r/nursing • u/the_anxious_nurse • Jan 20 '22
Nursing Hacks What’s a rule that you have bent to make your patient happy?
I told my long-term patient that she can have her husband sneak in her cat next week when I’m working night shift. I’m very excited haha
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Jan 20 '22
We have a pretty strict “no under 12” rule, even pre covid (now it’s no under 18). One patient we had was a terminally ill woman with an 8 month old. We put a portacrib in her room and that baby and her parents stayed with her. She would make laps around the unit when she was feeling good introducing her baby to all of us. She didn’t make it very long at all, no regrets from any of us.
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u/FerociousPancake Med Student Jan 20 '22
Wow what’s the deal with all these onions someone left behind for me to chop
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u/sauvignonomatic RN - ICU 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Those are some strong onions, they’re wafting all the over here and making my eyes water too
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u/luv_u_deerly Jan 20 '22
Reading this while contact napping with my baby and now I’m crying. I feel so bad the mother and her baby didn’t get more time together, but at least you gave them as much time as you could.
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u/busygirlokay Jan 20 '22
I worked in home hospice. I would schedule my day so that I could take my breaks and charting at my 80 yo patients home. He lived with his son and DIL they worked all day and he was lonely. He would enjoy the company. He ate a little better because I was there. Sometimes I would take him for strolls in his wheelchair. The day before he died he told me that he loved me.
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u/hungrybrainz RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
This made my heart swell.
Also hospice here - sometimes I stay longer at my patient’s houses and have a cup of coffee with them or chart in their homes even though I’m not supposed to - for this same reason. I’m also not supposed to share personal information with anyone but I don’t feel like being rude to 90y/o Memaw when she’s asking me if I have children - so sometimes I’ll show them a picture of my kid, and they love it. Whatever the suits want to say, man… but I don’t want to drain my patient care of all traces of human interaction. Sorry, but that’s pretty much why I like being a nurse 🤷🏼♀️ Connecting with others and making them feel better.
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u/WindWalkerRN RN- Slightly Over Cooked 🍕🔥 Jan 20 '22
I had a cancer patient recently… no visitor policy… poor prognosis.. the patients were allowed to go outside, so I brought him outside and lo and behold, his wife was there! I had NO IDEA she would be there… made sure masks were on and distance was mildly kept.
ETA: pt later died. Glad I was able to do my part
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u/TapiocaSummer RN - Oncology 🍕 Jan 20 '22
My oncology unit used to ban kids under a certain age. And of course, other visitors during COVID. If they were decent, I "wouldn't notice".
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u/dw755 RN - ICU 🍕 Jan 20 '22
My ICU used to do this as well. However, the hospital has no policies in place on how we were required to confirm visitor age, so my policy (for patients transitioning to hospice/comfort care mostly) was "if you tell me you're over 18 then I believe you"
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u/IntubatedOrphans RN - Peds ICU Jan 20 '22
I do the same, but I say “and your friends that want to come up here have to be 18. I know they’re 18 though ;) “ and if they are dumb and say “no, they’re 17” I’ll say “what was that? Did you say they are 18? Perfect, because that’s how old they have to be to come visit” the front desk people don’t check IDs, so does it really matter?
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u/HalflingMelody Jan 20 '22
My mom was just in a hospital where they scan visitors' id for every single visit. I guess it's part of their covid measures, but I thought it was a bit over the top.
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u/sauvignonomatic RN - ICU 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I did the same thing but lately been having a moral quandary about it. Someone let a patient’s 8 or 9 year old son in. Sometimes the patient was totally fine but when she was near passing away and family insisted we let the child in (since we had done so before) the patient was in full delirium, throwing her feces, screaming cuss words at us, covered in vomit….
I know it can be traumatizing to not have said goodbye but it’s also traumatizing to see your loving mother in such a state, tubes coming out of every orifice and central lines and PIVs all over with all the pumps and beeping…I’ll never forget the horrified look in that kid’s eyes.
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u/IntubatedOrphans RN - Peds ICU Jan 20 '22
That’s why you need someone like a child life specialist. We have them in all the peds areas (icu, med surg, ED), they’re always available to help breakdown situations to the kids before coming to see something horrible. Sometimes they’ll take pictures of the patient (obv with permission) and show them while they explain it before the kid walks in the room. It has been SUPER helpful in those situations.
Your case definitely sounds over the top. Sorry that kid had to go through that and you had to watch. Working with kids can be super tough.
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u/Princessleiawastaken RN - ICU 🍕 Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
I did this for a patient of mine who was a young mom. No kids allowed in the ICU of course. The patient had been with us over a month, so she hadn’t seen her two elementary aged kids all that time. She was actually recovering and about to discharge to a rehab, which due to covid precautions wasn’t allowing any visitors. I took her outside and her family just so happened to be there!
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u/IntubatedOrphans RN - Peds ICU Jan 20 '22
I did the same with a kid who became a quad from a GSW and was about to d/c to rehab. He missed his dog so bad. Well, what do you know his mom happened to be walking their dog around the courtyard when I took him outside for fresh air! I have never seen a kid light up more!
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u/RadicalRay013 Jan 20 '22
Not a nurse, but used to be a paramedic..
But my newborn needed to go to the pediatric ICU and have heart surgery right after he was born and was airlifted 2.5 hours away by car. We got to the hospital super late at night like 2 am (baby was airlifted we drove). Due to covid only one of the parents was able to stay in the room due to covid precautions. But the staff was nice enough to allow me to crash on the floor. The next day they had the social worker help us get a place at the Ronald McDonald house which was a godsend.
Thank you to all the nurses staying strong. Without you all my son might not have made it to 7 months now. Not to mention the awesome surgeons.
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u/AliasBrooks RN - ER 🍕 Jan 20 '22
The palliative care team at our hospital regularly pass the hat around to get a hotel room for the night for relatives that live far away. AND the hotel cut us good deals when they know we are calling for that reason.
