Do nurses make a difference?

A lot of the time I feel like I work in one of those human battery fields in the movie The Matrix. I feel like I’m part of a system that is keeping people who should be dead alive to create revenue for healthcare and pharmaceutical conglomerates.

Also, in the case of someone who should be allowed to die (if you don’t know what I’m talking about when I say this and this hurts your feelings, I can describe this patient to you), but instead is continuously brought back from the dead and cycled back to the floor, to LTAC, and back to ICU to be brought back again, every body system is failing. This means that doctors from every specialty are seeing them—GI, cardiology, psych, pulmonary, renal, etc.—as well as every therapy discipline—OT, PT. Everyone is getting paid.

Patients like this have become the humans from the matrix, kept alive only to power the machines, and we work for the machines.

And some days I help an old lady get cleaned up and brush her teeth and hair, and she looks a million times better, is super grateful, and is discharged home to her cat the next day ?

It is very hard to feel like you are "saving a life" or making a huge difference, when everything is a team effort. You are like the wheel on a car. The wheel may feel like it's "only a wheel," (as opposed to the very cool engine) but the fastest engine in the world isn't going to make the car move without the wheel. So just be the best wheel you can be!

Often, not in the moment, but yes, down the road. When I run into a former student or family member and they remark on what a difference I made for them, or how they always felt safe in my office.

At my current job I feel that it’s a numbers game. If I see 10 patients (it’s outpatient community health) I would would estimate that 8 of them came in, saw me, and left without my having much of an impact. But the other two: I will remember their names forever; I think they will remember mine; they’ve hugged me or just looked me in the eyes and said “Thank you so much.” I may not have lowered their A1C (or maybe I did!) but I treated them with respect and they felt it.

On 1/24/2020 at 8:13 AM, Tweety said:

I basically went into nursing with the ideal to help people and to lift myself out of a life of struggle living from paycheck to paycheck. I never thought I was in a "calling" or an "Angle of Mercy" or will save lives.

Still, I've sent many patients to ICU, recognized a man with compartment syndrome, recognized a pulmonary embolism, CHF, a bowel perf, etc. and I would like to think my critical thinking and assessment skills made a difference in getting them treated.

Realistically, with heavy ratios and stress, I'll admit I missed some things I've later beaten myself up over and made some mistakes. I've lost some patients. Reality has slapped me in the face many times.

Couldn’t have said it better.