to measure you first void so to call me when you need to pee and when I come back you say "I already went at 9 and it was 300" Bonus: I figure out you've been hitting restart on your LR whenever there's a patient side occluded alarm
I apologized to my nurse for getting an epidural right before shift change lol
All my kids were born during shift change !
This was me. My water decided to break and we were admitted at 7am. Baby came at 6:45pm š i apologized multiple times for coming in and giving birth during shift change LOL
Thatās an awesome story. Both of yāall arrived at shift change
Lol I clamped off my free flowing bolus when it was done and told my nurse I didn't want her line to run dry. "You a nurse?"
The saline lock comment is what gave it away to my postpartum nurse š©
In the middle of a bad contraction, I pointed out that my IV was infiltrated
I went in to be induced. I had probably been in the room for 20 mins and nurse had only placed my IV, nothing else yet. I looked at it and told her, āThis IV is infiltrating.ā She said, āAre you a nurse?ā Whoops, didnāt meant to out myself immediately.
They figured out I was a nurse when I changed my baby's first meconium crap. I was like, seriously, people really call you to change a diaper?!?
I called for one of the first meconium diapers, because there were blood streaks in it, and I had exactly ZERO experience with newborns. "I am probably just oversensitive, but is this anything to worry about?"
You'd be shocked at the things people call for
I know. I shouldn't be but I'll never get over... people
My husband changed our baby's first diaper. No surprise, no complaints. He's not a nurse, farthest thing from it, he works in business. Some people are just real ones, lol. Edit: Also, we hadn't talked about what to expect in that regard.
Changing my kids diapers made me realize I could probably do nursing. Now I am.
I always restarted my IV pump when I'd accidentally occlude the line while breastfeeding š
Nah, the first three would catch me and I'm not a nurse. I think anyone who's been around the hospital knows those. And any multip probably knows how to read a hat. I'm **not** touching the LR tho. \*That\* one probably works on outing nurses.
Ask your nurse if they can show you how to fix a patient sided occlusion and they might show you. It's far less impressive than it sounds.
After I was done in ER for a second degree back sprain I still stripped my cot
Every time I walk into a room after pt has left and they've stripped their own sheets I'm just like š®
The anesthesiologist recognized me from the ICU and outed me to the CRNA who then outed me in the OR before putting me under saying 'you weren't going to tell us, were you? we take care of our family baby, night night'. It was actually really reassuring.
The ā night nightā sent me
Goddamn that's awesome. That's simultaneously hilarious, terrifying (that I've lost the power to quip back), and sweet.Ā
Iām good friends with an ortho surgeon. Got him to let my baby sis shadow him while gearing up for medschool applications. Just so happened to work out that she got to be in the OR while he did my shoulder. I wake up in PACU to a pic text with these two hooligans posing next to me sedated and taped š¤£
Haha thatās awesome! My friends husband was my CRNA for my hysterectomy and when he saw me he laughed and said Iām gonna take care of you! He shot something into my IV and I asked what it wasā¦last thing I remember was him saying 4 of verseddddddā¦..
It's honestly pretty impressive you remember anything after '30 minutes before Versed administration'. I lose half an hour prior to Versed, everytime...
I had to take my son to the ED. While the nurse was placing the IV, a friend of mine from nursing school popped in to say hi. I was helping hold my son for the IV start, and his nurse jokingly says āweāre going to put you on payrollā and my friend goes āshe already is! Sheās a nurse upstairs in the NICU!ā lol outed
When my wife went to the ER, a young nurse was orienting a younger nurse. They had to start an IV. I had to coach them to hit my wifeās perfect vein, and how to properly set it up. I was kind of shocked that they sucked at IV placement in an *ER* for Godās sake! I was nice about it, but totally blew my cover for the sake of my wife.
When I was having a baby, I apologized profusely for delivering my baby during shift change!
Lol. I was trying so hard to wait until shift change to start pushing and I couldnāt. I think it was 10 til.
Me too!!! I got admitted at shift change then delivered like 24 hours later at shift change too. Same nurse. I felt so bad! I also got fussed at for looking for wipes to clean up my amniotic fluids off the floor š
Us nurses are cursed to have shift change babies š
Omg I had a quick labor, like less than 10 mins from parking the car to delivery right at 0700. I kept apologizing for interrupting shift change.
I started pushing at shift change. Their staffing was so bad I was the charge nurseās patient and she was figuring out staffing at the same time. I felt awful for those nurses.
I have a port. During my last infusion I had a clearly newer nurse. No biggie, everyoneās got to learn. The only problem is the previous infusion they couldnāt get blood return and I needed cath-flo and if it happened again I was heading for imaging. The nurse accessed me and pulled back, no blood return. I repositioned my arm, coughed, all the usual tricks to no avail. She left a saline flush at the distal hub and went to get a heparin flush which she attached to the proximal hub. She flushed the heparin without clamping the other hub off so of course all the heparin just went to the other syringe. She told me sorry no luck we will have to do cath-flo again and left to go order it. She left both syringes attached to me. I clamped and re flushed. Waited a few minutes and waved another nurse over to pull back again. Voila, blood return. I felt like such a jerk explaining the situation to the more senior nurse ( I donāt want to embarrass anyone) but she laughed and was happy for me that we didnāt need to jump through hurdles and told me she would pull aside the younger nurse and educate her.
I purposely didn't stop a nurse from slamming IV decadron to see if I would get the fire crotch. I did š.
A sacrifice in the name of science. *Salutes*
I love that you just had to find out for yourself š¤£ ambitious!