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Jan 20 '22
I worked locked inpatient psych. We had a guy from a very rough background and present day living situation, coupled with crippling late stage addiction issues. He had nothing, and wore the supplied sweats every day. Bro was from Kentucky and a huge b ball fan of the Wildcats.
One day during the Final Four I went out and bought a KY wildcats tee shirt and donated it to the in house clothing depot. I punched in and sent a tech down to the clothes store with the patient. He immediately found the blue Tee and he proudly wore it the rest of the tournament and his stay.
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u/D_manifesto BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
This is so sweet and I love how he will always think it was a coincidence.
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Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 21 '22
Patient was depressed from prolonged ICU stay. Doing better and on a regular diet. One night she begged me for a hotdog (she had been so depressed that her intake was minimal and they were threatening to start tube feeds). Cafeteria didn't have any because of the choking hazard so I ordered us UberEats. I choped her hotdog up pretty good and we sat and ate our dinners together (this was before the plague). She started perking up after that and participating more in her care.
Edit: Wow! Thanks for the upvotes. I would like to say I got this idea from a friend who pointed out how eating is a very social thing in most cultures. We use it as a means to celebrate and bond with each other, but we make it very awkward for patients. Even before the virus, we had them eating alone (Or even being the only one in the room eating while being stared at, which is even more awkward). I always encouraged family to bring their meals in and sit and talk and my patient usually would eat more that way. Hopefully, restrictions aren't permanent and you can keep this in mind to increase patient comfort and nutrition.
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Jan 20 '22
Sometimes patients just need to feel like someone out there gives a crap about them as a human being.
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u/aurikarhu CNA 🍕 Jan 20 '22
This morning I told my patient "Everyone deserves to be treated decently." I believe that. And the moments that my patients open up to me and trust me, are the reason I still do this.
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u/artbypep Jan 20 '22
As someone with a chronic nerve pain disorder that was undiagnosed for 7 years, I had a lot of bad experiences in the ER with folks thinking I was drug seeking. (Note: I wouldn’t usually go in unless I hadn’t been able to sleep for 3 days due to constant pain)
One time I told the dr what was going on and she went, “Oh you must be exhausted, let’s see what we can do to get this sorted out” and I started sobbing. No one had just believed me and wanted to help me before. I still think of them often.
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u/DSM2TNS 🦄📚RN - HowAreYouStillSoStrong? Jan 20 '22
I had an Oncology patient who wasn't eating. One day she said "God, I could go for a mcchicken." You bet I high tailed it to McDonald's (we had one in the basement).
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u/Onearmedpushups Jan 20 '22
McDonalds... in a hospital?
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u/an_actual_elephant RN - Research Jan 20 '22
The children's hospital in my city got rid of their McDonald's a few years back and I wish they hadn't. Those kids are very sick, and goddamn it if they want some chicken nuggets and fries they should be able to eat that. Now there's all this healthy food, which is great for the staff who work there I guess, but kids don't want tilapia and brown rice lol
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u/warda8825 Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
There are Burger Kings on most military installations. 😐 Still can't wrap my mind around how and why an organization who is supposedly so gung-ho about fitness/health standards, would support or allow fast-food joints on their campus/grounds.
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u/Telegrand Jan 20 '22
You have never spent 6 months in the desert on deployment I see. That long on dinfac / MRE's and Burger King is like an oasis of goodness.
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u/treepoop Family Medicine Resident, Nursing Enthusiast Jan 20 '22
My father, a geriatrician, somewhat routinely buys fast food for his patients in the hospital. They’re depressed and lonely and at an age and stage of life where calories are more important than nutrition. It does a lot of good.
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u/Toasttimebitches CNA Jan 20 '22
How does he like it and what do you plan to go into after residency and all that? I’ve been a CNA since I was 18 and love the residents, but I want to go back to school and don’t like how having an RN or being a doctor seems to remove you from patient care almost entirely in nursing home settings where I live at least. I always kept a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter in my locker, I’d make the residents who were up at night toast and Sandwiches and get them snacks from the break room since they locked our kitchen at night and bring clothes for residents whose families never brought them new clothes when they’d lose or gain weight or they’d get stained and worn out
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u/treepoop Family Medicine Resident, Nursing Enthusiast Jan 20 '22
He's been doing it for probably 25ish years at this point. His training was in family medicine, but he developed an interest in geriatrics and it gradually took over his practice. He has done inpatient and outpatient geri / palliative care as well as been the medical director for nursing homes. With some irony, he himself is approaching (or perhaps already in) the geriatric age range. He's been a physician for 42 years and loves it too much to hang up his stethoscope. If you can't tell, I have deep respect for and pride in my father.
I'm following in his footsteps and going into family medicine after I graduate (which is in less than 4 months). I like everything - well and sick patients, inpatient and outpatient, adults and kids, mothers and babies, etc, so it's the right place for me. It's too early for me to talk about down the line, but I hope to remain in the academic setting as I love teaching, and I'm considering fellowship training in sports medicine, though I always want to be a generalist rather than a specialist.
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u/calloooohcallay Jan 20 '22
I’m in neuroICU and when we have neurointact patients we often include them on the unit’s delivery orders, especially when we do Starbucks runs.
Though I don’t think it’s actually against any rules- if the patient is in for a regular diet they are allowed to order delivery or have family bring them whatever.
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u/ChemicalRide RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
When I was a new nurse, I got a talking to about giving patients some Ghirardelli chocolates I would bring in to cheer them up a little. I was told “You don’t know what kind of reaction they could have to any food you give them and you would be responsible if any adverse reaction occurred.” So I had to lie to a patient I had promised a chocolate to and tell her I had run out. I felt awful, and it still upsets me a bit that I now have this fear lingering over me when I think about ways to spread cheer and kindness.
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u/treebeard189 Jan 20 '22
My mom was tubed in the ICU for a month when she was pregnant with me. Woke up and had a similar thing had no appetite. She remembers them bringing in all these people to talk with her about the importance of eating and nutrition consults. But no one would give her the fucking slushy she wanted from the 7/11 she could see from the window.
