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Nursing brings strange behaviour

30 Jun 2011 2 Comments

by littlenursey in Uncategorized Tags: hand washing, nurse, nurse behaviour, nurse habits, nurse humour, nurses, nursing, Nursing Times, student nurse

I was reading an article by the Nursing Times about how being a nurse changes your behaviour outside of work too, and it made me think about my habits before I started my training and the habits I have now.

My new-found habits:

I don’t think twice before discussing bowel habits with anyone.
I’ve always easily talked about bowel habits and fecal matter, but only with family, certain friends and boyfriends. Now, I somehow manage to pop these interesting little subjects into most conversations. As do my other friends on my nursing course. I forget that not everyone wants to hear about these things in such detail. I know one person who has now nicknamed me and my boyfriend ‘The Poo Couple’.

I fondle my left breast in public.
On duty, I wear a fob watch on my left breast pocket of my uniform. We’re not allowed to wear wrist watches due to hygiene reasons. Off duty, I forget that I’m no longer wearing my fob watch and when I go to restaurants I tend to cup my left breast as I try to check the time.

I sometimes hold up queues at sinks in public toilets, to do my 7-step hand washing technique.
A few weeks ago I was in the Trafford Centre and after using the loo, I found myself at the sink for a lot longer than necessary. I didn’t realise that I was thoroughly washing my hands using the 7-step hand washing technique until I noticed the woman next to me watching me, and 2 women stood behind me, waiting. I even felt lost when I couldn’t turn the push-button tap off with my elbow, and snubbed the hand-dryer for paper towels instead. Life is becoming one big aseptic technique.

I eat sandwiches at the speed of light.
I normally get a 15min lunch break if I can, sometimes 30mins if I’m on a less acute ward. During those 15min breaks, I have mastered the art of eating slightly less chewed sandwiches without choking to death, drinking the minimal amount necessary, cleaning up after myself and if I’m lucky, weeing. During my first year I began eating as much food as I could get my hands on whenever I was off duty, but then realised I was getting fat so I am now trying this thing called ‘dieting’.

I nurse people who are not patients and force health advice upon them.
This works both ways. When my friends and family aren’t asking me to look at their rashes, moles, feel their bones or describing their genital problems to me, I seem to think it’s my duty to nurse people even when they aren’t asking for help. Just last night I did it on Facebook when a friend wrote a status about scalding her hand, and I felt the urge to comment on what she should do. When someone tells me they have tummy ache I assault them with questions on their bowel habits, how much water they drink and what they have been eating. If I can, I will go and hunt down the right medication for my friends and even administer it to them.
My boyfriend fully enjoys being nursed by me however and will alert me as soon as he feels even a teeny tiny bit ill/in pain.

If you have any nursing habits feel free to comment! You can take a look at the Nursing Time article by clicking here

Something a little handy for nurses…

20 May 2011 Leave a Comment

by littlenursey in Uncategorized Tags: advice, body shop, hand washing, moisturise, moisturising, nurse, nurses, nursing, student nurse

Hemp Hand Protector (for Very Dry Skin) from The Body Shop:
Obviously, the amount of hand washing involved in nursing is extreme. Looking after your hands by moisturising them is an absolute must, because constant hand washing with soap will eventually strip the natural moisture and oils out of your skin, which can eventually lead to dermatitis.
I HATE having dry hands, so I carry a 30ml tube of Hemp Hand Protector around with me everywhere (including in my uniform pocket during placement) to use every time my hands feel dry. The only problem with this is that the tube is made from soft metal – don’t carry it in your waist pocket as it will eventually split open after the amount of times you bend over at work!
I chose this moisturiser because it’s rich, brings quick relief and makes hands very soft. Just don’t try it if you are allergic to botanical products!

Sarah xXx

5 things you should know as a student nurse

19 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment

by littlenursey in Experiences, Placements Tags: advice, hand washing, handover, hospital ward, nurse, nurses, student nurse, ward

So I’ve just finished a particularly hard placement, and last week when I began a night shift I was thinking about some of the things that as a student nurse, I wish I knew before working on a ward.
Little things, like useful things to carry around with you, or what to do when you’re stuck.
I’ll keep this one short and simple:

When in doubt, wash your hands:
You’re on a ward, about to perform a task that involves human contact. You wonder “Should I wash my hands?”
Just wash them.
Carry these things around with you on a ward:
- At least 2 black pens: You’re bound to either lose one in a patient’s bed sheets or someone will steal one.
- Red pen: For handover sheets of course.
- Little notebook: When the x-ray department ring your ward to pass on a message to a nurse you’re not going to see for another 10mins, you better write that message down because you will have no idea what they are talking about and are bound to forget. You might also want to jot things down like abbreviations because there are a LOT.
- Hand cream: Avoid having the hands of an 80yr old with eczema if possible
- Nurse watch: How else are you supposed to count respiration rates? (YES you should be doing this!)
- Extra hair pins: Trying to work out early warning scores or change dressings with your fringe stuck in your eye is annoying and a bad look.
- Calculator: Sometimes, trying to add 230 to 75 to 92 to 370 to 100 to 230 (and so on) in your head in the space of 20 seconds for 21 different patients just isn’t enough. Do make sure you are good at mental numeracy though – no room for mistakes when it comes to fluid balances.
- Name badge: Before you get shouted at.
- Steal a torch: Try and find out if your ward has pen torches stashed away where the face wipes and toothbrushes are kept. Keep it.
Destroy handover sheets after shifts ASAP:
Otherwise you will end up like me, with a big pile of 5 weeks worth of handover sheets containing personal patient details. If someone managed to get hold of these I could end up in big trouble as it breaches confidentiality. I shredded them straight away when I realised and so should you. Get rid!
You will meet staff you don’t like – get used to it:
It’s true, and it’s inevitable. You swing from placement to placement, which isn’t nice as it is, and there are always members of staff who you will loathe and sometimes even be terrified of. I know exactly how it feels.
The fact is that you really do have to bite the bullet and get used to it – avoiding them doesn’t help, nor does being unprofessional and ignoring them, gossiping about them or just being plain rude to them. Ignore the fact that they’re not very nice – you are there to learn and not be concerned about them. If they really start getting in the way, begin bullying you or making you feel down, speak to either your mentor, your PEF (Practical Education Facilitator), another member of staff you trust or even your academic advisor/personal tutor at university. You’d think people who work in healthcare would automatically be nice, but that isn’t always true unfortunately.
Find out where the most used things are kept as soon as possible!:
Because when someone’s stoma bag has burst and there is still fecal matter coming out, you really need to go and get another bag. Knowing where the petrolium jelly is kept is also good – oxygen masks usually amount to chapped lips. 10ml syringes, sterile water for flushing, urinary bottles and the entire contents of the linen room are also good.