TIFU by calling a hospital code

Submitted by justrightkinda t3_yr2b3l in tifu

Obligatory this happened a few months ago.

I'm a medical student, and at the time I was completing a neurology rotation. It was my last day, and I was taking a final cathartic lap around the floor when I peeped into the room of one particular patient. I was under the impression that this patient was unable to move, but they were somehow half off the bed?!!? (still not sure how this happened)

I called out to the Nurse Practitioner (NP) nearby for help. This 4' tall NP is literally the backbone of this floor. She is the actual sorcerer of lumbar punctures. The woman could probably get spinal fluid out of a rock. AKA she is very intimidating to me, a literal weenie of the hospital. She rushes in the help me, and commands me to "PUSH THE RED BUTTON."

"Uhhh... the red button...?" I look around nervously.

"YES, JUST PUSH IT."

"This red button...?" I motion to the only red button I see--the "CALL CODE" button on the wall… I didn't think this was that serious? But I am not one to question the Goddess of the Subarachnoid Space, for I am but a worm.

She doesn't look up as she's helping the patient. "YES JUST PUSH IT."

I hit the button. The floor siren starts going off. You can hear people start sprinting toward the room, yelling out commands in the hallway. The NP looks up, sees my scared-shitless face, and starts laughing. "Not THAT red button! The nurse call button on the remote!" OH. DUH. I think my face is redder than either button at this point. I quickly hit the cancel button, but it was too late. People have already arrived to see me at the scene of the crime, finger only 1 inch from the button.

Thankfully everyone is laughing and joking about how they got their workout in for the day, although I'm sure they were thinking about how much of a dumbass I was. The NP was really kind about it and told everyone she misguided me. But bon voyage to any future career in Neuro!

​

TL;DR I was instructed to hit the nurse help button, but I accidentally called a code instead, further establishing my oafishness as a med student

1,178

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

triceratropes t1_ivrv3uz wrote

Years ago at the dialysis clinic I worked at we had a brand new charge nurse, fresh graduate with zero prior clinical experience, doing rounds on the patients. She gets to the last patient in the row and all of a sudden I hear her screaming bloody murder "CALL A CODE! CODE BLUE! HELP!". So everyone on the floor scrambles to grab the crash cart, hit the alarm, and call the paramedics. As I run up to the poor guy, not only is he breathing, but he's fully sat up in his chair and is yelling at the CN about waking him up from his nap. Apparently she just saw his eyes were closed and when he didn't immediately arouse from saying his name once she freaked out and thought he was dead, didn't even try a sternal rub or shake him awake. The medics arrived before we could call them off and they were much less understanding than OP's co-workers lol

405

ArmEagle t1_ivsd1kb wrote

Maybe she practiced at a blood donation clinic? People stay less long there and taking a 'nap' is no option there.

93

triceratropes t1_ivsjjsc wrote

She worked med-surg for about three months before getting hired with us, not sure if she had any other patient care experience. I hate to say it but she just wasn't really cut out for nursing, she couldn't control her anxiety and had a bit of an attitude problem. She stayed with us for less than a year and left to go back to school.

61

angelerulastiel t1_ivtezee wrote

What level of nursing? I know RNs with their bachelors have multiple rotations. And I can’t imagine that an associate’s level RN would be able to graduate without any rotations or get a charge nurse position with only 3 mo experience.

15

triceratropes t1_ivuakrl wrote

She's a BSN. So she wasn't hired as a charge nurse, at my facility all nurses share charge duties. She also didn't immediately start day one as charge, when you get hired you get at least eight weeks of training and nurses have to be OK'd by the nurse manager before they can be charge. At the time we were short two nurses so I wouldn't be surprised if they expedited her approval for charge duties.

6

Uticus t1_ivtjrnq wrote

I've often had a nap while donating blood. Once they get me hooked up I'll doze off until.yhr bag is full.