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u/ferocioustigercat RN - ICU 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Gave a patient a pickle after their procedure even though they were on a low sodium cardiac diet.
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u/Dogvomitslimemold Jan 21 '22
I had a patient with 80% TBSA burns who had lost both of his legs AKA. I told him that the second he passed his swallow study, I’d bring him whatever he wanted. 2 days later, he got the largest sweet tea chic fil a could sell and a party pack of nuggets. I was a consulting service for him and when I went back by at the end of my rounds, his nurses were hand feeding him and showing him how to hold utensils with his heavily bandaged hands. BICU nurses- like all of you- have a really disheartening job a lot of the time and it was so great to see them being excited with him.
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u/s1s2g3a4 Jan 20 '22
Allowed a older lady to sneak her brother’s little dog in to see her brother, the patient. Only 2 rules- door closed, no barking. Went without a hitch. They were both in their mid-90s. He died a day or two later. Best decision, IMO.
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u/XA36 Custom Flair Jan 20 '22
My dog weighs 120lbs, I'd have to do some David Copperfield shit to sneak him in.
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u/Thamwoofgu Jan 20 '22
Ehh, wig and a trench coat. I’m sure no one will notice, lol
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u/ItsOfficiallyME RN ICU/ER Jan 20 '22
I literally did this two days ago. Family cried when I said yes the dog can come but I didn’t hear about this dog. Just give me plausible deniability lol.
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u/propiacarne RN - Oncology 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Did not expect reddit to make me cry before noon! This is so sweet.
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u/titsoutshitsout LPN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Omg I work in LTC and most places I’ve been allow visitors to freely bring pets in! Hell we have a cat that actually lives there! Lol I’m so glad I don’t hVe to worry about this
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Jan 20 '22
Low risk labor patients can have light snacks while in early labor.
Smack my hand with a ruler! 🤣
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u/MrsPinkScrubs RN, L&D Jan 20 '22
If I have no immediate concern of possible section, all my labor patients can have a small snack! I’ve even given crackers to pts with epidurals. Sometimes they’ve been in labor 24-48 hours! Withholding food is not nice. And we can crash cs someone that just walked through the door after scarfing down McDonald’s! So I feel like if the fetal strip looks ok, a cracker or two is fine.
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u/momoftwocrazies BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
My OB scolded the nurse for not letting me have a homemade smoothie before my second baby. She said “that’s a stupid archaic rule. It could be hours before she gives birth and she needs her energy!”
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u/MrsPinkScrubs RN, L&D Jan 20 '22
We have one OB who I love because whenever a nurse asks for an order for regular diet (ours are automatically clears unless we ask) she says to “feed them all! Epidurals or not, they need their energy!”
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u/Salty_Attention_8185 Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 23 '22
Bless you. I was considered high risk, with an epidural, and my L&D nurse gave me some ice to chew.
She was also the most bad-ass, emotionally intelligent person I’ve ever met. One look during my family bombarding me, baby was back in my arms and everyone else was gone.
I said “and no one else comes back unless they have food!” after visiting hours. She let my aunt deliver my xl sweet tea and McRib around midnight.
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u/whoredoerves RN - LTC 💕 Jan 20 '22
Are they usually NPO? I don’t know anything about L&D
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u/WonderlustHeart Jan 20 '22
Yup… risk of needing an emergency c section and wanting your stomach as empty as possible to reduce risk of aspiration.
Which is why my mom made and ate a whole large pizza prior to informing my dad it was time to go tk the hospital 🤣
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Jan 20 '22
I’ve read that the NPO prior to surgery rule is very outdated and that clears should be totally fine. I don’t know enough to have a firm opinion but if we could adopt the light snack / clears approach, I think some of these patients would be way more comfortable.
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u/nurse-ratchet- Case Manager 🍕 Jan 20 '22
It’s extremely outdated and I don’t think it’s even recommended by the American Academy of Anesthesiologist.
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u/WonderlustHeart Jan 20 '22
Clears 2 hours now. Use to be 6 I believe. But you also never know when a baby will decompensate and a crash c section needed. And OB’s panic like no other but they also can be sued till the kid is 21.
Eating, drinking, and even chewing gum increases gastric juices. It is not fun when pt projectile vomit when getting put to sleep. You lose your gag reflex and airway is severely at risk. Going to sleep and waking up most dangerous time for surgery.
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u/travelingtraveling_ RN, PhD 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Yes this NPO business is a health care sacred cow with minimal evidence....it began in early 1900s when ether was used and frequently caused N&V.
We need to do the research on this in every population.
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u/s1s2g3a4 Jan 20 '22
Ha! Did the same thing. Stopped at IHOP prior to my scheduled induction.
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u/Bettong RN - Retired? Hiatus? Who knows. Jan 20 '22
With my first it was Outback Steakhouse. With my second my OB stripped my membranes at my appointment and told me to head to the hospital (baby was having slight decels, I was 38+1, diabetic and hypertensive with a hx of preeclampsia). I flat out told him I was stopping for a bagel. He said it was a good call. I got the hospital before noon and she was born after midnight so it was 12 hrs anyway. No regrets.
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u/graywillow Jan 20 '22
My nurse refused to let me eat anything and I was in labour for over 30 hours. When it came time to push I had no energy and it was traumatic a f. I should’ve advocated for myself as a nurse but I was just so exhausted.
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u/IndependentEmu5 DNP, FNP Jan 20 '22
My nurse gave me jello and crackers and peanut butter when I was in labor. I was scarfing them down and my husband (who is a family doc who previously delivered babies) took them away and said I’d had enough 😂. So rude
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u/Singmethings Jan 20 '22
The hospital I'm at right now won't let patients eat BEFORE we start their induction, on the off chance that the baby doesn't tolerate the induction. It's ridiculous because they were free to eat five minutes before walking through the door (and really should have, but by the time I'm with them it's too late). I hand out crackers liberally.
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Jan 20 '22
Oh, my goodness, yes!
