Doesn't it feel great when...

minnymi · Jun 16, 2012

i SOOO know what you mean! my first job was on a med/surg floor which i HATED and although i kept trying to resign every time i would get "in trouble" for something that NEVER involved a patient complaint....i would be told by my manager, "oh, no, i want you to stay"

the only thing that kept me going was the patients. i had so many patients say things like, "i plan to write a letter about my care, and i'm mentioning you in it." granted, that rarely happened which is understandable. who actually takes the time to do that?

but one day i had a patient who had a visitor i KNEW i recognized. i lived over an hour away so that was odd. finally, i realized where i knew that guy from, and i told him, "i know who you are! you own the gas station down the street from where i live!!"

later on...the actual patient's wife told me, "you are his favorite. he tells everybody that comes to visit that you're the best."

i still see his friend who owns the gas station when i stop in there. i still ask how "joe" is doing. it means a lot that the patient and his friends remember me as someone who was nice to them in their time of need.

obprof · Jun 16, 2012

BIG CONGRATS BORTAZ!!! There is no doubt you are an AWESOME nurse and it would be the unit's loss to lose you!

Kudos from a fellow NICU nurse!

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jun 16, 2012

Thank you, maam.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 16, 2012

How many days....How many times...... :bugeyes:

The were many days through out my long career that I would indulge in my own little "I hate my job", "What the heck am I doing here?" party. Whether ICU, ER, supervision or management....There were days I would have traded it for working at Burger King and that this job didn't pay me enough for this feces. The bureaucratic horse manure, red tape, crazy patients and patients family as well as the occasional absolutely "challenging" employee. The days where I went to work sicker than the patient being admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. Being screamed at in Triage for what is taking so long did I not know it was Christmas?

I would think.....it this all really worth the hassle, grief, verbal and physical abuse let Alone the terrorist tactics of Senior management by constantly threatening every one's jobs and arbitrary decisions?

Then something would happen to remind me why I was there, that I didn't have it so bad, that I did serve a purpose, I was valuable and I was right where I was supposed to be..... :idea: .

:hug:KUDOS!!!! Boratz..how's Olivia?

chevyv, BSN, RN · Jun 16, 2012

As the mom of a baby who spent his first 6 weeks in the NICU I can tell you "Thank you". You have no idea the impact you have on new parents. My son has HLHS and during the first surgery the surgeon nicked his vocal cords so he made no sound when he cried. I was there one early am and he was crying. I was trying to get him a bit more comfortable but was afraid to hurt his chest. This wonderful nurse came right over and plopped him over like a pro and he stopped crying immediately. It was this small act that helped me find my confidence to be his mom. When we were home and I had no one to help me, I would think of this nurse and feel like I could do anything for him that he needed. Funny thing, he wasn't even her pt.

I never got the chance to thank all of those caring nurses in that NICU because life took over and I was a mom to a new baby. I sure will always be grateful to you and those who work in NICU. Don't ever think for one minute that you don't make a huge difference. It's very scary to new parents and you make the day better for us just by being there.

leslie :-D · Jun 16, 2012

i too, will always have a soft spot for nicu nurses.

my (premie) son was in the nicu for around a month...

and i can honestly say each and every nurse was just wonderful.

to assist these fragile neonates in getting a headstart in life...

it renders an emotionally fraught parent, overwhelmed with gratitude.

so here's to you bortaz, and all who devote themselves to the nicu specialty. :bow:

i remain a very indebted parent, 22 yrs later. :redpinkhe

leslie

sauconyrunner · Jun 16, 2012

As the mom of a baby who spent his first 6 weeks in the NICU I can tell you "Thank you". You have no idea the impact you have on new parents. My son has HLHS and during the first surgery the surgeon nicked his vocal cords so he made no sound when he cried. I was there one early am and he was crying. I was trying to get him a bit more comfortable but was afraid to hurt his chest. This wonderful nurse came right over and plopped him over like a pro and he stopped crying immediately. It was this small act that helped me find my confidence to be his mom. When we were home and I had no one to help me, I would think of this nurse and feel like I could do anything for him that he needed. Funny thing, he wasn't even her pt.
I never got the chance to thank all of those caring nurses in that NICU because life took over and I was a mom to a new baby. I sure will always be grateful to you and those who work in NICU. Don't ever think for one minute that you don't make a huge difference. It's very scary to new parents and you make the day better for us just by being there.