11

grixit t1_ivrsujz wrote

Hmm. If this were Grey's Anatomy, you'd find yourself assigned to special observation duty of that patient while having to study their case file until you could explain how they got halfway off the bed. But you'd do such a good job of it that you'd be drafted as assistant to the chief of neuro and in three years you and that nurse would designing a new handheld gadget to measure CNS activity in coma patients.

388

ThatBoxerLover t1_ivsifn0 wrote

And he and that nurse would get married.

76

kynthrus t1_ivsjuds wrote

While having sex with literally everyone else. I'm 3 seasons in to Grey's Anatomy and if this shit continues Idk if I can take it for 17 more years worth of the show.

62

NightGod t1_ivske7c wrote

The shit has really only just begun by season 3. Buckle up

18

BastardInTheNorth t1_ivsnpyr wrote

Or better yet, unbuckle and exit the ride.

16

NightGod t1_ivudaoz wrote

Honestly, season 3 is about where I checked out, but a girl I was talking to used to like to fall asleep to it playing so I caught a few episodes here and there that way

2

skeptic_slothtopus t1_ivsk1vt wrote

I loved the first season and enjoyed the next few as they came out... But it never ended and it just kept getting more convoluted, so I decided that was enough of that.

14

kynthrus t1_ivskfmy wrote

Suddenly I'm just imagining 'Arrow'. Is it just Arrow in a hospital?

4

skeptic_slothtopus t1_ivsloqf wrote

I never watched enough of that to confirm 😂 but if the romance and drama come first and character realism and developement last.. probably.

6

knopflerpettydylan t1_ivu97cm wrote

It unfortunately took me 17 seasons and like 3 more episodes to stop and decide I couldn’t care enough to finish the whole thing after all that lol

The drama and emotion really ramps up later on though, there’s some big events

2

skeptic_slothtopus t1_ivuce1v wrote

SEVENTEEN? Oh god, I'd be seething. I went through two seasons of a show that were decent, then it turned into the most OVER the top soap type thing. I was in shock. The whiplash nearly killed me 😂

3

missmoonana t1_ivtn91j wrote

If you get attached to characters get ready to cry. Still going strong with session 19.

4

knopflerpettydylan t1_ivu9fol wrote

I had to stop after season 17 but I might return eventually… binging it all in one semester was probably a poor decision lol

2

ItsNotButtFucker3000 t1_ivusm77 wrote

I couldn't take it anymore in the season before covid happened and stopped watching it.

It jumped the shark waaaay long ago, and then continued to do so every other episode, but I won't post spoilers, you can subject yourself to it. It goes downhill once they start killing off main characters, which they fix by killing off more main characters in more ridiculous ways and then introducing new characters with some terrible backstory and tragedy and then they kill someone else off because none of the actors want to be on it anymore.

3

kynthrus t1_ivwzc9x wrote

They jumped the shark more than the dude with a bomb in his chest that they never mention again? Dr Burk getting shot and Neegan dying were at least somewhat believable.

1

grixit t1_ivskg6x wrote

That's quitter talk! Don't let Doctor Bailey hear you say that.

2

kynthrus t1_ivskku6 wrote

Is her kid a doctor at the hospital by the end of the series?

2

grixit t1_ivsl1nj wrote

>!Meredith's oldest was just diagnosed as a prodigy but after making some college visits, has decided to go into engineering instead of medicine. However, her special interest is robotics which will probably lead her into bionics. The rest of Mredith's brood isn't in high school yet, so who knows? !<

11

kynthrus t1_ivsl3a6 wrote

Not gonna read that, but I assume it's "yes."

4

Mah-ee3691 t1_ivslm9o wrote

Better hang on then cause you ain't seen nothin yet.

2

maimou1 t1_ivsu6p4 wrote

meh. one thing I never aspired to, marrying a doc. I was 20 years old and in nursing school, not necessarily pretty in the face but I had a rocking body. even though my name tag clearly said Mrs nursing student, I got hit on a bit. nah, dude, I spend all day with doctors. I got a great husband and I ain't switching him out.