If I had a nickel for every patient I triaged and admitted for labor who THEN asked if they could eat, because they hadn’t all day?! 🤣
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u/Okfishyfishy Jan 20 '22
I brought my own snacks to the hospital and ate them when I was in labor, screw that rule!
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u/purpleRN RN-LDRP Jan 20 '22
Thank god my hospital doesn't do this nonsense. Full diet unless you have an epidural, then it's clears.
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u/Dolla_Dolla_Bill-yal Jan 20 '22
I wish you'd been my labor nurse! I labored for just under 72 hours with my first, NPO for the last 46 excruciating hours. I had to beg for apple juice. I just needed energy to keep going! In the labor bag the second time was my favorite flavor of baby food 😂
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u/LtDrinksAlot RN - ER 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Back in summer of 2020 we had a zero tolerance policy on visitors. We had a woman come in 16 weeks pregnant with vaginal bleeding. US and blood worked showed a miscarriage, I felt terrible when the Doc gave her the diagnosis, and because of how busy it was she was slated to be in the ER for at least another hour before the doc finished up her DC paperwork. So I told her to call her husband (who was waiting in the parking lot) and I snuck him in.
I can only imagine what its like to get that diagnosis and have to sit in a room all alone with just your thoughts to yourself.
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u/mafaldaconquino Jan 20 '22
Thank you for doing this. Speaking as someone who has had vaginal bleeding on and off during pregnancy and ended up in the ER for it, this is amazingly compassionate and kind.
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u/meg-c RN - Pre-op/PACU 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I do this, too. We were on a strict no visitor policy in pre-op/PACU and when patients have D&E I usually sneak their partner in.
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u/SpicyDisaster40 LPN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I had several residents with orders allowing them to have wine, beer or a shot of liquor. During the beginning of the pandemic families couldn't bring them items so I smuggled in booze. LOTS OF BOOZE 😂 One resident in particular was really into it. We made it appear like it was a top secret mission. She had an absolute blast with it. I lied and said her daughter paid me for all of it. Her daughter did offer to pay me for it and I explained that I'm her drug dealer now and it's fine. No worries. She had a glass at bedtime so it was within the physician order. She'd come up to the desk and whisper (directly under a camera lol) "I need more, you know." Try to slip me a $10 on the sly and show me her empty cup.
Her happiness and absolute glee over having her wine is what got me through. I snuck in beer, whisky and more wine for other residents. Management was aware and didn't care. Money well spent.
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u/rain-717 Jan 20 '22
My outpatient clinical started using insulin pen for certain patients that needed insulin. The highest dose we could give was 6 units and then the 100 unit insulin pen would go into sharps. Once had a patient, who requested that I give the pen to her instead of throwing it away, since she uses the same insulin at home. Showed me her prescription and I quietly just gave it to her instead of throwing it away.
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u/sealover RN, BSN, CEN - ED Jan 20 '22
When someone comes to my ED and they are given a couple of puffs from an inhaler. Instead of it going into the trash, we send it home with them plus a prescription for another. It is against hospital policy but an unwritten rule that we do this. I dont want someone to have to come back because they were not able to fill the scrip yet.
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u/showers_with_plants RN - ER 🍕 Jan 20 '22
That's weird cause we are supposed to give the inhaler when they leave. Our pharmacy puts stickers on them that are bright green and say "give to patient at discharge"
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u/sealover RN, BSN, CEN - ED Jan 20 '22
I wish that were the case here. I think it’s because it is not dispensed from pharmacy with directions and a label like it would be for a scrip. We just got them out of the pyxis. Our RTs do the inhalers in my hospital and I have had to explain to ones that were new or not normally in the ED that it is ok when they balk
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Jan 20 '22
Rx here. The short answer is legal BS. The long answer is that there are only two common situations where a hospital is legally allowed to dispense drug home with a patient: 1., you’re a bit rural, there is no 24hr pharmacy within a certain radius and the patient will need the drug soon. 2. Your hospital is fully licensed as a retail pharmacy as well as a hospital pharmacy. In either of these cases they need to be fully labeled with the address of the hospital, dispensing doctor, etc just like an outpatient prescription.
If neither of these are true, like for my hospital, you are not legally allowed to send that home with the patient. It also can’t be used for anyone else so it’s supposed to be thrown away. Not a damn soul cares though, keep doing what you’re doing. There’s one eye drop (proparacaine) that is genuinely dangerous and I make sure to specifically say “but really, DONT send this home with them” otherwise go wild with those creams homie.
ETA: there’s also an exception for HIV PEP. Probably others.
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u/Glum-Draw2284 MSN, RN - ICU 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I used to always send insulin vials, eye drops, ointments, Flonase, etc with patients. When I knew there was an upcoming discharge, I would request another product from pharmacy and say, “Can’t find the vial, can you send another please?” 🤭
I stopped when I sent the items to LTACH once and their administrator called the unit to complain.
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u/peanutty_buddy Jan 20 '22
I did this when I worked dayshift. Medications are expensive and the patient is being charged for it anyway. Especially eye drops, like come on!
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u/BlueDragon82 PCT Jan 20 '22
Inhalers especially with covid rampaging. My Dad's nurse and RT knew he couldn't afford the $400 inhaler the doc wanted him on. They made sure he had two before he left the hospital last year. Between those two and social work vouchering one more he had enough to build back up his lungs until he didn't need them anymore. The thing that gives me a laugh is my aunt. She is going through a trio of surgeries for breast reconstruction. She had to change out her gauze and tape regularly and she told her doctor and the nurse that she loves the medical tape because it holds so well. Last time they gave her something like four rolls of it along with her regular package of post op materials just because she mentioned it.
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u/JustineDeNyle BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
This is what I'd do with anyone struggling for meds or supplies! I'd even go a step further and make "goody bags" before a patient was discharged by raiding the supply closet.
Most of the time the goody bags were for patients in long term care or nursing facilities. Some wouldn't even have shampoo to use regularly! So I gave them shampoo, combs, soaps, lotions, anything they could use.