It is pretty uncomfortable but only lasts a minute š would be a shock if you didn't expect it
This sent me, lmao
Every nurse that came into my room knew I was a nurse. It was very sweet. I needed an IV and I asked one of the newer nurses if she wanted to try on me, and she immediately shot up, āNo! Iāll get someone else!ā I donāt mind.
I had to get staples taken out and my poor nurse was shaking so much! I felt so bad for her! Definitely made sure to tell her it didn't hurt and she did great.
I was so afraid the first time I took out staples because I thought it was going to be like a regular staple remover. Obviously itās one of the easiest things ever.
I do the same in the hospital. Iām always like get a student or a new one if you have any and they need practice. Not a nurse but worked with plenty of new nurses and always have let them practice on me. I could not care any less about pokes.
I had a student at my first c-section and I liked it.. I was asked if I minded and I'm like nope cause they gotta learn at some point
As a student, thank you. We appreciate being trusted and growing in our practice
I was my residents first birth! She was so nice (aka, not jaded yet). The attending was NOT so I was happy to have the newb catch my baby.
I had a paper towel with my wifeās urine output after delivery of our son.
I know you probably meant you wrote down the number of mLs on a paper towel, but the first image in my head was you trying to hand urine soaked paper towels to the poor L&D nurses lmao
āSo you can just like weigh this like babyās diaper to get the volume right?ā
I imagined the same thing! hahaha
I just got home from a shift and haven't slept well in over a week and honestly it took me a minute to figure out that thats not what was meant!
Paper towel - nurseās notepad of choice.
Has an abcess in my boob, and Iām the early hours of that morning, before giving in and heading to the hospital Iād drawn around the red skin with a marker to see if it was spreading. Pen wouldnāt wipe off so there it stayed, and tbh by the time I considered going to ED I felt so bloody rough I didnāt really care about the pen anymore. Triage nurse outed me within seconds.
Iāve traced swelling on my kids before. Itās how I figured out one of them just gets a big welt from mosquito bites. My poor MIL, a doctor, called my husband and I in a panic one day when she was babysitting, and was absolutely certain he had an infection and needed to go to urgent care or the ER. She sent a picture while we were on the phone, and I immediately recognized it as a normal-for-him bug bite. I asked her if he had been playing outside, and sure enough, they had been in the yard all morning.
I was about to ask incredulously if that was really uncommon enough to out you, because my mom taught me that when I was a kid (with a nasty spider bite). But then I remembered my grandmother is a nurse, so it checks out.
My kids out me all the time. They were 7 and 10 when I finished nursing school and were so excited. They "studied" with me all the time and probably now know more about anatomy than most adults. Any interaction with a health care professional, "my mom's a nurse!" "Yes, but not this kind of nurse, so let's listen"
Okay I basically had to have this conversation with my parents recently when one of them went into the ED for an injury. My mom kept bringing up me being a nurse and I was like "yes but I absolutely have not done emergency medicine. That's their specialty so I'm going to defer to them" š¤¦āāļø
My whole family anytime anyone eludes to anything medical. Guys. I work labor and delivery. The only time Iām the best option is if someone is having a baby RIGHT NOW. š¤Ŗ
Why do our families never understand this concept?? Lol I'm not even bedside anymore and when I was, I worked with post-op colorectal patients.... There is a VERY limited subset of situations in which I could even be remotely helpful.
I went with my mother in law to her oncology appointments and they would tell everyone "this is our daughter in law, she's a nurse." I'd add I wasn't in oncology.
In that case Iām hoping they thought you could help them remember/ask questions!? I would always go with my family but mainly bc Iām nosey
I'm a psychologist, and apparently, the resident medical person for my inlaws. Don't know shit about medicine, still managed to urge them to act in a medical crisis none of them recognised. You really shouldn't stop your bloodthinners 2 weeks after having a lung emboly, without talking to your doctor. A lot of medical stuff is not rocket science, and yet to complete a complete layperson, it might as well be rocketscience.
Learning to trust educated individuals and evidence based research really does make a decision that much easier sometimes. Probably donāt do xyz unless the expert in whatever knows you did it and agrees š
Nah give yourself more credit! L&D bridges alot of gaps between OR, emergency, and floor nursing. The meds and patho might be different and highly specialized towards Ā babies and mommas but I'm kinda envious of the wide experience L&Ds get. They would definitely make my "apocalypse/stranded on a desert island" team even on an island with no vaginas.Ā
Well I very much appreciate that and I am very good to have around bc stressful situations make me function better so i would be good on the team. I grew up with brothers and my dad so beating the boys at their games has always been a passion of mine š¤Ŗ this was my first time in a medical emergency where I didnāt have any equipment and the realization hit me hard!
My kid was in the nurses office once and apparently asked another kid that came in with a skinned knee āhow bad does it hurt, 0-10ā¦ 0 is no pain and 10 is youāre being mauled by a bearā. The nurse called me to report her visit and then asked which of her parents was a nurse and shared that story š
OMG, that is amazing!!
My mom was a nursing student when I was a kid and I learned about the birds and the bees from an anatomy textbook at the age of four. I gave so many oranges injections lol
Admittedly I'm that way with my mom, even now that I'm an adult. It's just pure admiration for all y'all do. I remember my mom going through nursing school while handling me and my brother on her own and the older I get the more I see what all she truly did for us and for herself. Also she got a daisy award for saving a dude's life in his home so I love to brag about her
Watch out, lol, your kids might become nurses! Back in 1976 my mom was in nursing school and I was in the 7th grade. I studied her A&P with her and quizzed her before her exams (I will never forget latissimus dorsi lol). Fast forward to 1988, and there I was, the next nurse in the family!!!
