Are you a new nurse or an experienced nurse?
Are you a new nurse or an experienced nurse? A new nurse throws up when the patient does. An experienced nurse calls housekeeping when a patient throws up. A new nurse wears so many pins on her name badge that you can’t read it. An experienced nurse doesn’t wear a name badge for liability reasons. A new nurse charts too much. An experienced nurse doesn’t chart enough. A new nurse loves to run to codes. An experienced nurse makes new nurses run to codes. A new nurse wants everyone to know she’s a nurse. An experienced nurse doesn’t want anyone to know she’s a nurse. A new nurse keeps detailed notes on a pad. An experienced nurse writes on the back of her hand, paper scraps, napkins, etc. A new nurse will spend all day trying to reorient a patient. An experienced nurse will chart the patient who is disoriented and restrain him. A new nurse can hear a beeping I-med at 50 yards. An experienced nurse can’t hear any alarms at any distance. A new nurse loves to hear abnormal heart and breath sounds. An experienced nurse doesn’t want to know about them unless the patient is symptomatic. A new nurse spends two hours giving a patient a bath. An experienced nurse lets the CNA give the patient a bath. A new nurse thinks people respect nurses. An experienced nurse knows everybody blames everything on the nurse. A new nurse looks for blood on a bandage hoping they will get to change it. An experienced nurse knows a little blood never hurt anybody. A new nurse looks for a chance “to work with the family.” An experienced nurse avoids the family. A new nurse expects meds and supplies to be delivered on time. An experienced nurse expects them to never be delivered at all. A new nurse will spend days bladder training an incontinent patient. An experienced nurse will insert a Foley catheter. A new nurse always answers her phone. An experienced nurse checks the caller ID before answering the phone. A new nurse thinks psych patients are interesting. An experienced nurse thinks psych patients are crazy. A new nurse carries reference books in her bag. An experienced nurse carries magazines, lunch and some “cough syrup” in her bag. A new nurse doesn’t find this list funny. An experienced nurse does.