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u/apricot57 RN - Med/Surg 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Yup! Insulin is so friggin nuts in the US, I especially give out the insulin pens if pt is uninsured.
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u/S8F7 RN - ER 🍕 Jan 20 '22
We used to have to waste the vials of insulin after pulling up like what...6 units out of 300 or a thousand?
If I knew the patient wouldn't kill themselves with it, I'd let them keep it.
It changed like 4 years ago where we could reuse the same vials for multiple patients.
It was so wasteful before that.
That shits expensive
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u/forever22Lynn RN - PICU 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I’m a picu nurse. In the beginning of COVID, I had a new diagnosis brain tumor teen. Her parents were divorced/shared custody but both wanted to be at bedside. Came on at night and they both knew one parent had to leave at 8 pm and the dad started to linger so I just said “I really don’t care if you stay, I can just kick you out if my charge notices but I don’t think she will” and no one noticed. He got to stay an extra three hours with his baby. 2. I had an AML 4 YO on thanksgiving, the day charge the day prior said his family (4 non sick adults) could all stay in the room together for 15 minutes to enjoy their holiday. I told them they could stay until the charge noticed. She never did. They were happy.
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u/r-n_u-k Jan 20 '22
Not exactly a rule break, more unconventional but I once wheeled a patient’s bed outside so she could be with her horse for an hour. (Palliative care oncology unit).
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u/D_manifesto BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I had a patient who was septic and got stuck in the hospital for Christmas. No visitor policy. And they were only doing “house trays” for meals. The night before Xmas eve I made beans and rice, and pasteles (Puerto Rican version of a tamale). I gathered a few of my Puerto Rican coworkers and we paraded into the room with his special food, music playing on a Bluetooth speaker, and his wife who we snuck in. He was on “heart health” diet order, but was barely eating because the food was gross. His wife works at a hospital down the street. So she wore her work scrubs and blended in. Patient was beyond surprised and happy. Even brought my mini maracas that had the Puerto Rican flag on them for the patient to feel like he was at home.
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u/duckface08 RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
We definitely let a patient bring his cat to visit...but the guy was only in his 20s and actively dying of cancer so... :(
We also never gift things to patients but we had another cancer patient with a poor prognosis. He was turning 20 and we knew it was going to be his last birthday. His parents were poor and basically spending all their money on hotel costs to be nearby. We all donated a couple of dollars each to get him a birthday cake and a small gift.
I also make it a personal rule to never handle patient money out of sight of the actual patient. However, my one patient desperately wanted a Pepsi. Thing is, we weren't allowing visitors due to COVID, he wasn't able to get to the vending machines himself, and our kitchen only serves juices, tea, or coffee with meals. He offered to give me some change to go and get him a Pepsi and I initially declined. He literally begged me. "Everyone has their vices. For some people, it's cigarettes. For some, it's coffee. Me? I need my Pepsi." He had a point. I did get him that Pepsi and he was supremely grateful and never asked for anything else after that.
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u/go_cortnie Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
Had a young pt with MG having PLEX. She was also a nurse. I brought her a mountain dew.
Also an assisted living facility I worked at her son bought the wrong lancet device for all the lancets she had. I went to wallgreens and got her the correct one.
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Jan 20 '22
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u/duckface08 RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I work in an underfunded Ontario hospital. Good luck getting anything beyond your 3 meals a day xD
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u/thosestripes RN - ICU 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I feel like whenever I've bent a rule like this the patient is always expecting the next shift to go down and get him a Pepsi too because "the nurse last night did!!!" I've gotten in trouble for stuff like this and it makes me really hesitant to be be nice anymore.
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u/momoftwocrazies BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
We had a patient dying from recurrent MIs and cancer. We let her sister bring in CBD drops to help with the pain.
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u/kayquila BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
During COVID: Our young oncology patient with incredibly poor prognosis got wheeled outside by a nurse to get some air...oh, look, there is his mom with his dog! He got to say goodbye to his pup before he died 💜
Before COVID: middle aged onc patient. New diagnosis, stage 4, not doing well at all. His wife slept maybe 10pm-3am if that every night, and she never left the unit. I'd make her a coffee and let her sit with me at the nurses' station (my computer facing away FYI). We chatted while I caught up on charting. He passed away peacefully on our unit. His wife nominated me for a Daisy.
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Jan 20 '22
Patient on comfort care with a wife and two kids. Horrible situation. We had a 2 visitor at a time policy so one of the kids would've been left alone. I snuck them all in and shut the curtains. Write me up, there are more important things in those moments.
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u/Joygernaut Jan 20 '22
Whenever we have great food in the back room that is more than the staff can eat I will sneak some out to patients who have been in the hospital on hospital food for a long time(obviously diet restrictions taken into account). When you have someone who’s been eating hospital food for weeks and you bring them something as simple as a brownie or cupcake or a little plate of lasagna from the Night Shift potluck it does a lot for patient morale.
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u/copper93 MSN, RN Jan 20 '22
No pets.
We had a lady who was dying. She had been in hospital for about 6 months at this point, she was so lovely and the family were awesome too. The only thing this lady wanted was to see her 2 chihuahuas again. She was bedbound and we don't really have anywhere except the freaking car park where we can wheel patients to outside, so that wasn't an option. Charge nurse was in on the whole thing too. With some creative thinking and sneakiness what ended up happening is the daughter got the chihuahuas all cuddled up in a stroller, put a sun shield over it and covered the pups with blankets as best as she could. We told her to come in at 7pm after most senior management had left and the nurse manager on duty would be in handover. Patient got to see her chihuahuas, died shortly after. As a bonus, we got puppy cuddles too. Totally worth it.
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u/alllrighty Jan 20 '22
Shoutout to all of the wonderful icu nurses who let us bring our children in to say goodbye to my Mom when she was dying. Also the wonderful nurses on the oncology floor who let me and both of my sisters sit with her constantly even though there was technically a visitor limit. Their compassion meant the world to us and my Mom didn’t have to pass all alone in the hospital.