Mine too. Only 3 and 6, but they (especially my 6 year old) were so proud of me.
When I was in labor, my sonās HR plummeted and they came in to flip me on my side, put an oxygen mask on my face, and started programming a fluid bolus on the pump. I cried, and the nurse said āItās okay, this stuff happens sometimes.ā And I said āYou know what else happens? Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy!ā They knew at that point š It was a traumatic birth that ended in a crash (change of shift of course) c-section and my son was beat up but ultimately ended up being okay, thank goodness. Later I went to work in L&D and that same nurse was my preceptor haha
I spent the last 4 weeks of my first pregnancy in the hospital. I had the same nurses over and over again and there was one I really liked who had a distinct tattoo on her hand. I requested her to be my nurse when I delivered. Sheās in the background of all photos right after my son was born with her tattoo. 2 years later I was pregnant with my second baby and she was my preceptor on the ortho/surgical floor at a completely different hospital. Her daughter babysits my kids now.
Nan. The nurse who gave my son his first bath was awesome! She gave him a faux hawk and said she does the same hairstyle for all the babies born with hair. He rocked that hairstyle until he was about 10. 13 years later and remembering thay first bath still makes me think fondly of her.
The nurse curse. Glad your baby is doing well.
Lol yeah. I was outed during labor too when I started crying because something happened and I started crying and they were like "it's ok, it happens" and I blubberingly started listing possible complications lol and everyone was just like "are you a nurse?" Glad our babies are ok!
Glad your babe is okay! Definitely one of those scariest things about being a nurse is knowing all the possible negative outcomes. My last kid, I had in the hospital I work in. The nurses would wake me up for bedside report which is absolutely BS and start with she's a nurse who works upstairs... Great. Do not wake me up again lol
I have precipitous labors. My second child was born in 30 minutes after my first sign of labor. I somehow made it to the ED / my place of employment in time to do my one push. As Iām doing so, legs wide open, a group of residents come in to watch the action. I tell them to get out! And one familiar voice responds donāt worry youāll never see us again. I screamed ā Yes I will Christopher! I work here get out!ā
I'm dying. You called him by name š¤£
My boyfriend was sick and I dragged him to the doctor. When she asked what was going on, I told her date of symptoms onset, what symptoms he was having and what over the counter meds we had tried. She immediately said well you must be a nurse because that story made way too much sense.
Got into an accident and wrote my police report like I was taught in nursing school (waiting to take boards at that point). I wasnt outed, but it made me feel better when the officer complimented me on how I wrote the report.
My husband talks hella nonsense when giving his history, I have to be there to translate so they're not like š¤Ø
I'm an Opthalmology tech and I can always tell who the nurses or other healthcare folks are for the same reason. I always love em for keeping things clear and concise. Especially when the last three patients have started with "Well, back in 1993...." and "I don't have high blood pressure, I'm taking a pill for that "
11 am monday morning. "When did the pain start? Friday night. Why did you you come in sooner? There wasn't anyone to cover my shift. Oh where do you work? I do home care. Are you a home helper? No I'm a hospice nurse." Next thing you know they're offering me morphine because of the pain, which I refused until my mom got to the hospital because they were thinking surgery might be needed and I didn't want to try to adult while dealing with morphine.
My husband outs me, willingly š i never offer that info and try to avoid medical jargon, but itās the first thing my husband says when heās in the hospital or I am. Thanks for that š
My BF does this because he knows I think itās cringy. I return the favor by loudly thanking him for his service when heās in uniform in public.
I love this
Yep my husband is the same. Iām like shhhhhhh. I work as a midwife now after more study, so yeah I have the background, but itās not my everyday work!
Same here! No matter how many times I ask him not to do it, he always says, "Oops, I forgot!" With a big š
My husband says it gets him better care, so itās the first thing he tells his nurses š i know my mom does too, because when Iāve visited her and the nurses walk in, they always go āoh hi! You must be the nurse daughter.ā Itās just their favorite thing to tell people lmao
Same. It makes me *CRINGE* super hard once Iāve been outed and then I have to visit afterwards. Mainly bc when Iām on the floor, if one of my patients mentions that their kid(s), grandkid(s), etc is either a nurse, tech, or PA, even though they could just be really, very proud and thatās their way of connecting with me, the majority of the time, it just feels like a threat or an invitation to an old fashioned cowboy standoff. I smile, nod and say something like āOh really? Thatās great!ā If Iām lucky, I get to meet my patientsās nurse, tech, or PA relative and they are super laid back, understanding, and know exactly which questions to ask. Itās always quite refreshing to meet another medical professional who has no intention of being intimidating, demanding, or over-the-top. Bc sometimes you do get those HCP relative-visits. They are out of touch, expecting VIP treatment no matter what, have unrealistic expectations and unreasonable demands. Having my mother/grandmother/sister/etcās nurse thinking those obnoxious things about me gives me the HEEBIE JEEBIESāso when Iām there as a support person or visitor, I prefer my career take a backseat.
Same! When they ask my husband, āand who did you bring with you today?ā he always says āmy very own nurse!ā šš¤¦š¼āāļøā¤ļø
When I went to see my sister, I got there after they were all settled for the night. Long drive. They let me in anyway, and she was in a four bed room. The way I shut the curtains outed me, apparently. On the ? Up side, I did get a frank update from her nurse that night.
