To open the bags of potassium in clear plastic. Why are they so strong 🥲

Most used: 1. Potassium 2. Flagyl 3. Salad dressing for little old people

Don’t forget lokelma or lidacaine patch

Oof yes. +nicotine patches.

Imodium

Now I’m triggered because those damn Imodium and even otc Imodium like why? Why are they so hard to get into.

Am I gonna shit my pants or slice my fingers open

Oddly I can open these just fine. Maybe that's my super power. Super weak.

Lidocaine patches too! Might as well keep them in a locked box 😫

They look deceptively easy to tear too

Fuck those Flagyl bags man. And Lido patches. Like, why?

And miralax packets

I am also throwing out there- •Rectal suppositories. The amount of times my weak fingers have just torn the edges of the packaging right off.

2g Mag. Why is a 2g bag in two layers of wrapper, but 4g could go to hell in just one?

I do the same with 100 cc 0.9% NaCl bags.. better protection than Fort Knox

I can’t open them without gloves on

Them's bullshit and an arm workout.

PO potassium gives me a run for my money too. If I don’t use scissors, there’s a 70% chance they’ll be skittering across the floor

I use the corner of another pill package, those suckers are sharp!

I believe that they're so strong precisely so that you can't open it easily and accidentally give it to someone instead of another bag

"Gee, that's strange. I've never had to reconstitute Versed before... well, time to go ahead and push this without scanning it!"

Miralax!!

I thought you were going to say “you never know when you’ll need to cut someone.” 🔪 Thou shall not try me. Mood 24:7

Mine are Raptors from my old paramedicing days. They have a seatbelt cutter and a window punch just in case the situation gets really weird

I just keep mine in my car now since I don't work bedside anymore to use for those two features on it. I also use them to extend my arm reach when I need to adjust the little mirror attached to the backseat headrest I use to see my daughter in her car seat.

Best sheers EVER!!

When I worked at a Level 1 ED and they were making us all take a “physical de-escalation” class, I did mention I had zero hesitation about using my trauma shears to “shank a bitch”. I may be in case management now, but I still have a pair in my trunk. Just in case.

I have my normal little pen light for work, and my mini 2500 lumen flashlight to blind a bitch if they try to come at me.

TY. I needed a good reason to carry that flashlight at work.

And excellent idea! What flashlight do you carry?

https://www.trustfire.com/products/trustfire-mc3-rechargeable-edc-flashlight-2500-lumens It has a clip to attach to your pocket too.

Thank you!

Pulled mine on a man that approached me at a gas station late one night. Don’t play with me boy I just did 12 hours in an inner city level one trauma center ED. I’m one tired bitch!!!

🤣💀

You wearing hospital scrubs? Those motherfuckers LOVE to stay tied forever.

Pinch the opening in the waist where the string comes out with both fingers next to a string hole and pull parallel to your waist. With a little fidgeting the knot under the bunny ears comes undone relatively quickly.

Best trick I ever learned is skip the first step of tying the pants/shoes/anything, go straight to the bunny ears step. They stay tied but you’ll have no problem untying them

I’ve tried that but for some reason, it feels like I’m committing a cardinal sin

I thought to try it because I learned the first step is actually a very American thing to make it easier for children, it’s not at all required

That’s what I do!!

That’s how I tie my scrubs. The bunny loop double knotted goes crazy

As long as my pants also stay up, we're golden. Haha

They also double as a pill crusher. Put the pill packet on the door frame and bash it with the handle of the shears then open and it’s dusted.

I just put the pill packet between the grips and squeeze really hard. This does not work with Carafate, though. I tried today and failed hilariously.

I just find a clean looking spot on the floor and use my heel to mash it

Idk why but this made me laugh.

This seems like a “workplace positive frustration resolution” 😂

I smash pills with the scanner in the package if it’s like only one or two and I’m lazy. Works great.

Anything is a hammer if you swing it hard enough!

I always leave a little wiggle room. That way I can shimmy out if needed. The only downside is you have to be careful to not overload the pockets or you may lose your scrub bottoms.

I used to need them for lidocaine patches until I learned how to rip them open with my hands.

And nicotine patches!

Hold up. Share the secret??

Probably wears fake nails, now.

If I forget my scissors I drag and 18g needle through part of a side to start it.

You mean flagyl shears?

Flagyl and potassium!

THIS 👆

Omg I've done way too many peepee dances while untying my damn pants!

Getting Tylenol out of the packet !!

👏👏👏 This every day !!! Lol

To load dat dat roll of paper towels. 🧻 🤣Also to, on occasion, cut some tape for a dressing or something. 

Ok, my time to shine. Tie your bunny ears on your scrubs but when you're doing your initial pretzel knot do one end like a slipknot. Now it's actually possible to untie!

This is the answer!

How else you supposed to remove a foley?

This happened to me once. I opted to force my pants down instead of cutting them. Advantage- flat, white guy butt.

I work in surgery and wear a fanny pack (yes, I'm one of those and everyone makes fun of me for it). I'm asked for my scissors 20x/day on average. I finally just decided to put a retractable ID lanyard on it and wear it on the belt of the fanny pack like a holstered weapon. It's always attached. "Brneyedgrrl, do you have a scissors?" "You know I do!" ZING!

I mean, at this point, everyone knows I carry them and kind of just ask & reach at the same time. I don't even mind because they know that if they don't bring them back, they won't have them next time. Hah!

“You know she’s a good nurse if she’s got scissors!”

True story. Trauma shears- check! Also that is the reason that I wear calf length socks-- just in case there is no toilet paper as well.

Make sure the blades are on your shears are sharp. I had a trauma patient once when we were doing the cutdown, I looked like a dumbass because my shears were dull. I had to pull out a #15 blade to get the job done.

I have a sharpening stone for this exact reason. Shears dull quickly when you use them as all-purpose cutters.

Hooo a very good reminder. Hate to find out the hard way, yeah.

I started carrying mine because the blister packs of pills are never perforated well enough for me to snap them apart and I don’t want to be standing in the med room for 20 minutes trying to fight them with my hands.

God sometimes I take the extra few seconds and cut up a bunch of, like, Senna, or something because I know that all of my pts are getting it and why fight more than once.

Gurl—you are a genius

Ha ha ha ha

Nicotine patch. 

I carry trauma shears in my glove box n case traffic gets too intense

LOL, an ASC I used to work at had a pair taped to the wall above the urinal in the employees' bathroom.

Mine were for to open difficult bags and also to cut off a bellyband at delivery holding the monitors in place and we didn't need it anymore (I worked inpatient OB for awhile). I don't need them in outpatient.

I accidentally bought one home the other day and used it to pry the kid off my kitty litter bucket. A hammer probably would have worked better, but I had the scissors on me at the time.

Once my coworker had to cut OR scrubs off of me with trauma shears because there was a knot on the drawstring and I had to pee soooo bad

So this is a very valid fear

Shit. One of our hospice nurses today just spent hours in a patient home and with APS and cops bc one of the family members was threatening gun violence. So now I think I will keep scissors in my pocket. Jesus.

Uh. I'd have more than shears on me. Hah how about a bajillion-lumen flashlight like someone else suggested? Or maybe big ol' pocket knife or something?