A Day in the Life

CometLPN · Sep 20, 2006

I work in geriatrics and to be honest with you, ONE of the things I love most about being a nurse is that my day is never the same. At any given moment my entire shift can be flipped upside down and inside out. It kind of always seems that "when it rains, it pours" Not to discourage you of course, but it definitely exciting. At times like that you don't know whether to cry or laugh, but you alway know that it can't get any worse; however, then it always does. Overall any general nurse given pt care (giving meds, helping with ADLs, etc) Since I work in geriatric care I've noticed I tend to do a little more than I ever did working in ACU. Right now we're building on to our Alzheimer's Unit and a lot of the nearby psych wards have closed, therefore, we're getting their patients. Not only that but we get a lot of acute care patients that transfer from the hospital for just a few weeks or months. You do get a lot of one on one time. At least at my work we do. We are a 165 bed facility and I'm in charge of the 26 residents on my hallway. But I can tell you that I know them like the back of my hand. And remember more of what they did 6 months ago than I do about myself 2 days ago. When you're a nurse you get to see people at their worst and see people at their best and especially when you are the one that helps them with either of their transitions it makes you feel wonderful. Especially with working in geriatrics we obviously do a lot of end of life care and sometimes you're closer to them than their family are. They become your family and they look forward to seeing you everyday.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Sep 21, 2006

here are some links to articles that were written specifically about what nurses do on their jobs. enjoy! hope you find them inspiring.

http://www.hospitalsoup.com/day/archives.asp - a day in the life. . .of a critical care nurse educator, professor of nursing, operating room manager and emergency room nurse. there is another link to the description of and informatics nurse at the same site

http://www.wetfeet.com/content/real%20people/robert%20nelseon.aspx - "robert nelseon, registered staff nurse in the health care industry". read about the day in the life of an intensive care unit nurse.

http://www.wetfeet.com/content/real%20people/joan%20nikkicoda.aspx - "joan nikkicoda, nurse practitioner in the health care industry". read about the day in the life of a family nurse practitioner who specializes in cardiac care.

http://www.wetfeet.com/content/real%20people/maria%20o%e2%80%99connell.aspx - "maria o'connel, psychiatric nurse". read about the day in the life of a psychiatric nurse who works on an acute inpatient psychiatric unit.

http://www.workingworld.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp?articleno=476 - wound, ostomy and continence nursing. an interview with a wound, ostomy & continence nurse who talks about this specialty with a writer from working world.

http://www.lopez1.com/lopez/nurses.views.of.the.nursing.profession/oliver.vicky.alabama.nurses.htm - nurses writing about their views of the nursing profession