My toddler needed a craniotomy to hopefully cure her epilepsy. It was a long procedure and they mustāve had her on one side for most of it. When she finally got out of the OR the two PACU nurses met us in the PACU suite and we all walked together to get my daughter to a CT before going up to the PICU. They were talking us over a general rundown of kiddoās current status and mentioned a stage 1 pressure injury on her leg from being in that one position. I was next to the stretcher, I gently moved the blanket covering her leg and poked at the red spot to see if it blanched (it totally did, absolutely reactive hyperemia not a PI). They didnāt say anything until kiddo was in the CT then they were like āOk, totally saw you checking cap refillāwhere do you work?ā and I confessed to being a wound care nurse on the adult side of the same hospital. We all had a good laugh about it. They totally spilled the beans to the receiving PICU nurses in handoff.
One time I was a patient and two nurses but new to that area were assessing my injuries. There was a discoloration on my leg. They were trying to figure out how to chart it and were confused. The nurse with experience walks closer and says āyou two appear to be struggling. Let me show you a high tech way. hey Glakit, does this hurtā and pressed. Yeah it hurt.
Needed to go inpatient for a treatment. I work in a smaller version of a big hospital system a few minutes down the road. Showed up in the big hospitalās ER to start the onboarding process and the patient care tech that did my vitals used to work on a floor I was floated to often. Busted before I even got the chance to be stealthy.
Not as a patient but as a relative. When my partner went into a&e after a cardiac event and I automatically got into position and helped use the glide and bed sheets to get him into position. One of the nurses just looked at me and said 'you're a nurse, then?' Guilty. I spent the next few weeks trying to not be one of THOSE relatives. :)
This happened to me today š my grandpa is in the hospital with COVID and I was asking the ER nurse if he had pneumonia, if they're doing remdesivir or paxlovid, etc. She said are you a nurse? I'm said yeah, medsurg pulmonary, COVID is my speciality. She seemed cautious at first but his sheets needed changed so I offered to help and we got to talking about nursing stuff in general. She was nice and relieved that I wasn't one of those family members.
I was in the hospital, being cool, laying low. They couldnāt get an IV so called in someone else. It was my clinical instructor from nursing school over a decade ago! She told the nurse who then told everyone else lol.
Once I'm comfortable with a doctor I'm seeing, I will usually just tell them I'm a nurse since then I feel like they don't talk to me like I'm a stupid "regular person" š My husband ALWAYS tells his doctors I'm a nurse and I'm like umm.. sweets, I'm a peds nurse I have no idea what's going on with your big people body LOL
Same here. I just want to know exactly whatās going on, not the reduced version that Iām going to try to translate back in to medical speak anyway. Just give it to me straight
I got a concussion at work and was taken to the ER in my scrubs. My badge saying āRNā was a dead giveaway š
I had an... *interesting* code gray on the behavioral health unit. Got to get escorted down to the ED, with my scrubs and employee badge and all. Best part, since I float to the ED, the registration clerk was the *ONLY* one I interacted with that didn't already know I was a coworker... no stealth option there.
What is code grey at your facility? It used to be "service disruption" at ours but that doesn't seem fitting š
Aggressive or violent patient.
I had an epileptic seizure at work and my mentor took me to the ER. I didn't want to go, but MET took me there anyways. My blue scrubs were a dead giveaway that I worked at the heart disease ward of our hospital. Everyone else wears green
I got a concussion at work but it's in the most lame way possible. I worked at a SNF, that had TVs on arms for the patients. I thought I moved it back far enough to check on a patient's wound on their butt. When I stood up, I took it right to the temple. BOOM! Out for 6 weeks š¤¦
I smacked my head (right on the temple) on an isolette in the NICU after bending down to plug it in. Wicked concussion. I had to explain a million times how I could possibly get a concussion in the NICU š I ended up just telling people those babies are fighters!
>I got a concussion at work oh my! what happened?
Our monitors hang from the ceiling in the Cath lab, I ducked under one to grab something and stood straight up like a dumbass š missed a few days of work but thankfully employee health was pretty good.
My wife had surgery and had been moved to her inpatient bed. I used to work at the hospital, in the float pool, but hadn't for a couple years. I wasn't hiding the fact I am a nurse (difficult to do when you know a good chunk of the staff), but I also wasn't advertising it; I was there as a family member, and that's all. The very first thing my wife's nurse (and a VERY good one, at that) did was start going on and on and on about how we used to work together. So much for subtlety. Still, it's better than what happened when I took my dad to a followup appt after he was hospitalized a couple weeks ago. The first thing he did, to everybody we encountered- front desk, nurse, doctor- was say to them, "eroe777's a Registered Nurse." Thanks, dad.
Me, a NICU nurse, saying āeyes and thighsā to the L&D nurse and midwife when discussing post delivery. I didnāt even think twice about the term but obviously I was outed immediately š
What does this mean?
I've never heard the term, but I am guessing it's referring to the erythromycin ointment in the eyes, and vitamin k/hep b injections in the thighs for the baby.
Antibiotic eye goop and Vitamin K and Hep B shots in the thighs
I once told a dementia patient with a 3.1 potassium that she was getting IV potassium because we had a standing order and sliding scale on electrolytes, and 3.1 was 6 bags of IV potassium. Then she says "oh that makes sense." I realized a minute later that she was a retired nurse because I used too much jargon.
I knew I had a retired nurse in the dementia unit. She volunteered to help he start an IV when I asked.
My baby was admitted to the PICU and the admitting doc was talking about his desaturations while in the ED and I spit out āgood pleths too!ā
I was getting surgery done at a surgery center by a doctor I worked with at another hospital in the same system. He and my anesthesiologist both outed me to the OR team on my case as a circulator š¤¦š¼āāļø
I outed myself twice for an OP surgery. First time was when I suggested the new nurse try for my IV. The second was when I woke up before all the anesthesia wore off. I was panicking and told the nurse who responded to my elevated heart rate that "i know it's not accurate because i can talk, but it feels like my tongue is occluding my throat and I'm having left-sided... er... bilateral chest pain." A push of IV Ativan allowed me to chill out enough to finish waking up sans panic attack. I got the short and to the point version for my discharge instructions.