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u/DeafinitelyQueer RN - Pediatrics 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Rule: no patients on the helipad. Exception: pediatric patient on comfort care, loved to watch the helicopters and incessantly asked to go up. Wagon with lots of blankets and one understanding security guard later, mission accomplished.
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u/3decadesin Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
I had one very thin cancer patient . The prehistoric cloth diapers we had wouldn’t fit her in the least and she often would soil her clothes and shoes because of it. I would buy her these nice looking feminine disposable incontinence pull-up briefs that fit her. Same patient also wouldn’t eat a meal unless she had a Pepsi. I bought her a few cases. It really ticked me off that on my days off my coworkers would take her pull-ups to use on others or not give her the soda for her meal. When she was hospitalized, I came to see her and bathe her, and of course bought a Pepsi. Lastly, same patient (she clearly touched many heart strings for me), I tried to locate her son. She knew she was dying and knew he was struggling with drug addiction but she needed to see him again. Unfortunately he was untraceable, and came in weeks too late. She had already passed.
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u/Adelphir Thurst Practitioner Jan 20 '22
I'll give protein supplements like Novasource and Nepro to my patients who request them even if they aren't ordered them. Some of them like the taste. Having good albumin isn't a crime, and they cost the company half of what it would cost if the patient bought them on the outside.
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u/Javielee11 BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Please don't report me...I will say what I did but only if my licens will be safe.
In the summer of 2020 peak covid I once went above and beyond the cl of duty....I gave a patient ..
TWO apple juices...
I'll be going anonymous from now on.
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u/HungCojones RN - ER 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Letting calm, well-behaving SI patients keep their cell phone. I don’t got time to create problems with patients that otherwise wouldn’t give me any
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Jan 20 '22
As a SA survivor, thank you. I wanted nothing more during my week stay then to listen to my own music.
One of the techs pulled me aside and just let me play Spotify in the corner while I laid down and put the phone on my chest. That hour was more therapeutic at the time then any group or 1:1 session.
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u/auroratmidnight RN - ICU Jan 20 '22
I wasn't allowed my phone at all, but most of the nurses ignored the 10 marker rule... how am I supposed to color with only 10 markers? Lol
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Jan 20 '22
I had a teen CF patient that wanted to go outside and skateboard. Told him he could and I worried the entire time he was gone. Came back in about an hour and he was so excited and happy. Said I was the coolest nurse he ever had! 😎
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Jan 20 '22
I snuck a patient's small dog into her room to say goodbye. She was in the ICU but had been switched to comfort measures.
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u/Tinawebmom MDS LVN old people are my life Jan 20 '22
I had a patient in long term care. Fiduciary abuse by her son.
After we prosecuted the abuse the bank returned her money. I had promised to take her clothes shopping since she had been wearing clothes from the "left behind" pile(dead people clothes)
The one thing she asked for was to eat pizza and have a beer. I spoke with her doctor who allowed that one beer would be ok to have.
My facility could not know because getting permission for the shopping had been difficult enough without adding alcohol into the mix!
She drank a quarter of her beer and called herself a light weight! (I of course treated her out to lunch)
She had so much fun spending money on herself that day.
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u/Sunflowerslove RN, BSN Jan 20 '22
I once let my patient’s daughters bring in her small dog. They snuck the dog in one of their purses. My charge nurse walked in on the dog running laps on the bed and me playing with him 😳
No regrets. She was in her 80s and needed to have heart surgery in the morning. The docs were very up front that she might not make it through surgery. She had come to our hospital via transfer from our sister hospital, and had gone in there very suddenly. I have a dog and would be heartbroken if I never got to see her one last time.
My charge nurse did not rat me out to management, but did lecture me privately. And the patient ended up making it through surgery and going home.
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u/internetdiscocat BEEFY PAWPAW 🏋️♀️ Jan 20 '22
We had a weirdly strict “only one cookie at a time” policy that people would like, be weirdly strict about. But our snack Oreos only had a single cookie in the pack!
I had a freshly 18 year old boy who had a splenectomy and broken leg from some sort of sledding accident. He was still in high school IIRC but because he was an “adult” he was not permitted visitors because of Covid.
Naturally he was lonely and alone for the first time and had a teenage boy appetite. Eff the cookie rule. He’s polite and on regular diet? 900 Pepsis and every cookie we have for you.
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u/PakAmWeab Jan 20 '22
Not sure if it counts, but I always leave new baby supplies doors unlocked and unopened as the parents are leaving. Apparently we are supposed to discourage "stealing", but at the same time a lot of the stuff like diapers get thrown out anyway for safety reasons.
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u/JazzlikeMycologist 🍼🍼NICU - RNC 🍼🍼 Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
Same here “Oh, I don’t know how these extra things got in here. Must be yours….” WINK 😉
NICU Nurse 👩⚕️
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u/PakAmWeab Jan 20 '22
My line is "Gee, these closets have too much stuff that I have to clean out once you guys leave..."
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u/Drek07 RN - Hospice 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Bent rule not so much- but I tell my patients that they are allowed to refuse things- shocker I know. I work in a post Surg unit and I love when docs put in a normal insulin order for people who are suddenly not on their normal regimen. A blood glucose of 151?! Oh my… pssst patient you are allowed to refuse this… if you are in the stupid crazy blood sugar zones it’s a different conversation. Patients who literally have not used insulin for years while having great A1Cs.
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u/The1SatanFears RN - ER 🍕 Jan 20 '22
If I clear someone for “sips with meds” with a swallow/dysphagia screen, I’ll get them whatever else they want to drink. Imo, if they’re cleared to swallow pills, they should also be able to have as much water/juice as they’d like.
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u/livelaughlump MSN, RN Jan 20 '22
This is one I’m pretty lenient on too. If I can clear someone for sips with meds, what if they just happen to take some sips without meds?
