winterallsummer Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 In this thread, can PAs post some of their funny, terrifying, or hell even amazing moments at work? It can be something funny, a horror story, whatever. We had an old thread like this but I wanted to start a new one. It was really enjoyable! I'd post some of my own but I'm still a pre-PA (PA-S in the summer though!). I can post some of mine working as a CNA if no one else gets the thread started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtg1111 Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 I'm just a PA student, but I have a story about my first day of my OBGYN rotation. It was about 9:30 am and it was our surgery day. We were prepping to perform a LEEP and was I was already wearing scrubs. About 30 minutes prior the doc told me I could hang my white coat back in the nurses lounge on the hook. I wasn't paying much attention so I went ahead and hung it there without looking or paying attention to who elses coats were hanging. The doctor and I had to go and get consent from the patient so he asked me to go grab my white coat. I went back and grabbed what I thought was my coat and put it on. I walked down the hallway on the OBGYN unit and went to the surgery department where we were going to meet. He looked at me and said, "Looks like you've aged a bit." I know I had a very confused look on my face as he pointed to the coat I was wearing. Here I was walking around the hospital wearing a long white coat imprinted with Dr. *****'s name on it. I was soooooooo embarassed. On the brightside, he and all the nurses got a good laugh out of it. I attribute this to being nervous on my first day and will never forget it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deborah212 Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Yesterday, while in the room of a right heart failure patient with a pressure in 60s, I got paged that another one of my patients on a different pod with severe aortic stenosis had new AF with rates in the 150s. Between stat bedside echos, a whiff of fluids, and the magic of IV lopressor, both were stable by the time I signed out. Lot's of adrenaline and running back and forth between pods that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 My first migraine patient: I was a second year PA student in the Internal Medicine clinic at the University of Kentucky. We had a walk in clinic as part of IM, were PA and Med students worked. There was a large caulk board in the hall way with the patient's name and complaint (totally against HIPAA rules today). We would look at the list of complaints and pick the one that we felt comfortable and call the patient back. Besides "Brenda L" was the word "Migraine." I called her back. She was a college student. I knew virtually nothing about how to treat migraines but was ready to learn. Once I had her in the room she quickly said, "I don't have no freakin migraines. I found out that my ex-boyfriend had gonorrhea and I'm afraid I have it but I wasn't going to have them put that up on your board." I got a nurse and set up for a pelvic. I did the proper swabs. At the end of the day the attending (not a very nice man) wanted to see me in his office. When he did that, it was never a good sign. I went in and sat down. He looked very concerned and said, "I don't know what they teach you in PA school, but we do NOT do pelvics for migraines. That was very inappropriate." My response was, "Huh?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason09 Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Funny Story: About to perform pelvic on female in her mid 30's in the ER. As I am about to insert the speculum pt states she has a joke to tell me. I promptly stop and ask her to wait until I am finished. So once done with the exam the pt tells her joke. She says a pt walks into her Ob/GYN's office for her yearly pelvic exam. Pt states she is very nervous about the exam and is shaking in the room. The OB/GYN sees this and says are you nervous? Pt states yes; I am extremely uncomfortable and don't like this at all. Ob/GYn says would you like me to numb you up? Pt looks puzzled and says YOU ARE ABLE TO DO THAT? Smiles and says absolutely. That would make this much better. So the OB/GYN says ok and proceeds to move head side to side muttering numb nmmm nmmm nmmm. Nightmare: 38 y/o male admits PMH HTN, CRF, CAD, DM with CC of R flank pain pain for 4 months no different today. No other complaints. Pt seen 2 weeks ago in ED for exact same and nothing found. I do standard labs CBC,BMP, UA etc. Nothing remarkable except trace blood in urine. Vitals stable except pressure is like 140's/80's. no biggy. So since he is a bounce back and c/o same pain did CT urogram. Radiologist calls me back 1 hour later states Pt has thoracic aortic aneurysm and AAA with possible dissection but need contrast to fully tell. Obtained contrast study as pressure and vitals stable and shows descending aortic dissection from subclavian artery all the way down into the abdominal aorta. I immediately drop his pressure and call vascular surgeon. Got lucky on his and my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyJ Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 During my first week of practice I had a finger laceration. Had this big, football player build, guy (easily twice my size) seated upright with his hand resting on a mayo tray. I was sitting on a stool with a second mayo tray with my suture set up. I injected the lido and as I turned to put down the syringe...BOOM! Guy goes syncopal, falling forward. Mayo trays go tipping over and guy goes falling