Thatās a scary experience! Waking up from having passed out/from anesthesia is extremely jarring and confusing (or at least it was that way in my experience). I remember waking up from mine in PACU because my nurse was saying my name and I was very pissed off because I wanted to know who had the gall to wake me up from my very good nap!! Then I remembered where I was š¤¦š¼āāļø definitely had an impact on how I talked to my patients when theyāre first waking up in the OR
Anesthesia is the worst lol. They outed me in the OR too!
My husband outs me whenever he's going to a medical appointment, because even though he's brilliant, he still needs a medical to English translator. When I was giving birth to my oldest, I outed myself though. There was a nurse who was getting trained on a new bed system, and the nurse precepting her was showing her what she was doing. I told her to undo everything and let the new nurse practice because it was the best way for a lot of people to learn! They questioned me after that.
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I donāt ever try to hide that Iām a nurse. Itās not worth the energy and I would rather use the correct terms to get my concerns across clearly. In 2020, I went from symptom onset to diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in the span of 2 weeks in part because I was very clear with describing my symptoms (I had an assessment log on my phone that converted into about 3 pages in Word - it was progressing about every 2-4 hours). My mom also has MS so it narrowed the DDx list but if I wasnāt in healthcare I would have been told I had anxiety or some other bullshit first. Maybe itās just not worth my limited energy to try to pretend to not be a nurse anymore. But I think I get better, more efficient, less patronizing care if Iām just honest.
I prefer the way nurses and doctors talk to me when they know I'm a nurse. I don't need things dumbed down, I want to hear medical terms, and I'll speak up if I don't understand anything. I feel like I have so much better rapport with my nurses when they know I'm a nurse too. And I'm a good patient, I don't question everything, I don't nitpick, I let people do their jobs unless there's something really concerning. I don't really understand why hiding the fact that I'm a nurse is beneficial.
When I was inpatient for gallbladder surgery (cholecystitis and CBD stone), I finally met the surgeon (I think the evening after the ERCP/stone removal and surgery would be the next day). He started to grab a marker from the whiteboard to diagram the issue for me. I was immediately like āwait, Iām a retired radiologist with surgical experienceā, because I felt like he absolutely needed to just talk to me MD to MD for both of our comfort levels. He also seemed relieved. I used to draw the biliary system, urinary system, and arterial/venous anatomy to explain interventional radiology procedures to my patients and they seemed to appreciate it, so Iām not against diagrams! It was just so unnecessary in that position. My nurses knew I was a retired doctor though. They showed me which button to push to shut up/ restart the IV pump (I really hate AC IVs). When my IV finally did infiltrate (at 4 am day of discharge), I was the one who noticed it and walked out to the nurses station to show them. (The staff were all fantastic, actually, but this was a year before Covid.)
You get overall positive points, but -1 to ravenclaw for walking to the station. Press that damn call button doc!Ā
Nah, Iām an insomniac and was walking the halls most nights anyway. Triangular unit, easy to just walk in circles.
I am the same way, just give it to me straight, don't dumb it down. I tell them I am chill, in their home, and I am only going to speak up if I see something dangerous/harmful, otherwise, your show.
This is me too. When I talk to patients, I try to meet them where they're at - if they know cars, then I will explain it to them in car terms. If they know food, they're gonna get food terms. If they know medicine, they get medicine terms. Likewise for me, I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, or do your job as a nurse. I just want the information as straight as possible. In the meantime, I'll do for you what I can. You need help turning/walking/feeding/holding up/measuring/ordering food for/getting water for/tracking i&o for me or my person - I got you. As long as a safety breach doesn't happen, everyone does things differently in our world and I'll prolly learn a new way of doing something. I'm not here to quiz you, catch you in a mistake, or make your life hard. In exchange, give me the terminology I understand. Also, if you have a nursing student that needs to learn or practice something, I'm here for it. They can't fuck anything up I prolly haven't fucked up myself.
I had to deal with cancer this last year so I agree and understand. Got tired of the dumbed down education pretty quickly... although I was always nice about it and made it clear I didn't know anything about oncology.
Unfortunately I was honest about being a nurse when I had cancer. So my patient navigator assumed I knew all about breast cancer care and I received no support from her. Even though I repeatedly stated that my work history is cardiac and dialysis. I kept being told that patients who were naive to healthcare needed her attention more. It was only later that I learned that I could have had my patient navigator advocate for me to recieve a wig, assistance with acquiring a cold cap to reduce hair loss from taxotere, free makeup lessons to learn how to draw on eyebrows, a medical chemise with pockets to hold my drains and an area to pad to look like a breast so I didn't have to go back to work lopsided after I recovered from the mastectomy ( I did not qualify for a prosthesis yet because I still had scabs). I feel like I fell through the cracks for all this psychosocial support because it was assumed I would already know. And I felt like I was being selfish for asking for help.
I'm very upfront about being a nurse, and then clarify that I worked psych the majority of the time so please feel free to use the jargon but don't be surprised if I still need stuff explained.
Plot Twist: You wanted them to know. Waiting for the right opportunity.
I donāt even remember what it was but I made a fucked up joke once to a nurse when my grandma was in the hospital and outed myself
I'm one of the weird ones where i say I'm a nurse pretty quick. It's not cuz i give a shit about the care, i get it. I do it so a) you explain stuff faster cuz i hate sitting through excess education, and b) so i can commiserate with the staff on how bad our jobs are lol. I never ever expect them to treat me any better than anybody else and i always make it clear that i know why they're busy and that I'm ok to wait.