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u/kitchensinckk RN - Telemetry 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Allowed a 95 year old to keep her cbd/thc lotions. Rub your arthritic hands with weed lotion all you want you’re 95 you can do whatever you want.
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Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
When I was a CNA, I was sitting for a legal hold patient. Her "friends" said that she jumped from a moving car that her "friend" was driving. She told me that she didn't jump. She got into an argument with her friends and decided to leave. As she's getting out of the car, her supposed friend hit the gas as hard as she could. She ended going down an embankment and suffered fractures to her back. We had a long discussion about why it's important to surround yourself with people who have a positive impact on your life. Later that night, she told me that her hospital stay convinced her to go into nursing. I helped her out with her application. Last I heard about her, she's a badass nurse on Telemetry.
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u/TheGingerFro RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I had a pt with a fetal demise. She delivered and spent some time with her baby. When she was ready for us to take the baby out of the room, she lost it and was climbing the walls begging me for a cigarette. On our unit, once mom is admitted, they’re on lockdown until DC. I snuck her off the unit with me so she could go have her smoke. She was ok after that, well, as ok as one can be in that situation.
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u/COVIDNURSE-5065 BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
A patient with an ascending aortic aneurysm that was actively dissecting was waiting for surgery and it was NOT looking good. She was begging for a handful of ice chips to wet her mouth. I gave in and let her have 3 ice chips, unfortunately, just as the dickhead CV surgeon walked in the room. He, of course, berated me for it. She made it through surgery but did not survive the night. I was glad I granted her final wish while she was still conscious. F him. If they can have a sip of water to take their betablocker before surgery, these three ice chips are certainly not any worse.
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u/Nocola1 Jan 20 '22
Patients having a glass of water in emerg if they are a low risk surgical candidate
Grandma sitting in the hallway for 6 hours for her UTI can have a goddamn sip of water. Let's be reasonable here.
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Jan 20 '22
I “forgot” a bottle of hot sauce in two of my patients rooms. They were hispanic patients who hated the food at the long term facility they were staying at. They had been there for over a year and the cafeteria never accommodated there request for spicier well seasoned food.
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u/falalalama MSN, RN Jan 20 '22
What dog? I saw no dog. I don't know what that barking noise that sounds eerily similar to a dog is.
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u/cliberte98 BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
My homeless patient left AMA last night. He had type 1 DM. He came in the night prior with DKA because he ran out of insulin. He’s 20 years old. He left because he had to take care of his pregnant gf and dog. I was almost in tears. I tried to talk him into staying. I get why he wanted to leave. His blood sugar was 323 and I had to give him insulin before he left. He didn’t even have shoes. I grabbed a plastic bag and filled it with 10 pairs of nonskid footwear and a bunch of the hospital’s personal care supplies. I couldn’t just let him go with nothing.
I didn’t care if management caught me. It wasn’t right. I did the only thing I could think of to help. I wish I could have done more
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u/shopn00b BSN, RN, PCCN - Step Down Jan 20 '22
Rules were made to be bent. Personally if your family isn't a pain in the ass and I can't even tell they're there? I don't give a shit if you're there after visiting hours.
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u/eczemaaaaa MSN, RN Jan 20 '22
This is only a small thing and not exactly breaking a "rule", but I had this super nice guy as a patient for several days. Admitted with poorly controlled diabetes that lead to a painful wound we had to pack BID. I had him as a patient the night before Halloween and he joked I should bring him a Reeses cup. He was obviously on a strict diabetic diet, but I stole a mini Reeses from my sibling's trick-or-treat goodies and brought it for him. He was so happy! Would do it again 100%.
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u/scoobledooble314159 RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I'll bend the visitor rule if the family is cool and I think tye patient would benefit....
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Jan 20 '22
Patient with permission to smoke but no funds to get the supplies. They refused replacement therapy. Family couldn't afford to buy them cigarettes. Nothing else to give this person a speck of delight in life.
I don't smoke: I never have. You bet I bought the only cigarettes I ever have for that person.
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u/dopaminegtt trauma 🦙 Jan 20 '22
It was not my patient but one of our old old school doctors wrote an order it was ok for patient's dog to visit.
There was one time the chief and I walked a floridly psychotic patient outside to smoke (we aren't a psych hospital/floor). The hospital is strictly non-smoking.
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u/JMRR1416 BSN, RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I may have forgotten how to count when my patient’s husband, kids, and grandkids all wanted to be with her for “compassionate extubation” (withdrawal of life support). I could’ve sworn I only saw three people in the room, per hospital policy. But you know, it was a long week and I’m due for an eye exam anyway, so I might’ve miscounted.
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u/Hotflashdogmom Jan 20 '22
Huge thank you to the nurses and staff who let my dad and me into the hospital when my mom was dying in April 2020 and there was a strict no visitor policy. They made us sneak back out after an hour, so we weren’t able to be there when she died, but just spending that hour with her meant everything to us and to her. Thank you.
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u/kandi_t Jan 20 '22
Long time ago..1987 ish. Made a terminal patient fried green tomatoes and brought them in off hours. I got written up because it was not on his diet plan. He was thrilled.
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u/Sunshineal CNA 🍕 Jan 20 '22
These are the kind of stories which make me happy to become a nurse. My story: Covid19 likes coke soda and didn't want water. I went to the vending machine and bought him 3 coke sodas along with two cups of ice. Dude took his meds the nurse gave him and was fit as a fiddle. Slept better and he down graded to med/surg floor 2 days later.
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u/ScrubCap MSN-Ed Jan 20 '22
Your cat post made me fondly remember something that happened with my first job!
I worked on a neuro unit and had a sweet teenage patient who had just been diagnosed with epilepsy. She was admitted for a couple of weeks to get her stabilized. Anyway, she had two puppies at home and I let her mom sneak them in using a big tote bag. It was so much fun. Night shift was great 😊
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u/SommanderChepard Jan 20 '22
Give patients bags filled with supplies. The hospital can foot the bill idc.