1

kaosi_schain t1_ivt9d07 wrote

I never watched the show, but was not there also a bomb threat, AND someone being driven into the Sound? Or was that the same episode?

1

ThatBoxerLover t1_ivumh98 wrote

Those were different episodes. The bomb threat happened in season 2. The other one happened in season 11 I think.

1

xmu806 t1_ivrytn0 wrote

If it makes you feel better, you didn’t call a code. That button actually is for a rapid response team. The blue button is for a code team.

Source: Am nurse.

Edit: at every hospital I’ve been to, it like like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/nursing/comments/5o7hrs/i_posted_about_my_pt_pushing_the_code_blue_button/

157

lekoman t1_ivs5cyd wrote

For those of us who don’t work in hospitals: what’s the difference? I thought that “code” just meant “rapid response”?

37

reallybeefymaistaken t1_ivs88xs wrote

At our hospital, a rapid response meant the floor/charge nurse and a respiratory therapist would arrive to assess the situation and determine next steps while a full code brought the calvary.

You’d call a rapid response if something seemed ‘off,’ aka increased/labored breathing, syncope, onset of acute confusion, possible stroke, etc.

You would call a code if it the person died or seemed very close to it.

When in doubt, generally a rapid response gets called first and then they decide if a code needs to be called.

48

TheDamnAngel t1_ivsie5m wrote

I work on the code team for my hospital.

A rapid response is called when a patient isn’t doing well. It can be called for just about anything. Trouble breathing, chest pain, abnormal vital signs, neurological changes, etc. In my hospital, a team of critical care nurses arrives along with respiratory therapists and a doctor.

A code is called when the patient either stops breathing or goes into cardiac arrest, so it’s more serious than a rapid response. Sometimes we call a code when they are still breathing but are doing poorly enough that we need the ICU team to come intubate them (place a breathing tube). When a full blown code is called, the rapid response team and the ICU doctors show up, as well as a pharmacist with a cart full of critical medications.

33

Arrasor t1_ivs7yam wrote

I guess you could say it's like urgent care vs. ER?

2

xmu806 t1_ivswvcq wrote

No. A rapid response team is called when your patient is going down hill. It can be called for basically anything where your patient is becoming less stable. An ICU nurse, respiratory therapy, lab, x-ray all show up. A code is when the patient is having cardiac or respiratory failure. It includes everything from the rapid team but also a critical care doctor (who can write orders, which can be VERY important when things go south).

5

InadmissibleHug t1_ivs640g wrote

That might just depend where you are.

Where I live, the red button will call you a code- source, very crusty old nurse

17

QLevi t1_ivswl8e wrote

Same for my hospital. If it were a code blue it'll also be broadcast thru the entire fucking hospital to summon the team. Which would be fun for OP.

3

place_artist t1_ivs5hoj wrote

Push the button, Kronk!

WRONG BUTTTTOOONNNNNN!!!

134

Gadgetman_1 t1_ivsmhpg wrote

When someone tells you to push the RED button, you push the RED button. And you hit the biggest, most visible red button you can find.

The RN should have told you to push the 'nurse call' button.

So, no you didn't FU that day.

130

RugbyTX t1_ivs1m3o wrote

This honestly happens all the time, especially in the emergency department. It's nbd. Typically more funny than anything

118

SnakeBeardTheGreat t1_ivs7lha wrote

Where I worked we had certain fire alarm pull stations that would get pulled by kids or idiots. So we put covers on them. when they pulled the cover off it would sound a loud alarm put the cover back on the alarm would stop. Saved a lot of false alarms to the fire dept.

60

MINIMAN10001 t1_ivspuf1 wrote

An alarm for your alarm, smart I like it. Would have saved probably all the false calls from children at my place of work as well.

26

SnakeBeardTheGreat t1_ivvt4hf wrote

They work great. A kid pulls the alarm cover in makes a loud noise all they want is to get away from it because they know they screwed up.

Right on the cover it says remove cover to pull the alarm.