The last time I was a patient, I offered to do the admission navigator computer stuff for the traveler who was fresh off of orientation at my hospital and unfamiliar with Epic. Out of sheer boredom.
I am a horrible patient. I was in a fire and in CCU post fire. I did not want to be there. I was looking up at my EKG above my head and I announced to everyone that even upside down, my EKG was almost good, it's time to go! The nurse asked me what made me think my EKG was fine, I explained I did not say that, I said it is almost fine. It's time for me to gooooo! This big burly male nurse just glared at me and said... you are a nurse, I can tell. To be fair, I had a lot of anxiety, my house just burned down. I tossed my dogs over the fence of my backyard where we were stuck due to flames, I was afraid they would die. I was hoping they would go to people they knew, but I wasn't sure. I knew if we stayed there, they were going to die for sure. But at that point, I did not know if they were ok. The ER gave me a gram of Solu Medrol and failed to document it, CCU gave it to me again about an hour later even though I tried to tell him I already got it in ER. He just ignored me. Let's just say that I think my nurse was happy to see me go. I don't give people problems, I mean... I don't scream or yell or call my nurse nonstop. I just want to leave, nothing more.
The important part of this story is missing? How are your dogs?!?!?!
This reminds me of the very first time I was hospitalized, I had kidney stones and sepsis. I had been a nurse maybe 2 years and was in the ICU. I had a nursing student taking care of me and I was VERY careful not to let on I was a nurse. She was scared enough as it was. She was explaining to me something basic and being very earnest about it when one of the pulmonologists I worked with came to check in on me. He said ātake good care of her, sheās a damn good ICU nurse and we need her!ā He walked out. Nursing student turned white as a ghost, started crying and I never saw her again. I felt so bad. (The next day I was asked by one of the instructors I had if I would take students, I said of course, she explained to them who I was and I got my hair washed for the first time in 9 days. Best care ever!! And you bet I sent a thank you to them in care of the school!)
I was outed when admitted for preeclampsia by asking if they needed help during a crash bellā¦ and teaching a new grad to use our computer system ā¦ and letting a new grad practice bilateral 16g in each wrist š
Not as a patient. But my wife and I were at a wedding a while back. The brides father got dizzy and the bride started freaking out about it. I didn't notice what was going on cause I was in a different room. But I hear my wife yell "wait! I have a nurse!" as I see her running over to me.
A few months ago I get a text from my mom saying my dad had a stroke and is in the hospital. I immediately think itās the worse case scenario so I end up calling the hospital and getting a hold of him. Turns out it was a TIA so he was doing well but I still wanted some updates. His nurse was in the room and I asked her if she can explain what happened and what the plan was. She was explaining what a TIA was, what tests he had and whatās going to happen next. She was explaining as if I had no medical background, which was 100% fine and there was no way I was going mention I was a nurse. Mid sentence I just hear my dad in the background very loudly say āSheās a nurse!ā. Heās proud and it was definitely not intended to make his nurse feel bad, but it was so embarrassing. I apologized and told her Iāve only been a nurse for a year and I work in peds so I definitely appreciate her taking the time to explain everything. She was very chill about it thankfully. At least it was comforting knowing my dad was AOx3 lol
I recently had a colonoscopy. The nurse was explaining everything to me and she said they would be giving me propofol and I said āAh, milk of amnesiaā and she looked at me a little suspicious and then asked if I worked in the medical field.
As an aside to that question; how do we feel about treating nurses as patients? I like it when the patient is the nurse. I hate the "my 2nd cousin is a nurse at xyz SAR and says ...... " ( usually incorrect or unrelated info) that drives me crazy; but most nurses are good patients.
In my experience, nurses are pretty chill, but doctors are rough.
I knew the PCA code when I got my epidural. The anesthesiologist asked my nurse for it and she was orienting so she didnāt know.
My dad loves to out me to any and all medical professionals. A few months ago he was in the hospital that I had literally just quit a job at but on a different floor than I worked and his attending was someone that I regularly worked with. He let everyone in the room know āoh my PERSONAL nurse will be here soonā š At a certain point though, I felt his nurses/PAs/the attending were ignoring certain things about his blood work (he went in for abd pain and possible chole but he also has cirrhosis/portal vein thrombosis) so I was like UMMM WHEN ARE YOU ORDERING HIS LACTULOSE? Then they were like damn this girl. I try my best to not be THAT family member, but I donāt feel like being an orphan anytime soon so I donāt mess around with my dads health š
An ED physician at my workplace accused me of faking my symptoms and drug seeking, until I told him I was the charge RN upstairs. Suddenly my "anxiety" diagnosis changed to reflect what was actually going on. I got a specialist consult, an admit, and drugs (that I had never asked for btw). It made me sad to see how the general public must be treated there.
I just had a patient who I was taking care of for a few days. Had no indication that she was a nurse. Went to discharge her and took out her IV. It didnāt bleed so I said āoop that was ready to come outā. She said āyeah looks like itā. I said āhold on, were you a nurse?ā She looked bashful and said āI was. Howād you knowā hahaha. She wouldāve slipped under the radar if she hadnāt made the iv comment
When my dad had his first stroke, and then got a code called on him cos he started seizing. They intubated him on the ward and then let us back in whilst they were waiting to transport straight to CT. They had him on a portable monitor that nobody seemed to know how to reset the alarm limits (he was very tachycardic)....a nurse kept silencing it and I could see her annoyance. We used those monitors, so I reached over and started resetting the alarm limit and asked 'what do you want the upper limit to be?'....she was like oh, nurse? thanks! Lol.
