Is there anything good that being a nurse has taught you???

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  1. by Nov 28, '11
    Ok fellow nurses, we complain(and rightfully so;-) we get burned out, we become angry and all that other stuff but can you think of anything good you learned as a nurse(besides saving someone's life...and YES that is wonderful...but I mean, in dealing with people, life skills, etc?

    I have learned(and I still work on it all of the time;-)...to take things alot less personally and to be more compassionate, my patient just yelled at me...hey, she is dying and angry, she is not mad at me, she is mad because she is leaving her loving husband and children who are so very young.

    To let go of anger more quickly and try not to thing the worst about things...."ARGH"...the med wasn't re ordered..they are so lazy..hmmm...maybe it was innocently overlooked, because she had a terrible shift or maybe not but why be so angry about it?

    there is so much more i want to type but I have to go....I just know that even though I am not in my perfect job right now or sometimes I don't want to be a nurse anymore, being a nurse has given me way more than i could I ever give back. Maybe right now around the holidays, I am becoming a little sentimental...but I am thinking of some of the patients i have had over the years...and how much they taught about about what is really important in life. I could not have that exposure as a computer programmer or a stock broker or really any other career except nursing....
    GrnTea, DookieMeisterRN, Debilpn23, and 9 others like this.
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  3. 36 Comments so far...

  4. Nov 28, '11 by
    *skip if easily offended*

    There is a God.
    NICU Kristen, teeniebert, SweetseRN, and 10 others like this.
  5. Nov 28, '11 by
    I have learned the importance of second opinions.
    Not_A_Hat_Person, kayak133, student forever, and 1 other like this.
  6. Nov 28, '11 by
    I've learned to weigh big decisions more carefully before I make them. Having run my nursing career into the ground by switching jobs 4 times in the past 5 years... has taught me this.

    That's really the biggest thing that I have learned.
    Not_A_Hat_Person likes this.
  7. Nov 28, '11 by
    Unlike the poster above, the things I've seen in nursing have reinforced my belief that there is no God.

    Those same things have also taught me that I've personally been very fortunate.
    netglow, sgo13, SCraigRN, and 10 others like this.
  8. Guide
    Nov 28, '11 by
    I have learned that I wouldn't trade my rusty car and pokey little house and my pile of bills for the luxurious life of the woman in the bed.She is dying of cancer at 48, I have my health.
    cosmicmama, Not_A_Hat_Person, I<3Nursing, and 9 others like this.
  9. Nov 28, '11 by
    I agree with the above posters who wrote about proof of God and the importance of a second opinion. I've witnessed too many miracles to doubt either one.

    Knowing when to pick your fights and when to realize that something's not worth raising your BP over.

    To be able to see the value of things that many people take for granted everyday and to take time to show the people I love how much they mean to me. to be appreciative...most big things come from small things.

    To try and always take time to say "please and thank you".
    MinnieMomRN, Lovely_RN, allthesmallthings, and 2 others like this.
  10. Nov 28, '11 by
    I have learned that, just because you have never seen it/heard of it before, does not mean that it cannot happen.
    Not_A_Hat_Person, GrnTea, teeniebert, and 5 others like this.
  11. Nov 28, '11 by
    There is a place inside you that can understand anything and find common ground with anyone. It is not necessarily an intellectual place.
    Last edit by kanzi monkey on Nov 28, '11 : Reason: I'm tired
    Not_A_Hat_Person, maelstrom143, DookieMeisterRN, and 4 others like this.
  12. Nov 29, '11 by
    Quote from DavidFR
    Unlike the poster above, the things I've seen in nursing have reinforced my belief that there is no God.

    Those same things have also taught me that I've personally been very fortunate.
    blehhhhh , u have no idea , but one day u will ,..in this life or the next