Are You a Superstitious Nurse? Let's see ...

You may not think you're a superstitious person, but there a few common beliefs that you've no doubt encountered in your nursing career. If you're a on a travel nursing job, you have an excellent opportunity to see if your fellow RNs around the country share some of the same superstitions -- or if they're different everywhere.

Nursing Superstitions: 13 Greatest Hits

Just like the Stevie Wonder song, the writing's on the wall. Perhaps you’ve noticed some of these "Top 13 Nursing Superstitions":

1. The Q word: Ever jinxed your floor by saying “it’s so quiet today!” Some believe this is an invitation (from on high) to send the patients pouring in!
2. The difficult patients are behaving so well today! Don’t even think about uttering this one. Before you know it, you’ll have nursing alarm fatigue.
3. The no-free beds so I’m complacent jinx: Just when you think your floor is full and you couldn’t possibly squeeze in another patient, think again. There’s always room for one more.
4. You can’t forget the regulars! The second you think, “I wonder how so and so is doing. I haven’t seen him in weeks…” that’s the day this hospital regular returns.
5. Relax, it’s just a fly! A fly really is just a fly. Shoo it away. It doesn’t mean a patient will die.
6. Don’t send out for pizza! You ordered it, and it’s coming in 30 minutes or less. Too bad you’ll be busy with a patient.
7. Shift’s over and your relief is on her way... NOT! Isn’t it just Murphy’s Law? Your shift relief got stuck in traffic.
8. A case for making the bed. Always stock and ready the room for the next patient; it may seem like a slow day, but your ER nursing job is about to serve up another one.
9. DNR patients and tying a knot in the sheet. Some RNs believe that if a patient is DNR, tying a knot in the bed sheet insures they won’t expire on your shift.
10. The office parties that weren’t. Did you take great care in organizing an office party around the nursing schedule ... then things got so busy, the party was called off?
11. Remember this next time you start an IV: It’s official—this patient has great veins. But don’t tell them that. Then it WON’T be a walk in the park.
12. Don’t tidy up your desk yet! A cap on that pen is the kiss of death if you think you’re leaving early. Keep that nursing station open for business!
13. All better now? Think again. It’s great when a patient starts getting better, but don’t assume they’re out of the woods until they’re out of your hospital!

Lucrative Travel Nurse Jobs are Waiting for You Right Now. Don’t Jinx It!

As a traveler, you'll have a unique perspective on hospital life in all kinds of facilities - community hospitals, metropolitan medical centers, teaching hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. You'll soon confirm that similarities among healthcare professionals are much more important than the differences. We can't wait to help you get started on your journey!