Work hard, play hard

Nursing — and life — is heavy enough on its own. The charts, the shifts, the emergencies. If you don’t break the tension once in a while, it’ll break you.

That’s where the pranks came in. A little fun here and there. The good times became great times, and the tough times became bearable.

This page is for those moments — the laughter that reminded us we were human, even when the work was anything but easy.

One of the first pranks I was ever a part of taught me something I’ve carried through my whole career: work hard and play hard.

Night Shift Shenanigans: The Stat Sperm Count

This was one of the first pranks I ever got wrapped up in during my ER career. I was on night shift, and like most nights, we inherited the mess from day shift. Our unspoken goal was always the same: clear out the ER before 2 a.m.

When the shift change hit, we came out blazing — overlapping physician shifts, swing shift nurses, four of us passing out discharge papers like candy. Once the dust settled, we could breathe until 7 a.m.

But of course, the first real prank I remember didn’t happen on a calm night. It came during the kind of night where the ER felt like a bee’s nest. Every room was full, labs flying through the tube system, all of us shoulder to shoulder discussing patient plans. That’s when somebody said the magic words: “Hey, what if we…”

And just like that, the plan was hatched: a stat semen count.

We grabbed a urine specimen cup, added some sink water, a squirt of lotion, and voilà — enough to make a believable “sample.” We slapped a stat sticker on it and shot it through the tube.

Minutes later, the phone rang. The lab tech asked what to do with the tube. My buddy kept a straight voice: “Orders are being put in the computer.” Click.

She called back. The urgency had kicked in. My buddy cranked it up: “You didn’t get the order?! We need a STAT SPERM COUNT!” — and hung up.

Now the supervisor was on the line, confused and frustrated. I answered this time: “We’re waiting on the results. What’s taking so long?” His response: “We don’t even do those!” My answer? “Then call your director and ask. For now, I’ll just document it as a delay in patient care.”

Oh, we laughed and laughed — until the nursing supervisor called. Then it wasn’t so funny. The lab director got involved. Calls flew back and forth. Let’s just say it might have been funnier if it hadn’t been after 2 a.m.

Work hard, play hard — lesson learned.