Embarrassing mistakes you've made on rotations

[FutureInternist]

I'm on OB. Today, I almost inserted my fingers into the rectum instead of the vagina while doing a pelvic exam. I was holding the sheet up with one hand and inserting with the other. Since I didn't spread the labia majora, I couldn't see where I was at. I was poking around the perineum for about a minute until I felt the anus and figured out that I needed to go much more anterior . The attending laughed at me for about 10 min. As a female and owner of a vagina, it was embarrassing that I couldn't find it on another woman.

What is your embarrassing moment?

Almost??? Rookie !!! I actually did it !!!

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[TheLesPaul]

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[Phlame217]

Checking for prostate in vagina.... I think you've got more than a few things mixed up...

 

[21isFun]

patient in for post/op follow up after urostomy placement- she's cantakerous, texting without making eye contact while I am interviewing her, and doesn't like any of my questions so I tried to power through review of systems and flubbed when I got to GU questions

me: have you had any change in your bathroom habits, itching, burning, or discharge?
patient: you ask some really stupid questions- yah my habits changed- I pee in a bag now!


doh!

 

[bleeker10]

I've stopped myself from making a couple embarrassing mistakes while on Ob. One is every time I see a vaginal exam done, I have to consciously remind myself NOT to lick my lips, lest the patient think I am a pervert. This is a problem because A) I am a male and B) my lips are constantly dry and I have to apply Burt's Bees every so often.

Another mistake I almost made was on my first day of Ob and I was trying to explain to the doc about why progesterone is good for endometrial hyperplasia and the effects of estrogen on the uterus. I couldn't think of the word "estrogen" and kept thinking "epinephrine" because my mind was completely blanking. I ALMOST asked the Ob doc what the main female steroid hormone was haha. That would've been bad. Anyone else ever have bone headed moments like that?

 

[Dissected]

Asked a patient with a trach to take deep breaths in and out through their mouth...one of those programmed things you say to everyone during a PE. I immediately realized how idiotic and insensitive I sounded but she burst out laughing right after I said it. Lucky for me it was a nice old lady and we all had a laugh about it after I apologized.

 

[Disinence2]

You all got some weak stories!

Try tripping over the main power cord for the laparoscopy power source in an OR during a surgery for ectopic pregnancy, shutting the whole OR down for about 5 painfully long minutes while everything gets booted back up, while the whole room including the program director glares at you silently.

 

[Jolie South]

I heard about a student at my school who had a syncopal episode and passed out into the sterile field on an ortho case.

 

[Smurfette]

I heard about a student at my school who had a syncopal episode and passed out into the sterile field on an ortho case.

Yeah, that happened to a med student on their surgery rotation while I was a resident. So not only was everyone freaking out about the student passing out, but the fact that she face-planted into the abdomen on the way to slumping down to the floor. Ended up crumpled between the scrub tech, surg resident and main instrument cart---not a very roomy space to help her up and out of the room, either.