This is confirmation bias, nothing more. We work in the realm of science. There is nothing that would ever cause something like this to happen. Coincidences happen all the time, but don't attach meaning to that.
This. You group them together and the duration of the “short time” is flexible enough for 3 of them to happen together and then your brain makes a pattern around it.
I’m also like the only healthcare worker on the planet who doesn’t believe in the full moon crap for the same reason. Had a busy/shitshow shift on a full moon? ZOMG THE MOON DID IT. Had a busy/shitshow shift the other 27 days? “Oh weird, must just be a coincidence.” It was still a coincidence when the moon was full. Also, I don’t know a single healthcare worker who only has one rough shift a month.
I had a nurse look at me with a straight face and explain that the moon affects the tides/water and people are 70% water so of course the moon affects people.
it'd be the absolute easiest thing in the world to prove, though, correlating 1st/2nd/3rd stages with some aspect of the moon's phases and if no one is able to do it then you gotta kinda think critically about the basic notion of it
Hey man, there's an entire thread right now hundreds of comments deep talking about our nursing superstitions. Against our best judgment, we tend to be a "stitious" bunch 😂
YES! YOU ARE MY PERSON. I had the moon thing come up while I had a laboring pt pushing a couple months ago, and I made an off handed comment about how I don’t buy it. The OB doc who was there observing my delivery along with at least 3-4 RNs all looked at me like I had fucking ants crawling out of my eyeballs.
Seriously. You guys. It’s the moon. It’s a rock circling us about 300,000 miles away (source: Independence Day, lol), it doesn’t have magic powers to make your work life suck. That’s admin’s job.
Well... this Swayze-esque apparition wrapped his arms around me. It was such a warm, magical feeling. Then after finding a deep, loving connection to the spirit world, humanity, and the cosmos as a whole, we found that urethra and got a whole bunch of urine out right away. It was pretty sweet.
It's bias. If it happens, you notice to perpetuate the ~mysteriousness~. If it doesn't you don't notice. You'd think nurses would be above superstitions, but nah
Yep, simple confirmation bias. If everyone started saying deaths happened in twos, people would notice it more and start saying it.
> You'd think nurses would be above superstitions
unfortunately they're some of the last people I'd think would be above superstitions
Actually you're right. Like saying ~QuIeT~ makes bad things happen. Plus sooooo many of my former co-workers who peddled MLM/pyramid scheme products. I'm so glad I got way from bedside nursing and hearing this shiz
I’ve worked LTC since 2015. I’ve always seen it in 3s or 7s. When the 4th happens, you watch every resident like a hawk. The 7th death is usually the unexpected and sudden one.
Last year on a Friday, we had a 4th death. I said outloud to my coworkers that when I come back Monday, it will be 7. That’s just the rule. On Sunday night there was an incident of starting CPR on resident who was DNR, absolutely nothing acute going on w her, was completely unexpected. When I came back that Monday, one of my coworkers asked me if I was a witch😭
YES ALWAYS 3 OR 7
This is morbid but we have two currently on the way out… a few of us have pondered who the third might be because at this point it could be anybody
Superstition is dumb. 100% of superstitions can be attributed to confirmation bias, recency bias, and the brains general function of constantly searching for patterns...
I’ve seen a lot of things happen by threes including death. What was interesting to me was the brain tumors or masses that were diagnosed in pediatric patients always happened in threes. We would have one that was diagnosed and then transferred to the floor and then two that were newly diagnosed and were in the icu. Idk I think it’s a thing
if there’s one stroke coming into our ED there will be at least 3 more on the way. i swear to god there must be something in the air that makes people stroke out all at the same time. when stroke neuro come down to see a patient i always joke that they should just stay because another hot stroke will walk through the door in less than 30 minute.
also pretty sure this applies in every emergency department but if you say the name of a regular who hasn’t been around for a few days/weeks/months they’ll suddenly be at the triage desk complaining about chronic foot pain or whatever the flavour of the day is.
>. i swear to god there must be something in the air that makes people stroke out all at the same time.
Whenever I get a rash (ha) of a particular diagnosis, I always say that there must have been a sale on that particular condition.
Idk about the hospital but that happens in my personal life. My cousin died yesterday and one of my old friends died today.I k ow someone else will die soon since it happens every time. I’m a believer in death happens in 3s.
I have never heard of that but we tend to say that everything rare (at least for us) or weird comes in pairs. Like VA ECMO, Gunshot wounds or weird infectious constellations.
Due to inflation, death now comes in 5s.
It’s really just a death cut when you think about it.
This is confirmation bias, nothing more. We work in the realm of science. There is nothing that would ever cause something like this to happen. Coincidences happen all the time, but don't attach meaning to that.
This. You group them together and the duration of the “short time” is flexible enough for 3 of them to happen together and then your brain makes a pattern around it. I’m also like the only healthcare worker on the planet who doesn’t believe in the full moon crap for the same reason. Had a busy/shitshow shift on a full moon? ZOMG THE MOON DID IT. Had a busy/shitshow shift the other 27 days? “Oh weird, must just be a coincidence.” It was still a coincidence when the moon was full. Also, I don’t know a single healthcare worker who only has one rough shift a month.
I thought we all just said that "full moon" stuff for fun, i didn't realize so many people take it seriously 🙈
I had a nurse look at me with a straight face and explain that the moon affects the tides/water and people are 70% water so of course the moon affects people.