2

Palpou t1_ivsidwk wrote

Ah yes, the same in France in my hospital emergency. I used it thinking it would open a door once. But I've seen it used multiple times for agressive patients and once for a heart failure.

3

wolf_boi_ t1_ivs0k2s wrote

I mean, this is not as bad as the time I really had to shit when I was at another office in another building. I was not familiar with the layout at all. So while I was frantically looking for a bathroom I pushed open an emergency exit door and the siren blasted through out the quiet office, and everyone turned towards me and saw the moron who did this. It was a big office so there were like 100 people staring at me like who is this idiot.

For that brief moment my urge to poo went away.

40

NightGod t1_ivskipr wrote

Could have been worse, the urge could have doubled-down and won

20

MINIMAN10001 t1_ivspypw wrote

Interesting... yeah if the fire doors at my work were connected to the fire alarm systems it would never end lol. It just sets off the door alarm.

1

Nashiwa t1_ivsl42j wrote

Could have been much worse! I remember about 10 years ago when I was working as a volunteer in the ER of my local hospital, one of my colleague (a volunteer as well) had a patient that was getting a little agitated and seemed a bit threatening. So he called the main desk to ask for a code blue (=please send security backup), but got his colors confused and called a code purple (=armed threat with possible hostage situation). I can let you imagine the chaos that ensued.

28

MINIMAN10001 t1_ivsq81q wrote

Jeeze and I thought it was bad people at work have twice confused fire code with hazmat code. It's all just announced so like... when you hear maintenance being called to a fire, you know you can just ignore it.

7

sassysequin t1_ivu1sr5 wrote

This makes me so glad my hospital uses “plain language” codes so that the only color we have to remember is blue!

5

Nashiwa t1_ivu27vm wrote

Right? I had to learn and remember something around 6-8 different colors for different events, if not more. And I think throughout my 2 months of volunteering there, I heard these codes being used less than 4 times

3

EsquilaxM t1_ivsaxyk wrote

Definitely not your fuck up.

18

braebrae11 t1_ivs7zf6 wrote

My first shift on another ward as a brand new nurse of one month was a night shift. I was doing my sheet waiting for handover when a nurse strolls out of the bay and says oh hey, can you call a rapid response, and then grab the trolley please? I froze for a second, then remembered exactly what to do. I punched the buttons on the phone and said "R...Code Blue!!" and even got the bed number correct. Phew!

I ran to get the trolley, dropped the cone in the corridor and when I came back about 20 people were all there just looking at a patient who was sipping iced coffee and looking quite chuffed by all the attention. All eyes turn to me.

"Oh...oops"

Dies and hopes to fall through the floor

16

ethanduong t1_ivsg9c3 wrote

Hey you just can't drop the story without telling us commoner plebs why the nurse wanted to call rapid response!

11

braebrae11 t1_ivshir7 wrote

Lol it was hypotension, and she had told him to drink something, hence the iced coffee.

6

SCPutz t1_ivtuc4r wrote

As a staff nurse I was always told “better to overreact than underreact” by my manager. If you call a code in error, well, shit happens but everyone’s okay. If you don’t call a code and you should have…well, death.

Maybe you’re a little embarrassed but everyone else probably just had a little chuckle and moved on.

13

MINIMAN10001 t1_ivsqbuw wrote

>She doesn't look up as she's helping the patient. "YES JUST PUSH IT."..."Not THAT red button!"

Who designed this shit lol

11

[deleted] t1_ivty5n2 wrote

"Who designed this shit": my stock answer for our hospital is, "The lowest bidder."

5

iotashan t1_ivtq3pb wrote

She gives instructions like my wife...

W: "Take this and put it anywhere over there"
Me: "Anywhere?"
W: "Yes, anywhere"
Me: [picks a spot]
W: "OMG Anywhere but THERE"

11

bo-ba-fett t1_ivsd7va wrote

Don’t let r/residency hear you say nice things about an NP……

9

eastwestnocoast t1_ivuh43c wrote

Ha this was my immediate thought as well.

