Superstition
is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any physical process linking the two events, a false conception of causality, such as astrology, omens, witchcraft, etc., that contradicts natural science. Wikipedia
If I ever get sick and must be admitted to the CCU, do not put me in room 4!
This Friday, the 13th, let’s look at the top 13 Nursing Superstitions:
1. Full Moon
A full moon always brings out all the crazies.
2. The Rule of Three.
This especially pertains to death and really busy nights. Three nights in a row of high census usually give us a little reprieve–or leads us to three more nights of a high census.
4. The “Q” word
Never say how well a shift/day has been before you clock out…or it won’t be good anymore.
5. Open a window
Open a window when a patient dies so the soul can escape.
6. Tie a knot in the bed sheet
Tying a knot in the bottom right sheet for a dying patient to last through the night.
7. A fly
A fly in the hospital means someone will die.
8. Good-luck Charms.
I know a nurse who always wears the same earrings as a talisman against a bad night.
9. L/D Instrumentation
Some L/D nurses won’t open instrumentation until the last minute before a delivery because they are afraid they will end up with a c-section.
10. Frequent Flyers
Never Discuss a frequent flyer who hasn’t been in lately. He/she will show up.
11. Never turn the lights out
When there is a code in the hospital, we open a room (turn the lights on, balance our bed scale, turn the monitor to standby), and if the patient doesn’t make it into our ICU, we NEVER turn the lights out.
12. Atropine in Cardiac ICU
In the cardiac ICU, I surreptitiously waved Atropine around the room before pulling femoral lines. If I had a patient in third-degree block or something similar, I carried a cartridge in my pocket. (It wards off evil spirits, obviously.)
13. “Certain Rooms are Unlucky.”
I used to tell my colleagues, “If I ever get sick and have to be admitted to the CCU, do not put me in room 4.” Room 4 was very unlucky. It seemed as though most patients in room 4 were very ill and didn’t survive. Why is that? Room placement is random on any given day; nurse assignment is random. It only seems logical to think it’s a “cursed” room.
Do you have others? Share them in the comments!
