Patients I Remember

I just graduated from nursing school in May. One of our assignments during our last semester was to do a creative project about nursing or nursing school. At the end of the semester they compiled everyone's together into a book and presented it to us at our graduation luncheon. It's a wonderful momento of both nursing school and fellow nursing students. I thought you might enjoy reading mine.

Patients I Remember

First semester: Christiana – 4B. It was the first time I’d ever given PEG tube meds. My patient was nonverbal. I had my goggles on, and I was sweating bullets. It seemed like a lifetime to get 10 meds down, but I did it! Oh wait a minute…there’s a patient on the other end of that tube. “Thanks for being so patient with me Mr. _______.” I got a nod and a big smile as if to say “No problem and thanks for noticing me”. Note to self: Never forget the person on the other end of the task.

First semester: The VA. It was the very end of the clinical day, and Anne told me that the guy in the next bed needed to be straight cathed. OH NOOOOO! Here we go again – goggles fogging up and sweat rolling down my face. I got the cath in and I really didn’t have the bed up quite high enough, so I was leaning over holding that cath in a most uncomfortable position AND nothing was coming out. I looked up at the patient and he was as stiff as a board – scared to death so I said, “Remember how your Mama always said a watched pot never boils?” He started laughing and out it flowed! Note to self: Sometimes humor is the best medicine.

Second semester: AI DuPont. I had as my first patient there the 2 year old boy who’s a frequent flier at AI who was born with NEC. Anyway, needless to say I, along with several others who’ve had him as a patient, fell in love with him. I remember coming home crying and really wanting to bring him home with me. Note to self: You can’t take your patients home with you.

Third semester: Rockford. My patient was a woman about my age in with depression and anxiety. She was a very articulate and intelligent woman, but very meek. I remember her standing at the nurse’s station crying and just waiting for someone to acknowledge her so she could ask what was going to happen to her. We talked and I was able to get the answers to her questions. She was extremely grateful. Note to self: There but for the grace of God go I.

Fourth semester: Christiana – 5A. It was a Tuesday, med day, but one of my patients had gone home so I got a new one. I had to rush to look up all his meds. My new patient was admitted with an intracranial bleed, but he was recovering nicely but was confused and had a bed alarm. Every time I’d start to pull out the meds for the 1st check, his alarm went off. After going in there about 7 times, I was really frustrated. I mean I really needed to get those meds done! I went back in. “OK, Mr. _______. You really need to stay in bed. I don’t want you to fall.” He said, “I need to go back to work.” I said, “I know you must be really concerned about work, but right now you need to work on getting better.” He looked really confused, so I said, “Do you know what happened to you?” Oh man, he didn’t even know! I sat down. “You had bleeding in your brain.” I proceeded to tell him the whole story about how he was found outside his place of work downstate and was flown up from Beebe in a helicopter. He laughed. “I came up in a helicopter.” “You sure did. Would you have been scared had you been awake?” “Yes, ma’am. I would.” I took the time. I sat with him for about 10 minutes and talked. His bed alarm didn’t go off again for about 3 hours. Note to self: Never be too busy to talk to your patients.