What is the STRANGEST order you received from a doctor, and how did you clarify it?

Sometimes what is now strange was routine practice “back in the day”

Milk and molasses enema’s for severe constipation…. No clarification it was normal.

Before nasal balloons … Keeping pork FatBack in the ED refrigerator to use to pack nose bleeds …. I asked the ENT about it and was informed the The pork fat had a lot of clotting factors like thrombin’s and prothrombin etc and was/is very effective for quickly stoping the nose bleed …. He made a gross comment about what happened at the end of 3 days about the fatback but I wil spare you that.

IAs we were leaving the patient room doc gave an order for 2 ml of “nacle” IM STAT for a very anxious upset patient. We all when Huh? It was his shorthand for a placebo injection of NaCl. Not my patient but once given it sure did work.

I don't remember the order exactly, but anytime I didn't understand an order, I did a verbal read back ("You want patient xx to receive x,y,z, correct?). And then I would ask them why (Dr. Xxx, I didn't know this could be solved with x,y,z. Can you explain this to me so I have a better understanding for next time? I would like to learn and you are a great resource for that!")

So at least something along those lines. I always want to make sure that I understand what's going on before giving ANYTHING.

But if I remember a specific instance, I will repost lol

Briana definitely had a good answer ( especially where she complimented the doctor!) LOL. It will take time to learn the quirks of the doctors and nurse practitioners you work with but eventually you'll understand the best way to approach them. I've worked with one that I had to play in such a way that if I didn't agree with the plan of care I would make then feel it was their idea to change it up. Also I worked with one practioner who liked to try to abbreviate everything. I'd have to call to get him to clarify. Sometimes he would change it in the actual order but sometimes he wouldn't. In the case of the latter I would chart that I clarified and type out what the abbreviation meant and I'd send a gentle email to my manager to try and nudge him away from using abbreviations

I am thankful the hospital I work for requires md to place their own orders. We can only take orders in an emergency issue.