The Extent That You Will Go For Your Pt

I don't know why - but I can handle ANY body substance except sputum. Sputum makes me so nauseated. I had a similar experience, I was bending over to give an injection of lovenox (I was working in a LTC facility) and my Pt (had throat, lung CA) had an emesis basin on his bedside table full of yucky sputum (from the whole night). When I stood up from giving the injection, I noted that my hair had dipped in the emesis basin and was now stringing up my arm, on my shirt and just hanging from my hair. I almost lost it. Thankfully I only live 1 mile from work and my DON let me go home and shower while one of my fellow nurses covered my halls.

Valuable lesson learned: wear you hair up, always

kudos to you! I too been there ,done that trach, and clogged feeding tube irrigations! You could always tell when the prev. shift nurse had failed to do these cares for whatever the reason! I used to keep a clean uniform in my locker; unbelievable!!! things like that happened so you tried to find the humor No matter if I worked in hospital, or nursing homes, I went out of my way to ensure my pts were clean and needs met. I was tought that if you are going to do something then do it well! So, with instances like that you had to find the humor in itfor both of you, or cry! An instance that stands out for me was when I worked on the oncology floor and one of my pts had throat cancer; last stages, and a trach. The Dr had told us he was a DNR, and at some point his corotid would just blow, and that would be it! The pt was given one of those hand bells to ring when he needed help, and an hr short of the shift ending, I heard his bell and went into his room, The artery had ruptured and blood spurting every were! All I could do is grab a towel and put at the site, and not block his trach. The head nurse heard me yell for help and saw his light was on over his door, and came running! Between the both of us we were able to at least ease his last few mins. You try not to get too attached to the pts, but believe me, I've shed lots of tears for pts! It is for real no job for anyone that thinks they are just going to run around in a white uniform, giving out pills all shift! Sometimes even though you are careful and follow protocals stuff still happens. Sometimes your shift goes easy, and sometimes stuff happens fast! Sometimes you wonder if nursing was a right choice. Most of the time though you know you wouldn't change it for anything, and you give it your all! Learn well the stages of death and dying as it gives you understanding not only the pts, but their families actions. Sick people don't always act approperately to a situation, but they act out at the nearest thing, and sometimes it's the nurse,. and you have to understand it is nothing personal, just a release on their part at trying to deal with it all. Some days you might wonder why anyone is a nurse! Between Pt's, their families, your co workers, and the Drs you can have quite a day! It just comes down to you are as good as your team you work with.

OH yuk..hahaha..That is horrible. Horrible...Glad I was not the only one with sputum on me....

What a great post. Yes you are correct. I just know I am so done with hospital nursing after many years. I now work out in the community doing psychiatric assessments. No medications, No IVs, No bedpans, No dying patients...well not usually unless they jump off a building doing a suicide. (that is not the norm). After I do my assessment I call an ambulance and off they go to the psych unit. I see 2 to 3 clients in a 10 hour day. LOVE my job. Easiest job I ever had. You get up and personal with these clients and hope you are actually helping them in some small way to just live another day...We all need to WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER.....newbie nurses will learn this. Us old ones are climbing out of the trenches and doing other type of nursing that is just plain easier to do.