Best experience as a nurse/worst experience

[hemlok2]

What was your best experience as a nurse? and what was your worst experience?

[augigi, CNS]

Worst experience: experience as a graduate nurse in ICU where an IV set malfunctioned while infusing KCL and the patient died. Coroner's court testimony and all that crap. Definitely terrifying, and very disappointing that the medical staff in the unit were much more supportive than the other nursing staff.

Best experience: toss up between two.

1. A heart failure patient on a VAD for months who finally got a heart transplant and did fantastically well, I got to know him and his family *so* well over the months (unusual in CTICU!) and it was just so gratifying.

2. Caring for the first human recipient of a new type of VAD. He was just the loveliest and bravest man.

[krzysiu]

What was your best experience as a nurse? and what was your worst experience?

best experiences:

making real differences in someone life and being appreciated for it. oh yea and i thank god for the flexiseal.

worst experience:

seeing how lazy a lot of nurses are, seeing how many nurses do not even belong in the profession, seeing how lazy some residents are, and patient neglect. not to mention, nasty families. im a nurse not a butler.

[bagladyrn, RN]

Some of my "worst" experiences as a nurse have also been the best:

Sitting with a young mother alone while her newborn infant with birth defects incompatable with life took it's last breaths. Sitting in a darkened room with a pregnant woman from another culture who had just been told she had metastisized breast cancer, listening as she told me "I close my eyes, hear my babies crying and I'm not there"

These were some of the most heartwrenching moments of my career, but also the moments when I most felt I was doing what I was intended for.

[MaryAnn_RN]

The worst was when I realised there had been a drug error, and that is still ongoing - the inquest is next week.

The saddest but also the most rewarding case was caring for a pt in the ICU who had gone into respiratory failure post c-section, baby was over in the NICU. During that day, the baby died, and being able to support and care for the family was absolutely an honour and privilege.

[Scrubby]

Worse-When I was scrubbed for a case and a suture needle was left in the patient. I notified the surgeon that the count was incorrect and he and the other surgeons blamed me for losing the needle on my set up and refused to have the patient x-rayed there and then because they wanted to finish up for the day. The lesson I learned was to never doubt myself and that surgeons are not as perfect as they lead us to believe.

Best-I won an award recently at my work for being supportive to the nursing students.

[mama_d, BSN, RN]

Best:

There have been several patients who I have been able to care for at the end of their lives who really stand out. Even though they were at the end, and knew it, they were caring individuals with strong wills who always had a smile for staff and tried desperately to hold onto whatever they could as far as self care went. Although it was heart wrenching, being able to be there for one of them and hold her while she cried after she made the decision to go comfort measures only, meaning she would certainly pass within the next 24 hours, will always be a memory I treasure.

Worst:

Almost losing my raise b/c some butt head who had relaspsed on meth was messing around with his IV pump (thank God it was just NS and not a cardiac drip) and didn't like the fact that I told him he needed to leave the medical equipment alone, despite the fact that three coworkers were standing outside the room waiting to come in if he got physical he was being so out of line. I was told by my manager that I needed to deliver best care to everyone and it took up too much of her time listening to him complain about me. I wanted to punch her; my old manager would NEVER have dealt with the situation in such a manner. It was very disappointing to me.

Also, there was the woman whose father was admitted to me, who was so verbally abusive that we had to get the night shift house supervisor involved. It is the only time in at least five years that I have been so angry that I started crying. Found out later that she was actually banned from his nursing home b/c they've had to call the cops on her so many times. Thankfully, all the management on that night were supportive and intercepted my manager before that woman could get to her to sing my praises for not loosing my cool with her, otherwise my raise for next year would have been gone.

[MrsMommaRN]

worst experience so far, there was this pt who had an elective surgery. we have a policy of no over night visitors unless the pt is confused, blind, deaf, etc and can benefit from the person staying. this pt was none of the above just very demanding and rude.:angryfire she wanted her "friend" to stay. the friend had been badgering and bad mouthing the staff all night. :(so about 10 pm way after visiting hours were over we kindly suggested the visitor go home. they both went nuts the patient and visitor. long story short it ended with the patient telling me what a horrible nurse i was, that i was in the wrong profession etc etc. i took it so personally. i have worked so hard to be where i am and for someone to say that sucked so bad. i am sure there are worse things that could have happened to me but that was just the worst for me

best was this lovely mrdd pt that i had taken care of for a few days. she hugged me and told me that i had worked so hard for her and that she loved me. that was the best.:redpinkhe she made me all teary eyed.:heartbeat

[deflowerkidRN]

My best experience was a terminal pancreatic cancer patient that had less than 3 months to live thanking me and calling me an angel when I transfered him to the med/surg floor.

My worst would be a patient that was an absolute sweetheart that quickly coded and when I called his son, telling him that his dad had taken a turn for the worse, said, "Okay, just turn all the machines off. I'll be there in a bit." His coldness and callousness just made me sick. When I got off I just starting crying.

[SaraO'Hara]

One of the best - today I caught a DVT in a post-knee-replacement patient. Pt has an excellent prognosis.

Worst - being treated like a waitress by family members. I don't mind getting water, food, etc, for the PATIENT - but you're young, with fully functioning extremities.