You know what Chevy, Now that your baby is probably much bigger, you should take a picture of him and you, and send it along with what you just wrote to the NICU. Sure, some of the nurses have moved on, but even the new ones would love to see that. It's never too late to let someone know that they made a difference.

NO50FRANNY · Jun 17, 2012

It's been a good week so here goes.

91 year old lady, had a fall and sustained a decent subdural haemorrhage. I got her out of bed around 0200 onto the commode to void and she promptly vomited all over herself, head to toes. Administered some anti-emetics, then showered her. Tucked her back into bed in her fresh warm pyjamas and she smiles, takes my hand and says "you are really looking after me aren't you sister?, I feel so much better, bless you". Sigh.

0330hrs this morning, youngish man having a big MI. Getting him ready while waiting for cathlab staff to arrive and the pt. doesn't want to undress in front of all the people in the bay (embarrassed and modest), tells me he has no underpants on so I ask everyone if they can turn around while he takes his pants off (he REALLY did not want us to do it). Give him lots of pain relief and as he is being wheeled out I pull his gown up to cover his chest properly- he grabs my hand, looks me in the eye and says "you are very, very kind". Sigh.

0700hrs, triage, lady presents with heavy PV bleeding, 10/40- knows from an ultrasound 2 days before that her baby has passed away. Her voice starts to break as she answers my questions so I bring her into a private room, hold her hand, give her a long cuddle. We talk for a while and I hand her over to another nurse as I am heading home. I pop my head in to say that someone else will be taking over and she says "I don't know why anybody ever complains about you people, you are so wonderful, thankyou". The tearful and heartfelt thankyou from this woman (who has far more important things to think about) made me cry but also made my night.

Call from paramedics, 25 yr old male, collapse and chest pain while running home from work, ST elevation in 2 leads but being so young does not meet criteria for Thrombolysis or STEMI alert. Pt. arrives, hypotensive and looking terrible, cath lab on their way after funky ECG confirmed by ED physician. Pt. making jokes that it must be bad because so many of us are in the room, just before he arrests. Get him back with some electricity + CPR. Still talking to us but saying he is so tired, and it is hard to breathe, head to cath lab with 1 RN + 2 senior ED docs. Pt. struggling to breathe and frothing at this point so ED consultants decide to intubate while interventional cardiology prepping. ED doc explains to pt. we are going to intubate and that it is likely that his heart will stop again when we administer the drugs to put him under, and, that we will do everything we can to keep him alive, and his family are on their way. The patient says "I know you guys will look after me, and before you do this I just want to say thankyou, no matter what happens". He then sticks his arm out from under the blanket so we can give him his RSI drugs. 2 ED docs and 1 nurse with a tear in their eye, and the adrenaline ready to go. Incidentally he did arrest two more times but got his surgery in time. Aortic valve stenosis, survived. Back at work now and starting light excercise......

I have worked out that if I look after even one patient like the ones I have mentioned even once a fortnight, my job is worth doing, and yeah, it feels pretty damn great.

bratmobile · Jun 17, 2012

On the daily I get "I'm so glad you're back" "I missed you so much" or (On Mondays) " OH MY GOD WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??!!!!!" from patients and their families..my fav is a pt rolling down the hall in w.c hollering... "Here comes the dream team!" when me and my CNA walked on the floor..LOL Its a good thing :redbeathe

PinkNBlue, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2012

It's truly amazing when you get good feedback. Makes you feel like it's all worth it, even on the days you just don't think it is. :)

And yet it's something so simple.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Mar 4, 2013

I think this thread needs more discussion. Nurses need more feel good moments. Tell us some of yours.

I had a parent of a former patient recently bring me a 70s era game that she'd seen me pine for on Facebook (Spirograph, for those old enough to remember...). She saw my post, found the game on Ebay and bought it for me. Brought it (and her now 2 year old former premie) to my NICU. Made my month...what a special thing to do!