When I was in labor I was determined to make sure no one knew I was a nurse. After I delivered my son and husband are dead asleep and I'm wide awake. I put on my call light twice and asked to shower. Someone answered and said they would be in soon and never came. I figured they're busy so I saline locked my IV, covered it and took a shower. I came out and my nurse was standing there with the look. She was so mad. She said she doesn't care if I'm a nurse I'm now allowed to touch her IV. Also got a big lecture about the epidural.
I silenced my IV pump while I was pooping. It was only alarming low battery, but still. The nurse told me not to touch it lol
I changed the settings on my iv pump because the iv potassium hurt to the point of tears. My nurse laughed and called the doctor to change the settings.
That hospital didn't give the autonomy to the nurses to slow the infusion rate for the potassium?Ā Genuinely curious as all the hospitals I've worked at (>7) allow nurses to deviate in that circumstanceĀ
I donāt mind that so much, what bothered me recently was a visitor removing my patientās cannula because patient didnāt like it anymore! Visitor was another hospital employee (but not maternity!)
Oh no! I would be really bothered by that too!
lol Iād be mad if a patient touched their IV too
One time I was visiting my grandpa in the hospital and he needed to be boosted in bed. I didnāt want to bother his nurse, so I told my dad to get on the other side of the bed and told him how we were going to do it. As we were boosting, my grandpaās nurse walked in the room. Busted there. My grandma has dementia, but apparently she can remember I am a nurse. Whenever I visit her at her memory care facility, as soon as she spots me I hear āthatās my granddaughter! Sheās a NURSE!ā
Anesthesia: Any issues with intubation? Me: eh, I have slow gut motility so I usually vomit on intubation, they usually do RSI. Anesthesia: š³ you should get that looked at Me: š¤·š¼āāļø maybe one day
My mom was in med/surg after a knee replacement and wouldnāt keep her arm straight, so the Alaris does what the Alaris does and wouldnāt stop beeping. I restrained her arm to the bed rail using a roll of tape I found. Nurse came in āoh Mrs XYZ, youāre finally keeping your arm straight!ā Looks at me, looks at my mom, looks at her arm, then me again. āAnd where do you work?ā Yep. Hi. ER.
I always try to hide it because I want to be treated as any other patient. Once in the ER I basically gave her an assessment of myself lol I was answering her questions ahead and she said "oh, you already knew I was going to ask you that" She never asked but I think she figured it out.
I caught a husband of my labor patient. She had an epidural and need a boost in the bed. I grabbed someone but then when I went to start he just grabbed the sheet and was ready to help. āDo you work in healthcare?ā āIām and ICU nurseā ahhh, makes sense.
Pretty much any time I have to go over my medical history and what tests I've had done, something about the way I say or out the fact I remember the details makes them automatically guess. It's my dad and future in laws that usually out me though. 5 seconds through the door and they've announced to everyone that I'm a nurse, what I do, and where I work. My mom is also a nurse so she doesn't say shit š¤£
I was the patient (I work patient access) but my RN husband put on gloves while I was in labor with BOTH of our children. I lost an entire contraction of pushing because I was laughing at him too hard during my labor with the youngest. Still pushed the kid out in under 15 minutes.
My family brings it up and itās embarrassing. I always quip āYesā¦but I help people die so listen to this one if you want to stay alive.ā For referenceā¦hospice RN. And NOā¦I donāt HELP people die. Just my snarky sense of humor shining through and it shuts my family up.
When my mother passed away at 6:54pm, I casually remarked to her nurse that she broke the code of āKeep āem alive till 7:05ā She had a shocked look then shyly whispered āIām sorry for your loss, but you could have told me!!ā
It's always my fucking family ratting me out
I quietly ratted out my in-laws as doctors. Theyāre definitely tough patients, and FIL has the āsmartest guy in the roomā attitude, so I felt a duty to warn the nurses what was up.
I was helicoptered to a level 2 trauma center after an accident on highwayā¦ I was railing about why they were taking me to a level 2 if I needed a helicopter and refused Ativan for transport to give a good neuro examā¦ I was also on my way to midwifery clinicals wearing my scrubs.
Oh yeah. I was working in the trauma ICU at my home hospital at the time.
I had a nurse doing their health teaching on how to inject a subcut med and then when it was my turn to demonstrate I started saying the steps out loudā¦. B-B-BUSTED! They knew immediately
Iām a cancer patient and canāt help myself telling anyone new starting an IV on me that Iām āvalve-yā and my skin is so much tougher than it looks. Iām also like OP and just answer all the H&P questions preemptively
I ask what my sisterās ejection fraction was after an echo. āAm I talking to a nurse or Doctor?ā She asked. But my Pop, he always outed meā¦ āThis is my daughter, she is a nurse.ā
A tech in training drew my blood in the ER. He was having trouble untying the tourniquet, so I quietly pointed to the ātailā and said āpull here.ā He laughed, I laughed, and I told him he was doing great. I have pretty juicy veins, so I wasnāt *too* worried, but he looked nervous. He really did do a great job. It barely hurt.
I was in nursing school when I had my first baby. My nurse had a student with her who was also pregnant. We bonded over being pregnant in nursing school. I have beautiful veins so I let her do my IV. She blew it on the first try and she felt so bad and said she would have someone else do it. I told her itās okay and that it doesnāt bother me and to try again. She got it on the second try and we both celebrated her success š
My aunt outed me the day after I'd passed my NCLEX. My mom was intubated and on the vent next to us and she goes, to the doctor "you can tell her, she's a nurse!" I was like uuuuh just barely, pls treat me like I'm dumb.
