I don't know about everyone else, but with all the stress that we put up with being nurses, whenever I make a patient smile or have one tell me "Thank you for being my nurse today" it makes it all worth it.
Today I had a elderly woman patient with a GI bleed taking a bowel prep for a colonoscopy so she was on the bedside commode every 10 minutes. She said that she told her family earlier, "I had no idea I was so full of sh*t." I asked her what color her eyes were. She looked at me for a second and said "What?" Seeing she had green eyes, I said, "Well, they're not brown are they?" She looked at me for a second then started cracking up laughing and told me she had never heard that before. I could tell she was worried and scared about her condition, and just seeing her smile made me feel like I made some kind of difference in her day.
I'm not the only night shift nurse who's said this sort of thing before thinking. "I didn't recognize you with the lights on".
I said that to a very distinguished older gentleman who probably chased the ladies around successfully in his day. I had worked a half shift, and he had been sleeping all night when making rounds. In the AM when I went in to give meds he was awake, sitting up, hair combed, teeth in...you know what a difference that can make in how people look.
He simply looked at me, raised an eyebrow and smiled. I laughed. I am notorious for saying things before thinking. He probably hadn't heard that line in a very long time.
Specializes in Medical-Surgical / Palliative/ Hospice.
Granted, this poor woman had severe dementia... but I had some downtime on my night shift so I went to spend some time with her. Gave her a snack, chatted with her, tried to reorient her... I tucked her into bed with a warm blanket and she said "You sure are a neat little gal...those other kids down where my sister lives are all a bunch of jerks!". I am 34, and have never been called a "little" gal. This statement made me laugh so hard, the patient couldn't stop laughing either.
imintrouble, BSN, RN
2,406 Posts
I'm not the only night shift nurse who's said this sort of thing before thinking. "I didn't recognize you with the lights on".
I said that to a very distinguished older gentleman who probably chased the ladies around successfully in his day. I had worked a half shift, and he had been sleeping all night when making rounds. In the AM when I went in to give meds he was awake, sitting up, hair combed, teeth in...you know what a difference that can make in how people look.
He simply looked at me, raised an eyebrow and smiled. I laughed. I am notorious for saying things before thinking. He probably hadn't heard that line in a very long time.