Doctor's allow you to live, nurses make you want to live

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Specializes in CCU, Geriatrics, Critical Care, Tele.

During a speech about mental illness, Vice President Joe Biden said 'Doctor's allow you to live, nurses make you want to live'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcTX04kW3Kw

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Specializes in Nephrology.

Great video. One of my favorite quotes about nurses comes from Jodi Picoult's book My Sister's Keeper. It says,

"An oncology ward is a battlefield, and there are definite hierarchies of command. The patients, they're the ones doing the tour of duty. The doctors breeze in and out like conquering heroes, but they need to read your child's chart to remember where they've left off from the previous visit. It is the nurses who are the seasoned sergeants -- the ones who are there when your baby is shaking with such a high fever she needs to be bathed in ice, the ones who can teach you how to flush a central venous catheter, or suggest which patient floor might still have Popsicles left to be stolen, or tell you which dry cleaners know how to remove the stains of blood and chemotherapies from clothing. The nurses know the name of your daughter's stuffed walrus and show her how to make tissue paper flowers to twine around her IV stand. The doctor's may be mapping out the war games, but it is the nurses who make the conflict bearable.”

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This post on HuffPo reminded me why I chose nursing....dare you to read this and not cry!

Mike Spohr: On the Wings of a Nightingale

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This post on HuffPo reminded me why I chose nursing....dare you to read this and not cry!

Mike Spohr: On the Wings of a Nightingale

WOW!!!! That's really all I can say! Nurses rock and I can't wait for the day I can proudly say I am a nurse! This is EXACTLY the reason I want to further my career in medicine. I do care, and I want every person I have the honor of caring for to really feel cared for! These people are more than just patients... they are our fellow human beings! :inlove:

Thanks for sharing this beautiful story!!!

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

This was posted on Facebook and received entirely different kinds of comments.

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Haha I love his little part about the Neurosurgeon saying we need to do this and this and this...

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I think this was a great blog about respect/appreciation for nurses. I don't see anything wrong with that. I've cried with families as their loved ones have passed, granted these patients were also children that I've known for many years and many battles.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Neuro/Oncology floor nursing..
Great video. One of my favorite quotes about nurses comes from Jodi Picoult's book My Sister's Keeper. It says,

"An oncology ward is a battlefield, and there are definite hierarchies of command. The patients, they're the ones doing the tour of duty. The doctors breeze in and out like conquering heroes, but they need to read your child's chart to remember where they've left off from the previous visit. It is the nurses who are the seasoned sergeants -- the ones who are there when your baby is shaking with such a high fever she needs to be bathed in ice, the ones who can teach you how to flush a central venous catheter, or suggest which patient floor might still have Popsicles left to be stolen, or tell you which dry cleaners know how to remove the stains of blood and chemotherapies from clothing. The nurses know the name of your daughter's stuffed walrus and show her how to make tissue paper flowers to twine around her IV stand. The doctor's may be mapping out the war games, but it is the nurses who make the conflict bearable.”

First of all..I am absolutely OBSESSED with this book. Second of all..truer words could not be said.

I remember after I had my craniotomy surgery I was in terrible pain(besides the PCA of dilaudid they gave me). The nurse in the PACU moved heaven and earth to get my surgeon and the pain management team down there..maybe because it was I was a nurse..or maybe because I was doing all I could not to scream. Either way her compassion and hastiness really saved me from jumping out the window. Don't get me wrong...my surgeon was great, but he's the head of neurosurgery and is just so busy. The nurse in the PACU literally called every 15 minutes until pain management came and adjusted the PCA dose. She also gave me 2mg IVP of dilaudid and 1mg of IVP Ativan to try to stay ahead of my pain and keep me calm. I will NEVER in my life forget that PACU nurse and how her aggressiveness alleviated my suffering. I went from wanting to take off my own head to relaxed and comfortable all because of her persistence and her advocating for me(my big mouth probably helped a little..but this nurse listened)!

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At the risk of being a Debbie Downer, it just seemed like a bit of nonsensical schmaltz to me.....

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At the risk of being a Debbie Downer it just seemed like a bit of nonsensical schmaltz to me.....[/quote']

How so?

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How so?

It just seemed like random political rambling to me. Something that sounds nice, but upon closer inspection is really kinda hollow. Like a Johnson & Johnson commercial about nursing.

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Nurses have always been my favorite health care worker. They always kept me pain free, listened to my concerns when the doctor wouldn't, always showed so much compassion, Just to name a few. I had a doctor who gave me bad news that I had to have emergency surgery, as I started to tear up who put her arm around me and started to comfort me? The Nurse!!

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