What to Tell?

[justme01]

How much do you tell your family and friends about your job? I have found that they are really uncomfortable with my stories and really don't want to know what takes place in a nursing home. When I start talking they tune me out.

I can understand how they feel, and I have decided to focus on the positive aspects of my job. I will mentally note the good things that happen each day and choose to tell those stories instead. That will benefit everyone.

I will save the ******** for this forum!

[CoffeemateCNA]

Totally agree.

Non-nursing friends and family have absolutely no idea what we have to go through, nor do they care much of the time. They don't understand why we would possibly get annoyed when Ms. Jane puts on her call light for the 18th time this hour wanting to know when her pills will be delivered. ...or when the battery on the Hoyer dies and that puts you in a foul mood for the rest of the day. ...or when Fred misses the toilet and hits your leg instead with his "stream."

They just don't understand.

Thank God for the internet.

[Poi Dog]

I look forward to telling them the really "juicy" stories while they are in the midst of eating.

I don't name names.

[CoffeemateCNA]

I always accidently make people drop their forks by mentioning something to do with pee-pee, poo-poo, or up-chuck.

...or maybe it isn't an "accident."

I've noticed at work we have NO problem whatsoever talking about any and every subject during meal breaks.

The DON once walked in and we were all talking about the worst stools we'd ever cleaned up. ...in detail. We honestly never even gave a second thought as to what we were talking about.

Eating plays no factor in it.

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

My mom is an RN so she doesn't mind hearing my stories. Everyone else....that's another story lol!

[Safetymouse, LPN, LVN]

LOL Kohala71! I've done this to my husband by accident back when I was in clinicals at the nursing home, I was just mentioning some interesting highlights of my day.

[juliaann]

My husband is totally freaked out by medical stuff. His take is he doesn't want to know about all the little mechanisms in his body that could go wrong.

What a strange philosophy, huh? I'm fascinated by physiology and medical procedures.

Whenever he comes to pick me up from work I make up some reason that I have to walk through ICU on our way out just to see him turn green.

[justme01]

Have you ever discussed your dinner WHILE changing someone? I don't even give it a second thought.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

I enjoy making people squirm.

[Ev1987]

I remember being so vivid with telling my fiancee the first time I had to clean an entire bed full of BM, or cleaning up vomit off the floor for the first time. He was completely grossed out and told me to 'shut up.' But most days, he'll simply ask me 'Did you enjoy your day today? How'd everything go?' He said he could never do my job, which gives me a certain level of pride.