Patients that make you love your job.

enchantmentdis, BSN, RN · Oct 24, 2010

It doesn't happen nearly enough for me to love my job.

NightNurseRN · Oct 24, 2010

i loved a patient i had last week too! it really refreshes you go have a nice, normal, grateful patient!

allnurses Guide · Oct 24, 2010

I'm a primary care FNP and I have a patient I just love. She's 93 years old, does not speak a word of English, and has many health issues. At every appt. she hugs and kisses me, thanks me for everything I've done for her (which is not that much!), and then asks me when we're going to go out dancing-all through an interpreter. She lives her life with such joy..we could all take a lesson. It makes my day when I see her name on my schedule.

SuperNurseBSN · Oct 24, 2010

I work in oncology, so we see our patients on a long-term basis. First of all, I think oncology patients are just the BEST! But anyways... there is a man and his wife that have been coming in every day for the last 4 months for blood products. They are just like our "best friends". You can talk to them about anything and everything and they share the same with us. On Sundays we only see our daily patients and there may be only 3 or 4. I can remember working a Sunday a few weeks ago, and I was in the room for nearly an hour. We were talking about remodeling houses, our dogs, and great places to eat in our city. It was so refreshing to have a normal conversation at work. The patient worked as a financial analyst before he was sick and he is just a wealth of information when it comes to financial planning and Wall Street stuff and is always willing to give advice or help us out. He is genuinely a good person (and his wife too) and really make it worth coming to work!

VivaRN · Oct 25, 2010

I'm an HIV NP and one patient has always stood out to me. Her serious boyfriend died from AIDS and she didn't find out until after he died that he was positive. She got tested and had HIV as well. She came to see me for the first time 2wks after her diagnosis. Her boyfriend had died maybe a month before.

To top it off, she had a horrible abusive childhood, never graduated from junior high, and works her tail off at a low-end job 6 days a week.

Given her circumstances she has a right to be angry, bitter, grieving, depressed, maybe have some drug abuse issues. But no. She is the most cheerful, loving, can-do person I have ever met. From the first appointment she has been 100% compliant. Her health is great because of this. She comes to her appointments always in a positive frame of mind and is never negative or difficult about anything. This is like a ray of light in my usual patient population.

She gives me hope for the world!

hcox1975, BSN, RN · Oct 25, 2010

I have worked in LTC and ICU and I encounter this quiet a bit. There are plenty of people out there that are nice and civilized. Remember to always show them respect and if all else fails, try to make them laugh. Sure there are patients that will drive you crazy but there are plenty of nice ones that cancel them out.

A lot of times people don't realize if you talk to someone in a harsh tone of voice, more than likely they will recipocate

RaziRN · Oct 25, 2010

After dealing with several crazy drug-seekers during my shift, I admitted a pt. who was ACTUALLY in pain. I medicated her with dilaudid and she was so grateful and it actually brought her pain down from an 8 to a 3! How refreshing! I'm used to people always having 10/10 pain yet dragging themselves and their IV poles down stairs and outside to the curb to smoke and whenever you give them their meds (usually dilaudid every 2-4hrs) they only want to know when they can get it next and ring several times asking for it even though you already told them what time it's due. And it never even brings their "pain" down. *groan*