to the ground, as I quickly reach out to try to brace his fall, unsuccessfully. I had never seen someone pass out before and I was in the room alone. I calmy, but loudly called out for assistance. From that day on, everybody lays down. Second one. In the middle of a pelvic. Just removed the speculum, getting ready to do the bimanual with fingers lubed and heading into position....I hear from over the bed sheet "Hello...Oh nothing just up at the hospital getting a procedure done...". I am in shock. I look at the nurse, back at the patient, then back at the nurse. Nurse says "You know you can't do that (go on with the bimanual) while she is talking on the phone". We patiently wait for a good 2-3 minutes while she proceeds to give this person directions to come get her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SocialMedicine Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Re phone call during pelvic exam. I would have flipped out on the nurse for that comment, and the patient for talking on the phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyJ Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Re phone call during pelvic exam. I would have flipped out on the nurse for that comment, and the patient for talking on the phone. I didn't know what to do. I agreed with the nurse that I shouldn't proceed with the bimanual while she was on the phone. I should have told the patient to get off the phone, but I was so shocked. I didn't know what to say! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtg1111 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 During my family medicine rotation I went in to see a teenage girl who was c/o a sore throat and URI symptoms. We talked for a few minutes before I went to examine her. I looked in her ears and next I was going to look in her mouth. I stepped back and told her to, "open up" for me. She then started to unbutton her shirt with an odd look on her face. I had to tell her no, I wanted to look in your mouth. She was so embarassed. Her mother and my preceptor were in the room at the time and we all got a good laugh out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtg1111 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I would love to hear some more stories.. Come on people!!!! We know you've got them, just share 'em!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk732 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 In first year, our medical director made us watch that episode of ER from the first season where they had an ER birth from Hell, resulting in maternal demise. He did it, not to say that it could happen, but to show that things can go sideways kinda quick on you, and then spiral out of control. Flash forward to my OB/Gyn rotation - two mothers go at the same time, my attending and I are finishing sewing up a tear together when a nurse comes in and says "Mrs Jones in the next room has gone and the kid's head is out - can you come and finish things?". The Dr looks at me and said "You've seen and helped enough - you can handle it". So in I go - baby's head is out, I muckle on and asked for a good push. Nothing. Tried again, gave a good pull - no movement. I looked at the nurses - "Shoulder's hung up". They each grabbed a knee and got them up to the mom's chest. Another push and nothing. Looked at one - "Go get Dr X now" and to the other "I need you to do a really hard suprapubic push". She did - POP - out comes kid. Had the cord clamped, bloods drawn and cut and on mummy by the time the Doc came jogging in. The irony: not long before I'd been doing some reading on Immediate Actions and Stoppages of Human Birth...and didn't like where the next IA would have taken me if that kid hadn't come out when it did. About a month later, I ran into my medical director at school when I was doing some paperwork and he asked me how things were going...and I lit him up, because all I remember going through my head at that point whent he kid got hung up was that TV show. I hear he didn't subject folks to that the next year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Okay, every time I tell a war story someone points out I've told it before. So, I hope this one isn't recycled. I was working in an oasis on the UAE-Omani boarder. I was just beginning to learn Arabic and my vocabulary was very limited. None of my patients spoke a word of English. I did work with a wonderful nurse, Nancy, who was fluent in Arabic . . . but she was only in my room now and then. So, this very old lady wearing the traditional burqa sat down. I introduced myself in Arabic and asked her how she was. She responded in the usual form, "I'm great, thanks to Allah." Then I asked her (in Arabic), "So, what's really going on with you?" She responded with a long sentence and this is my translation of what I understood, "gibberish gibberish gibberish gibberish PAIN gibberish gibberish gibberish." My eyes lit up so I asked her (in Arabic) "Where is the pain?" She smiled and pointed to her low back I looked at it and felt of it then I asked in Arabic, "From how long have you had the pain?" Now I knew the words for seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months and years. I also knew the numbers to a million in Arabic so I was waiting for the answer. This is what I heard, "From gibberish gibberish gibberish gibberish." There were no time or numbers, I asked again and she said the same. I looked for Nancy and she was no where in sight. I assumed that this, maybe 80+ year old woman had typical low back pain and DJD. So I wrote her a Rx for an NSAID. The lady thanked me and slowly stood up with my assistance. She limped towards the door. As she was going out, Nancy was coming in. "Nancy," I said, "Ask that lady how long her back has been hurting." Nancy grabbed her and asked her the same question, in Arabic, that I had asked the lady. The lady gave Nancy the same answer as she had me. Nancy nodded and looked at me to translate, "Like I was telling him, since I fell out the palm tree." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyBoy Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 During my family medicine rotation I went in to see a teenage girl who was c/o a sore throat and URI symptoms. We talked for a few minutes before I went to examine her. I looked in her ears and next I was going to look in her mouth. I stepped back and told her to, "open up" for me. She then started to unbutton her shirt with an odd look on her face. I had to tell her no, I wanted to look in your mouth. She was so embarassed. Her mother and my preceptor were in the room at the time and we all got a good laugh out of it. Had a similar incident at the STD clinic. After checking for cervical lymphadenopathy, I asked the teenage girl to open up wide...when I turned around to reach for the light she spread her legs. How embarrassing. My Horror Story- Was called to a room at 2am for Chest pain in a 70yo male with every risk factor and CAD condition known to man. While listening to his chest, I heard a horrific "HELLP!!" from down the hall. Walked out in the hallway and into a room across the hall, where I found a 400lbs+ lady with blood pooling out of her mouth on the toilet being held up by a 80lb tech. At least a liter of bright red blood filling the bathroom floor. No response, no pulse- she fell to the floor with a likely broken leg, and I started CPR while calling out for a code cart. Revived her to NSR, BP 130/70 after one round of epi/atropine, and got her to the ICU... she passed later that day, but, I left there shell shocked and my scrub bottoms covered in blood. I'll never forget that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyBoy Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 During my family medicine rotation I went in to see a teenage girl who was c/o a sore throat and URI symptoms. We talked for a few minutes before I went to examine her. I looked in her ears and next I was going to look in her mouth. I stepped back and told her to, "open up" for me. She then started to unbutton her shirt with an odd look on her face. I had to tell her no, I wanted to look in your mouth. She was so embarassed. Her mother and my preceptor were in the room at the time and we all got a good laugh out of it. Had a similar incident at the STD clinic. After checking for cervical lymphadenopathy, I asked the teenage girl to open up wide...when I turned around to reach for the light she spread her legs. How embarrassing. My Horror Story- Was called to a room at 2am for Chest pain in a 70yo male with every risk factor and CAD condition known to man. While listening to his chest, I heard a horrific "HELLP!!" from down the hall. Walked out in the hallway and into a room across the hall, where I found a 400lbs+ lady with blood pooling out of her mouth on the toilet being held up by a 80lb tech. At least a liter of bright red blood filling the bathroom floor. No response, no pulse- she fell to the floor with a likely broken leg, and I started CPR while calling out for a code cart. Revived her to NSR, BP 130/70 after one round of epi/atropine, and got her to the ICU... she passed later that day, but, I left there shell shocked and my scrub bottoms covered in blood. I'll never forget that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Had a similar incident at the STD clinic. After checking for cervical lymphadenopathy, I asked the teenage girl to open up wide...when I turned around to reach for the light she spread her legs. How embarrassing. Well, what kind of "cervical" LAD were you looking for...huh...ehh.....sorry bad joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Had a similar incident at the STD clinic. After checking for cervical lymphadenopathy, I asked the teenage girl to open up wide...when I turned around to reach for the light she spread her legs. How embarrassing. Well, what kind of "cervical" LAD were you looking for...huh...ehh.....sorry bad joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 12, 2012 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2012 I had a pt a few yrs ago shooting bottle rockets out of his backside to make a youtube video. one didn't launch and he got a huge 2nd degree burn in all the expected areas. his primary concern though was that I wouldn't think he way gay. I didn't think that. I thought he was an idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 12, 2012 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2012 I had a pt a few yrs ago shooting bottle rockets out of his backside to make a youtube video. one didn't launch and he got a huge 2nd degree burn in all the expected areas. his primary concern though was that I wouldn't think he way gay. I didn't think that. I thought he was an idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyBoy Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Well, what kind of "cervical" LAD were you looking for...huh...ehh.....sorry bad joke. Hahaha- well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyBoy Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Well, what kind of "cervical" LAD were you looking for...huh...ehh.....sorry bad joke. Hahaha- well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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