Do you ever have good days as a nurse?

TazziRN, RN · May 19, 2006

Sure I do! I posted about that just last weekend, when my coworkers and I held the hands of an old man as he passed from this world to the next. I felt bad for his family but I felt good that because of us he didn't die alone.

cshell1964 · May 19, 2006

I would have to say that almost every day is a good day at work!!! I love my job. I have worked in the same NICU for 19 yrs. I feel lucky to have a job that I enjoy that pays pretty well. Especially in todays economic climate with so many out of work or fearful of losing there jobs. Some days are busier than others but I enjoy being busy and when I'm not it gives me a chance to chat with the people I work with.

NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN · May 19, 2006

One night we had a veteran who was on comfort care and his wife was on his bedside. She said that he liked to be groomed nice all his life. He would never go out of the house unless he was shaved and dressed nice. But now he was in bad shape. He had some facial hair and he was sweating. The nurse who was taking care of him went to the supply room and got a bath and shave kit. I went in to help him. We shaved the patient and gave him a bath, and his wife was crying the whole time. The veteran looked so much better after we got done. And he died after the 'last' shave. His wife said, it's like he waited to go 'home' until everything was right. I cried that night with the nurse and the wife. I would say that was a good day.

BearLV · May 19, 2006

I remember a day that started out as bad and frustrating, but ended up being one of my better days as a nurse. I was a fairly new grad on a general surgery unit. I was getting a post op pt who had undergone a fairly minor procedure (I can't remember the exact surgery). So I was thinking to myself "this shouldn't be too bad." Well , wrong I was. It turned out this patient suffered from chronic pain. She was on multiple pain meds outside the hospital to keep it under control. Again, I can't remember the details, but I remember thinking at the time "wow, thats alot of medication."

So the patient comes up to the floor in alot of pain. We got her settled into bed and she and her family quickly brought me up to speed on her history. I tell them "I will do my best to keep her pain under control, let me check the orders to see what I can get her." I go check the orders, and the surgeon has not ordered any of her outpatient meds restarted and has only order "Morphine 5-10mg IM Q4hrs prn." For a normal post op pt, this may have been sufficient, but not this woman. I gave her the max 10mg, and the poor woman was still writhing around in pain. I called the surgeon, and he ordered something like MS 2-4mg IV Q2hr prn breakthrough pain. Again I give it, and it doesn't touch the poor patient. I am starting to feel frustrated and overwhelmed. My patient is suffering and her family, as patient as they were trying to be were getting frustrated and letting me know about it.

Finally, after a few more phone calls I got ahold of the anesthesiologist. He was very nice when I explained the situation, and put a call into the surgeon. It was finally decided to order a dilaudid PCA with a basal rate. I got it all set up, and within an hour my poor writhing in pain pt was resting comfortably in bed visiting with her family.

Later that night my pt received flowers. She called me into her room and said "I want you to have these, you deserve them after all you did for me today."

I felt so good. It was one of those moments where I felt I truly had made a difference for my patient during her hospital stay.

Sometimes when we get overwhelmed with difficult patients or short staffing it is hard to remember why I wanted to be a nurse. But when I think about days like this, I remember...

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · May 19, 2006

My definition of a good day vs a bad day is that I can get finished on time on a good day.

Just kidding.

My definition of a "good" day is one in which I have made a definite, positive impact on someone's life. Like the AIDS patient who was frightened and wanted to go AMA, and I sat down and answered all her questions and built a trusting relationship, so she stayed and got the necessary tests done.

Or the patient who was in ETOH withdrawal and extremely agitated, and decided he liked me, so I was able to walk with him and talk to him enough to calm him and convince him that he needed that shot of Valium (or was it Ativan?). He even came back to our hospital a few times.

Or the patient that was going to be sent from the ER, and I'd gotten Report before I saw the lab work, but based on the labs, the patient needed a stat test and might not make it here without it. So I called the ER and got the patient tested right then and there. Patient was suddenly turfed to the Unit instead of our unit.

Or the patient that Coded in front of me, and I still don't know why I walked down the hall at that moment, just to check on my patients. The Code was successful.

Those are some "good" days.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 19, 2006

A 95 year-old patient held my hand and stated, "I hope God gives you the strength to make it through this day so you can continue to care for us." This was toward the end of a 16-hour shift. It was heartwarming to know that this sweet little lady was thinking of my mind and spirit.

NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN · May 19, 2006

A 95 year-old patient held my hand and stated, "I hope God gives you the strength to make it through this day so you can continue to care for us." This was toward the end of a 16-hour shift. It was heartwarming to know that this sweet little lady was thinking of my mind and spirit.

How great is that. I know we have so many mean and difficult patients, but there is ONE that is so nice, it makes up for all the others.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · May 19, 2006

How great is that. I know we have so many mean and difficult patients, but there is ONE that is so nice, it makes up for all the others.

:yeahthat:

Psychaprn · May 19, 2006

Great Topic-Most days I love my Job and have an opportunity whether through therapy, prescribing meds or both to see people once again feel better and return to , families and other pleasures in life. My patients are usually very nice and gratefeul for the help.

LCRN · May 19, 2006

I work in a split unit medical and surgical ICU--> we have to be cross trained to work in both units and a level I trauma center that can entail any type of patient any day. I love my job, I feel I am blessed to hold people's hands as they pass, to share memories with loved ones, to help patient's get better and console patient's when they do not. Don't get me wrong I have bad days that I feel like are impossible assignments and wonder how I got through them afterwards but I can look back as a reflection upon my character to say that being a nurse has made me a stronger individual.

I remember a post-partum woman who was carrying triplets and at 21 weeks went into early labor, a crash c-section and a severed bladder and repair later and i was taking care of a woman who was expecting 3 healthy babies and ended up with one baby in NICU fighting for his life. After I extubated her and provided mouthcare I offered to "clean" her up. I asked if I could shave her legs..she accepted and then broke down in tears explaining how she could not thank ME enough for doing something extra to make her feel better. All I could think about was what else could I do to make her more comfortable but that act of caring (as odd as it may sound) went farther than anything else I could've done for her.

I am fortunate to be a nurse...

Gompers, BSN, RN · May 19, 2006

I'd say that the vast majority of my days are good ones. Or should I say nights?

Once in a while I'll leave work and be utterly deflated, because things didn't go right. Whether my assignment was too busy or my baby was too sick, there will always be those days where I feel helpless. There are still days when I wonder what the heck I've gotten myself into.

But for the past 7-8 years, I'd say that 9 out of 10 times I leave work in a great mood. I absolutely love caring for these babies. There are some shifts that are just STELLAR for one reason or another, but I'd rather have hundreds of pretty good shifts to one or two great ones. The job satisfaction where I work is pretty good.