3

bo-ba-fett t1_ivuqcq9 wrote

The hate there is real. Funny thing is there are shit bag MDs and shit bag NPs, as well as amazing MDs and amazing NPs. You wouldn’t ever know it if that was your only reference.

1

Aussiealterego t1_ivsv0wy wrote

You are not alone. As a nursing student on a hospital rotation, I did exactly the same thing, for the same reason.

I think my face was as red as the button.

8

[deleted] t1_ivtxs9x wrote

In a hospital and Cardiac Cath, 30 years (on a break, by the way). In my opinion, you never screw up when you hit the Code Button. Yeah, it was a dud and I've gone to those, but what if it wasn't? I'd rather hit it and be wrong than to lose heart muscle dithering on whether to call a Code or not. No my friend, it was no trouble whatsoever calling it.

8

golem501 t1_ivsqaev wrote

communication is key! I would think both of you learned of this!

7

sorry97 t1_ivtbri4 wrote

Don’t sweat it, this happens all the time.

I was once doing consults with my psych resident, there’s a panic button under the desk and he’s pretty tall, so he accidentally pushed the button when he crossed his legs lol.

Accidents happen, I’m 100% sure we all prefer an accidental panic/stroke/AMI button press over the real deal, everyone just laughs it off and moves on.

6

cheeseontoasts t1_ivsx8ap wrote

Eh it happens, our emergency bell and the off button for the call bell are beside each other and i have accidentally hit the emergency. Everyone is well used to it

5

ilyatwttmab t1_ivtph4e wrote

Honestly, if you were going to make a mistake, it’s better that way than in reverse. If she had meant “that” red button, and you pushed the nurse call button, it would have meant losing vital time for the patient, i would think. I’m not in the medical profession at all.

5

Geomichi t1_ivt9uno wrote

No one cares if you over use the button. It's if something goes wrong and you don't press it that there's a problem

4

Kchopz2go t1_ivsdz2n wrote

The hospital I worked for has Code blue buttons that are BLUE for that reason. BUT they also have rapid response if you pull the call bell out of the wall (made to do that) as it means you or the patient needs help NOW.

3

DarkShogun34 t1_ivszo3d wrote

I would think a code blue button would be...blue.

3

[deleted] t1_ivty12w wrote

Bright and attention getting so when I'm panicky, I can see it.

1

Lallo-the-Long t1_ivtiqeb wrote

Man... Last month I went out to line up a drill and did a dumb thing, leading to the drill being off several degrees, and we missed our target. Cost the company like $100,000. I'm still employed. I think you're going to be alright.

3

jsellars8 t1_ivu208i wrote

Meh I’m a nurse, it’s fine. Those things get accidentally pushed all the time. I pushed one on accident one day while unhooking some oxygen from the wall. Not sure who’s bright idea it was to put the code blue button next to the oxygen hookup.

3

PaxonGoat t1_ivu3o3x wrote

It's ok. One time Ortho cancelled the surgery on my patient for their open fracture because they thought the patient was brain dead. Patient was a whole GCS 6 and probably could have been GCS 8 if the eyes weren't completely swollen shut. It was the first week in July. They got confused by the OPO note. (All patients admitted with a GCS 3 get auto referral to organ procurement)

3

the_whole_loaf t1_ivup4g7 wrote

ER nurse here- we all would have chuckled and immediately forgotten that it happened. Your future in Neuro is still bright! Mistakes like that happen to everyone and it doesn’t even register on the Richter scale, especially now. No harm, no foul

3

Twoyurnipsinheat t1_ivuplez wrote

In a way the button you pressed in the situation was the best outcome given the directions.

Had the call nurse button been the incorrect button pressed I'm guessing precious seconds would have been lost.

Everything went fine from what I read.

3

curiouscuriel t1_ivt2xgt wrote

Don't worry man, I've met plenty of oafish doctors. As long as you are humble and willing to listen and learn, you have nothing to worry about.

