[Scott_RN2B_2010]

In what ways do you feel nurses can make a difference?

I am just a student nurse, but here are my impressions. Nurses make the difference by making sure their clients get the best care possible. This means that all interventions that are carefully laid out in care plans are carried through. Nurses make the difference by being that liason of patient advocate to being the most important communication link between patient and doctor. Nurses can communicate any problems/successes to the physician in a timely manner, sometimes being there to be the difference between life and death. Nurses also make the difference by catching medication errors before it is too late.

[WDWpixieRN]

In all the little ways, I'm hoping....one day in clinicals an older woman who didn't speak English (from overseas) was one of the other student's patient that day...she was very ill and had tubes running everywhere, and started vomiting stomach secretions....over and over and over....and she had this wild-eyed, panicked looking on her face...while her SN was holding the bowl and trying to help direct her and wipe up, I was holding her hand and wiping on my side...she just held on for dear life and would look at me in such a sad way from time to time.....again, she didn't speak a word of English and had no family there at that time....I like to think our being there was a small bit of comfort for her during a very scary time...

As my friend the RN said, it's helping someone in their last hours on earth, or feeding a tiny, crack addict's baby in the nursery, or doing something to help give comfort in addition to all the medical nursing duties we have...that's what I look forward to being able to do...