Tales of the Vegetable Patch

This blog is in compliance with HIPAA regulations, all names, ages, genders, and circumstances have been changed to protect the patients, families, nurses, and occasionally physicians

Monday, September 24, 2007

Things I've learned since staring in the NeuroICU

1) projectile vomiting, while bad, is fun when the patient can hit the med students

2) always give the patient a 6 for motor (follows commands) when they flick you off after asking them to show you two fingers

3) At least once a day check that the patient hasn't written down the answers to "Can you tell me your name? Do you know what day it is? Month? Year? Do you know where you are?"

4) When your 80year old patient propositions you, just take the opportunity to assess their speech and compliment yourself on not getting any bodily fluids on your scrubs

5) give your patient extra points when they correct you after you've told them the wrong date, even though you've written it down 10 or more times already

6) Listerine strips were made for "neuro breath"

7) Some patients look at bed rails the way Hillary looked at Everest, but in the end the rails just give them extra height to fall from.

2 comments:

Jo said...

Funny!!!!

Glad to meet ya!(From Nursing voices)

Unemployed Nurse Jack said...

Can I add a #8?

Repeated breast grabs during bed changes or baths ought to count for some points on the neuro assessment. Clearly, something's firing there in the associative thought process.

That was one of my funniest days on the floor in clinical. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by, and congratulations on your recent graduation and new job.