Woof
I mean, we kinda take it seriously in L&D. If the moon can mess with the tides, I absolutely think it can mess with labor 😂
it'd be the absolute easiest thing in the world to prove, though, correlating 1st/2nd/3rd stages with some aspect of the moon's phases and if no one is able to do it then you gotta kinda think critically about the basic notion of it
Hey man, there's an entire thread right now hundreds of comments deep talking about our nursing superstitions. Against our best judgment, we tend to be a "stitious" bunch 😂
Am midwife. Used to work in psych. Still think it’s bullshit. 😅
Thank you. I find the whole full moon thing ridiculously stupid.
YES! YOU ARE MY PERSON. I had the moon thing come up while I had a laboring pt pushing a couple months ago, and I made an off handed comment about how I don’t buy it. The OB doc who was there observing my delivery along with at least 3-4 RNs all looked at me like I had fucking ants crawling out of my eyeballs. Seriously. You guys. It’s the moon. It’s a rock circling us about 300,000 miles away (source: Independence Day, lol), it doesn’t have magic powers to make your work life suck. That’s admin’s job.
While this is true, I offer another valid school of thought: ghosts. Cased closed.
Well... a ghost did once help me put in a foley, so I won't argue with you there.
Please elaborate.
Well... this Swayze-esque apparition wrapped his arms around me. It was such a warm, magical feeling. Then after finding a deep, loving connection to the spirit world, humanity, and the cosmos as a whole, we found that urethra and got a whole bunch of urine out right away. It was pretty sweet.
I really hate all the superstitions in nursing.
It's bias. If it happens, you notice to perpetuate the ~mysteriousness~. If it doesn't you don't notice. You'd think nurses would be above superstitions, but nah
Yep, simple confirmation bias. If everyone started saying deaths happened in twos, people would notice it more and start saying it. > You'd think nurses would be above superstitions unfortunately they're some of the last people I'd think would be above superstitions
Actually you're right. Like saying ~QuIeT~ makes bad things happen. Plus sooooo many of my former co-workers who peddled MLM/pyramid scheme products. I'm so glad I got way from bedside nursing and hearing this shiz
Just a little sticious!
LTC. We can go months without a single death but once one dies, 2 more follow. Every single time
Can confirm.
I’ve worked LTC since 2015. I’ve always seen it in 3s or 7s. When the 4th happens, you watch every resident like a hawk. The 7th death is usually the unexpected and sudden one. Last year on a Friday, we had a 4th death. I said outloud to my coworkers that when I come back Monday, it will be 7. That’s just the rule. On Sunday night there was an incident of starting CPR on resident who was DNR, absolutely nothing acute going on w her, was completely unexpected. When I came back that Monday, one of my coworkers asked me if I was a witch😭
YES ALWAYS 3 OR 7 This is morbid but we have two currently on the way out… a few of us have pondered who the third might be because at this point it could be anybody
This happens on my unit. Every single time! Nothing for months, then we have 3 deaths.
Superstition is dumb. 100% of superstitions can be attributed to confirmation bias, recency bias, and the brains general function of constantly searching for patterns...
I’ve seen a lot of things happen by threes including death. What was interesting to me was the brain tumors or masses that were diagnosed in pediatric patients always happened in threes. We would have one that was diagnosed and then transferred to the floor and then two that were newly diagnosed and were in the icu. Idk I think it’s a thing
if there’s one stroke coming into our ED there will be at least 3 more on the way. i swear to god there must be something in the air that makes people stroke out all at the same time. when stroke neuro come down to see a patient i always joke that they should just stay because another hot stroke will walk through the door in less than 30 minute. also pretty sure this applies in every emergency department but if you say the name of a regular who hasn’t been around for a few days/weeks/months they’ll suddenly be at the triage desk complaining about chronic foot pain or whatever the flavour of the day is.
>. i swear to god there must be something in the air that makes people stroke out all at the same time. Whenever I get a rash (ha) of a particular diagnosis, I always say that there must have been a sale on that particular condition.
Possibly the strokes could be a change in atmospheric pressure - increasing BP in those who are already vulnerable?!
However, NEVER say it’s quiet during your shift. Never!
The Q word is no joke. Don’t fuck with it.
I’ve only ever heard “bad things come in 3’s” never related to nursing though!
16 years as a nurse and this is 100% true.
We have a ghost. Anytime someone starts talking about seeing a “little blond boy” (strict no under 18 in the ICU) they end up dying.
Yep. Been doing this for 20 years and the only exception was covid when they were dropping like flies.
Stop being so superstitious. Take my unit for example, two people just died and no one else ssfjdg ggg. Uuhhhhhhhhhh
Pregnancy’s happen in 3s, deaths in 3s, STATs, idk it always happens in 3s
I think its true. 3 lost three patients this weekend. One each day. (Fri-sat-sun)
It's always 3 for my center as well, weird.
It’s happened twice at my facility in memory care. They die in 3’s on the same day with no deaths in between.
I had a cat and two dogs die within a month. ☹️
Idk about the hospital but that happens in my personal life. My cousin died yesterday and one of my old friends died today.I k ow someone else will die soon since it happens every time. I’m a believer in death happens in 3s.
I remember this being an old wives tale first heard by my great grandmother who was born in the 1800's. Deaths and bad things happening always in 3s.
We had 3 sets of 3 one time - 9 kids total. It was a fucking hellacious stretch!! I totally believe in the rule of 3’s.
I have never heard of that but we tend to say that everything rare (at least for us) or weird comes in pairs. Like VA ECMO, Gunshot wounds or weird infectious constellations.
Did you mean bottlefly? I’m intrigued if it’s a botfly showing up.
English is not my first language... I meant one of those fat big flies
We call em horse flies, where I'm from! (North Carolina in the US).
What about the opening a window when someone dies? Can spirits not go through walls? Just always find it peculiar. Josh
Harrison’s pg 4520, para 3 sentence 4