What are your favorite types of patients??

Nurses Relations

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I don't recall seeing a thread like this and it was something someone asked me so I thought I would throw it out there.

What are your favorite types of patients??

Me, I love when I have Pre-Teen and Teen boys. I work well with teenagers in general (outside of my own) but I have had a lot of 11-16 year old male patients lately and they are probably my most favorite patients. I think because I relate well to boys first of all, having 3 of my own, and I relate to teens and I always just feel more motherly to these types.

Anyone else have a general type they tend to enjoy having more?

I honestly enjoy working with new ostomy patients. It is so satisfying to see a

patient that couldn't stand to look at the stoma right after surgery participate in

their ostomy care with confidence at discharge. To me, an ostomy wafer/bag that

keeps leaking and won't stay on is a trouble-shooting challenge that I don't mind

at all.

I think I missed my calling.....an ostomy nurse.:)

Ostomy nurses are very special. I've had an ostomy since I was 24 (I'm 38 now) and have been working with the same nurse for 12 years. What other areas of nursing do you get to follow someone that long and watch them go from total despair to acceptance. Having an ostomy that leaks is just awful. I can go for years without a leak, have a revision and have to start all over again, and I know my WOCN will work with me and advocate for me until we find something that works. She has never let me down.

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Specializes in Psych, LTC/SNF, Rehab, Corrections.

- Ornery Elders.

Seconded by 'cantankerous old men and the acid-tongued battle-axe with a heart of gold'.

I've one lady? She's 92 with Alzheimers. Maybe, 100 lbs. A little thing with long white hair. Her speech is unintelligible. She's bed/gerichair bound. One minute she's smiling. The next minute, her face scrunches up, she's 'fussing' and trying to take a swing.

For no good reason.

The other day, I was bending over after laying her down, to pick a paper towel off the floor?

She kicked me right square in the behind.

Aw...

That was revenge for the aide washing her face. I just so happened to be in the area within the window of time before she'd completely forgotten being mad over having her face wiped cleaned.

No one gets mad, because she's just so cute. She looks like one of the 'Whos' from 'Whoville'.

- Prissy Elderly Women

We have one that we call, 'La Madame'.

- Confused Elders Who Have Lucid Moments of 'smart-allecky-ness'

- The Mentally Impaired/'Special Needs'

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Pleasantly confused patients...or my pleasant elderly patients. I find that "younger" patients complain too much :lol2:

Then of course there are the sedated, ventilated, constipated and restrained patients :roflmao:

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I'm a fairly new nurse so I don't have much to go on but so far I LOVE the grumpy patients. There was one recently that nobody could stand. Had my first encounter with him and he acted like a total jerk. I figured I'd just be quick in providing his care and hurry out of room asap. However, I discovered he needed the opposite. He needed someone to just listen to him. We actually formed a nice relationship and he told me i was the only person who listened to him and thanked me as well as apologizing for taking his frustration out on me. He was with us for a few weeks and was to be discharged at the start of my last shift for the week. When I heard he was leaving I went in to wish him luck. As I held his hand and chatted with him for a minute he expressed that he was sad to leave (which was funny because he often grumbled that nobody knew what they were doing).

It was rewarding to be able to break through his defenses and do some good for him.

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