lessons at work

Nursing Students General Students

Published

I know this is probably a boring post but I wanted to share something that happened to me at work tonight. Recently it was decided that my unit would return to the dark ages and go back to team nursing. This has been a nightmare for me because as a nursing assistant I sometimes get 10-12 pts assigned and they are all over the unit, depending on who I am paired with and the acuity level, etc. The nurses are upset, things are rough.

Anyway, I put in my resignation and this was my last night. I kept telling myself how glad I was that it was almost over..until about 8pm. One of the patients who was confused and disoriented needed assisitance. I went in and found him to be really sweet though extremely hard of hearing. I had some time so I talked with him a while and held his hand. He is very sick and may not make it much longer, but in that few minutes, I realized all over again why I am in nursing school. I rubbed his head so that he could fall asleep. He started to doze and suddenly opened his eyes and looked right at me and said, "I love you" I'm not sure who he thought I was. He's been so confused......

Later, I went back to his room. The nurse had removed his hearing aids and he was awake though he looked warn out. I bent down to his good ear and asked him if he was sleepy. He whispered, "of course I'll keep you, babe!" It was all I could do not to cry. The sincerity in his voice almost did me in. This man does not know me, will never see me again and thought I was asking if He'd 'keep me'

This makes every long hard day worth every minute. I have been pretty caught up in graduation plans and looking forward to making better money, even planning a vacation when school is over. Tonight I realized all over again what all this hard work has been for. I hope I make a difference.

Thanks for letting me share.

Gator

Gator,

You sound like a sweet, compassionate person. Of course you will make a difference. Good for you for putting in the hard work so that you can graduate soon. Enjoy your vacation... it will only make you more ready for nursing.

Specializes in Adult Med-Surg, Rehab, and Ambulatory Care.

What a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing; maybe it will help some other tired-of-it folks regain perspective. :)

,,,, ((((( gator ))))) what a wonderful experience,,,, you do,,, & will make a difference,,, enjoy your graduation,,,, your plans,,, you are going to be a wonderful nurse,,,, nik~

+ Add a Comment