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u/rockstang RN, BSN Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
Had a terminal CHF patient. He was an old time biker. He had long hair, beard and was covered in tattoos. He wasn't the nicest guy and didn't strike me as someone who was particularly beneficent in his youth. We weren't supposed to leave the unit due to his critical nature. His son came to visit him and brought the custom bike he was just finishing. We pushed him through the front door in a big ass recliner and portable monitor. It meant a lot to both father and son.
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u/coralraerose Jan 20 '22
We had a very young patient that has a non survivable inter cranial hemorrhage. She was going to donate her organs. We let her husband sneak her dog in to say goodbye. I don’t know if it was Covid stress or seeing her doggy trying to wake her up, but I haven’t cried that hard at work in a while
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u/IntubatedOrphans RN - Peds ICU Jan 20 '22
I have straight up told parents/older patients “I’m not a rule follower” because I work weekends and there’s no management. Some rules should be more like guidelines anyway haha
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u/Tarsha8nz Jan 20 '22
I'm another 'on the other side' person. I was in hospital with my asthma when my father was wheeled past me going to ICU. It was obviously bad. My Grandfather was behind him. I was 19. After my initial shock, I called for my nurse and somehow got out what happened. She took me down the ward to ICU but my grandfather stopped me going in. He said I was too young. They were preparing my father to be taken to a larger hospital by helicopter.
My nurse was angry. She took me back to my room and told me she would get me in there. She talked to a couple of people and said stuff it and went to the top doctor who was in charge that night. I got in to see my father before he was taken. He was out of it but squeezed my hand. Unfortunately he passed in the helicopter. My twin and brother didn't get to say goodbye.
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u/jeepdatroll RN - ER 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Not dropping a NG tube on a SBO because they understand NPO, and are not vomiting.
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u/Big_Life Jan 20 '22
Most of them, honestly. I haven't had the balls to sneak in an animal, but we have a form they can fill out to let them in anyway.
Lots of rules are arbitrary, IMO. And who's got time to enforce them? I definitely overlooked the overnight guest and the occasional child in the room. If you walked in and you're up ad lib, you don't need to be wheeled out to your car usually.
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u/mypal_footfoot LPN 🍕 Jan 21 '22
A patient's son waved me over and said "you wanna see something cool?" and wanting to see cool shit is why I became a nurse so of course I said yes, and he opened the front of his jacket to reveal a baby possum in a makeshift baby wearing sling.
I told no one. It was more about making me happy, though.
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u/BaysideLoki1989 RN 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I let her family come even after visiting hours. They gave me a cookie as a reward. Lol. My charge nurse was mad at me. Anyway they are a nice family though.
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Jan 20 '22
I give the nice homeless patients all the turkey sammiches and ginger ale they want. Plus blankets.
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u/sukibomb526 Jan 21 '22
I worked nights and had a patient in his 60s who just found out he was dying, kind of by accident (went in for a CT because he was having bad indigestion, found advanced pancreatic cancer) and he had no family local. He was obviously terrified and so sad. My patient load was pretty quiet that night, so I bought a bag of microwave popcorn, made it, and watched a movie with him. He just appreciated the company and distraction so much that I couldn't say no. I'd want a nurse to do the same for one of my family members if they could.
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u/maxman87 Jan 20 '22
Work in home health, not supposed to accept gifts from patients… but I never turn down a fresh baked cookie, pastry, slice of pie, or cup of coffee for the road. It’s one of the best parts of the job!
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u/Terrible_Western_975 RN- Neuro Jan 20 '22
I’m known for raiding the vending machines for my patients (either bc I like them or to shut them the hell up)
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u/suz621 Jan 20 '22
Not a nurse but once my sister was hospitalized for a collapsed lung. She was there for a while. I snuck my tiny dog in and the nurse caught me but gave us a half hour and a bunch of snacks to boot! We both snuggled up in her bed with the pupper and goldfish like 8 year olds.
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u/jdsandaker Jan 20 '22
I work in nursing homes and I’ve definitely looked the other way when patients have alcohol in their rooms. (Some places don’t allow it and it’s really none of my business)
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Jan 20 '22
i could give a damn at this point if my patients are vaping nicotine or weed in their room. i didn’t see it. not choosing that battle. as long as you arent lighting a fire, ill see it in your piss anyway so i dont really give a damn. not an argument i care to choose 🤷🏼♀️
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u/aggravated_bookworm Case Manager 🍕 Jan 20 '22
Okay. I’m a nurse, but this is actually something the ED nurses did for me. When I was miscarrying my first baby, I went to the hospital I work at because it’s the best in the area, and I got to the ED with my husband. In triage they told me no visitors because of COVID. I understood absolutely, but was also very emotionally distressed. My BP was sky high from anxiety when they took it, and then they asked me what I was there for. As soon as I said miscarriage, the nurses looked at each other and told me they’d see what they could do.
They then snuck my husband back into the room with me before day shift got there and I swear that made a really horrible morning better for me. There’s nothing like a little kindness in a moment of suffering
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Jan 20 '22
Look at all these awesome stories, meanwhile….
Best I did was give a family member 30 minutes on a Zoom call during Covid, when the limit is 15
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u/mouse_cookies RN - Telemetry 🍕 Jan 20 '22
I was the charge nurse on my unit and a super nice patient who was homeless was about to be discharged. His only belongings were some clothes and a rolling cooler. I went to the kitchen and stuffed the cooler with food and drinks so he'd have something to eat for a few days at least. He was super happy someone did anything that nice for him.
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u/Laylee81 Jan 20 '22
I’m a lung cancer specialist nurse, I’ve taken my patients outside the hospital so they can have cigarette.
One particular patient had such extensive disease he had weeks left to live. Smoking made him happy.
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u/JakeIsMyRealName RN - PICU 🍕 Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
We’re the worst in Peds. We will creatively stretch diet orders, will routinely stop at Target to bring a favorite treat or favorite small toy/diversion for our next shift with that kid, over-look bed sharing with 12m+ , share our own Disney+ logins with other families, and absolutely disregard every visitor rule in the books when a child is dying.