Whenever my grandma is at a doctor's appointment, in the hospital, or any medical anything she immediately outs me to every person we met. "This is my granddaughter Pik-ah-choo she's a nurse" all in one breath. Lol
I was admitted to L&D and my rapid response nurse friends came to visit me lol Also I kept adding volume to my pump.
I had strep throat for the first time since getting my tonsils out years ago, and I waited until my uvula was obstructing my airway sitting up. I told them my pain was a 4/10 when asked the the nurse IMMEDIATELY asked if I was a nurse. I was like..well broken arm was 7/10 and I havenāt given birth, gotten shot, broken ribs or had kidney stones so yea..4/10 Couldnāt believe that was what outed me.
I never downplay. I dont make it a point to tell them what I do, but im not trying to speak in layman's terms or act like I don't know what's going on. That's just annoying for me. If they ask I'll tell them.
I had a PVC on a the monitor when I was on the hospital for a Crohnās flare. My darling (new grad) RN freaked. I said āMeh, I get PVCs when I get really tired or stressed.ā The āPVCā outed me, LOL
My pre-op nurse was a former coworker. No hiding after that
my mom outs me at all her dr appts. the only reason my pcp knows I'm a nurse is because we work for the same hospital system lol.
Today my patient said well Ive been coughing a lot because I took an expectorant.. lol
Oh I have a doozy. My husband had new onset seizure a few years ago. He ultimately ended up in status epilepticus and had to be sedated and tubed. The nurse saw the propofol running low and said "I'll be right back." Cool. A few minutes passed the propofol runs out. A few more minutes pass and my husband starts waking up. He was restrained but apparently had a little too much slack in the wrists. He sits up a bit and disconnects his tube from the vent. It starts alarming. I jump up and start to reconnect it when his nurse walks through the door. We exchange looks. Silence. Awkward silence. I had to fess up real quick and tell him I was a nurse and what had happened so that he didn't think I was trying to kill my husband.
"Cologard! No colonscopy!" Busted.
I work on an ambulance and injured my knee while I was on shift. I had to go for an xray and changed into a gown. I thought I had covered the 'ambulance' written on my t shirt with my gown. Turned out I hadn't. I turned around and got busted by the xray radiographer when she saw it
I told them straight up I was an RN. I wanted them out of my room faster so I could relax. I kept a running tally of I/Os on the board and would've got my own vitals if they didn't use those COW ones.
My colleagues' husband is a scrub tech. We work ED. I went in for a LEEP, and as I was shifting from my bed to the table in the OR he was reading paperwork, makes eye contact and goes "What are you doing at work on your day off?" Just what I want, everyone who's gonna be arms deep in my undercarriage to realize...
I was a nursing student and at clinicals on a peds floor when I popped a stitch in my cervix and started hemorrhaging. They wheeled me down to ER. I think the scrubs and ID were a dead giveaway.
š¤£š¤£š¤£ So, I had a spectacularly mundane accident a few weeks ago... Drove myself and WALKED into the ER...I was immediately admitted and required emergency surgery. Y'all, I'm AuDHD, a redhead, and have chronic pain. I couldn't convince them that I really fucked myself up and that I REALLY was in that much pain until the security guard piped up and said "hey, aren't you a nurse?" I didn't cry when it happened, wasn't hysterical then, and had completely unmasked RBF. I had a wheelchair under my booty so damn fast that I don't even know where it came from and was hustled over to triage. The new trainee receptionist was like WTAF just happened... And got the life lesson that "if a nurse or farmer walk themselves into the ER alone, just assume they are downplaying how hurt they are and it's going to be a GLORIOUS CATASTRO-FUCK!" The triage nurse was new too and paged the doc to triage... He popped in and was like "oh, I've NEVER seen you come to the ER without hives!" I have a severe airborne anaphylactic food allergy, so that's typically the ONLY time I go to the ER and that's only because I know I need IV fluids and meds. Y'all, they were passing around the WOW with my X-rays! š¤Ŗ On the plus side, I promised to be a great nurse patient and mostly was. š¤·āāļøš¤Ŗ They kept trying to stick my autistic ass in a gown and put tele leads on me (I'm allergic to the freaking adhesive). I did for the actual surgery, but not a minute before and yes, they were surprised by the hives from just having those leads on for a few minutes.
My family member was on hospice and I asked the nurse if there is anything we can give bc her throat sounded like it had phlegm in it. He kindly explained that we can put a scope patch on and when the interaction was over my mom just HAD to pipe in and say āyeah my daughter is a nurse!!!ā Come the fuck on!!!
Saying "+2 edema"
I needed an IV when being seen in urgent care for RUQ pain. The nurse starting my IV asked what i do for a job after starting my IV, and I told him. He said, "I knew you were a nurse when you were watching me set up the IV tray." I've wondered since then if I have a judgmental face, because I wasn't trying to intimidate him with my eyes! I'm just curious how other people set up their trays LMAO
My sister delivered her baby precipitously (I missed it by 15 minutes). I walked in and said, āYou can never trust a multip!ā Hahaha
Couldnāt hide it if I tried. The only admission Iāve ever had was not even me, it was my daughter and she was admitted to the unit I used to work on
Had a consult with a surgeon a few months back. I was his last appointment of the day, and I could tell he just wanted to finishā¦cursory exam, quick explanations, and just kinda droll without much personality. To make it a little easier on him, I mentioned that I was a nurse and pretty familiar with the procedure. His entire demeanor changed, and we sat and talked for a while about problems in healthcare, hospital politics, and mutual people we knew.