2

Joshrie t1_ivteef4 wrote

just remember to say "this is a drill, this is a drill" when you make funny "mistakes" that are harmless - they love it so much

2

pwalkz t1_ivtuaw5 wrote

Seems like you will be fine

2

regular_gnoll_NEIN t1_ivtzlvp wrote

Lmao this is why 2 important buttons with vastly different purposes should NOT BE THE SAME COLOR

2

birdieponderinglife t1_ivu3lw1 wrote

I’m sure after the confusion dissipated everyone was really glad there wasn’t actually a code. You might be embarrassed but this isn’t a fuck up in my book :)

2

GenerousPour t1_ivue7fu wrote

Code strokes and rapids get called all the time for nothing. I wouldn’t worry.

2

Agreeable_Solution28 t1_ivundmv wrote

This happened to me once while I was working with an agency nurse. I asked her to pull the blue cord and instead she pushed the blue button. I Immediately started laughing, thinking she got it half right!! Luckily, at the time we had this little old lady who found out a great way to get lots of attention was to walk into patients rooms and press the code button so Instead of actually calling the code they called the floor to ask if she was up to her old tricks. No harm, no foul!

1

x-dc t1_ivv3mey wrote

I hold the arrest pager at my hospital and don't worry... this happens on the daily (probably more than daily, tbh). Our hospital has these buttons in bathrooms labelled "Staff Assist" which are actually the arrest buttons... needless to say patients press them all the time to get the Nurses to help them in/out of the bathroom. They used to be wired to directly activate a code... nowadays they don't unless the code is backed by a phone call, but I swear some day they'll label the buttons in a less retarded manner.

1

BritBuc-1 t1_ivvqxsj wrote

I’ve been on the other side of this a few times. So from experience, everyone will laugh at you and probably call you a dumbass to your face. Then we remember the times we’ve done similar or the same dumb shit, and go back to wondering how the hell this band of misfits is responsible for keeping people alive.

Bad news is, you’ll do something else dumb in future, learn to laugh at yourself and you’ll fit right in. Go get ‘em you crazy, magnificent bastard.

1

SnakeBeardTheGreat t1_ivs5thd wrote

The NP screwed up. The nurse call button is the nurse call no matter what color it is. The red switch on the wall sends a signal to they nursing station that requires attention fight now. It does not Sound a siren in the hospital. I find your story funny but untrue. I worked on these systems for twenty years as a hospital engineer along with everything else to keep the hospital running smoothly.

−22

InadmissibleHug t1_ivs6fkl wrote

That does depend on where you live, of course.

Your red button may only do that. Mine will bring the resus team.

9

SnakeBeardTheGreat t1_ivs6sy2 wrote

All through out the hospital system things must be done one way as per the federal government.

−16

InadmissibleHug t1_ivs6vy1 wrote

Which federal govt??

I’ve been a nurse for over 30 years, my federal govt doesn’t dictate that the red button only calls the nurse’s station, never has.

11

MalmoWalker t1_ivs7mgi wrote

Reddit was made by Americans for Americans.

4

InadmissibleHug t1_ivs89yx wrote

Apparently so. One’s mind could pop if one considers other places might have alternative uses for the same item.

Or

Might

Even

Also

Have

State

And

Federal

Laws

2

Nadamir t1_ivslsl4 wrote

Good lord. As an engineer you should know just how many things are different and still compliant with government standards.

Some things sure are the same, but many times government regulations are like “have a thing that does XYZ” and leave it up to you entirely how to implement that.

One need only look at the different EHRs.

2

censorized t1_ivsti1m wrote

I'd love to see the federal regs he's referring to.

2

Nadamir t1_ivtk6f7 wrote

I’m not even mostly American (technically I am) but I’ve worked on your bloody EHR systems. And even I know that specifying colours is generally only found in aviation and other transportation regs.

Which makes sense as even a “Code Blue” is not universal.

But even in countries where there is a unified universal health system, such as Britain’s NHS or my own Ireland’s HSE, federal/national governmental regs don’t get that specific and each Trust or Hospital Group has substantial control over these sorts of things.

1