If you were critically ill, which of your colleagues would you want assigned to you?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Found this question in a nursing journal and it started me thinking about the qualities other nurses admire in other nurses. Please elaborate on why you would want that colleague assigned to your care (ie - their calm demeanour, knowledge level, etc.)

Cheers!

Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

I had a friend who was also an EMT. If I ever went down on the job, I'd absolutely want her working on me. She had a TON of real life, trying to die beside the road experience. Calm, cool, smart, and could find an IV site in a 2x4. And not scared to wake up any doc in the place if her pt needed it.

She'd also have the guts to tell my family, "okay, it's time to stop and let her go."

Excellent! That's the kind of perspective I love to hear from others. It's inspiring to know that if you are good at what you do, your coworkers will notice. My sister's husband is a funeral director and anytime one of his colleagues has a death in their family they request him to do the funeral, because he is so professional and compassionate in his job - to me, that is the ultimate sign of respect when your colleagues want you around in a time of crisis.

I once worked with a night shift nurse who I often received report from and gave it to. (7-7 shifts) Many nurses didn't like her. If you forgot something or didn't follow through on something, Lord knows you heard about it from her. She gave the doctors, fellow nurses and family members hell, but always with reason. She didn't pick favorites, she asserted herself equally with everyone, friend or not. As I got to know her, we became friends and I came to respect her clinical skill and judgement. I felt completely at ease leaving patients in her hands knowing they would be well cared for by any means necessary. If I were the pt. I would feel the same way. Unfortunately she was one of very few on that unit I would trust with my life.

Specializes in multispecialty ICU, SICU including CV.

I have a few trusted coworkers where I work -- they are the ones that I have been working with long enough to know that their clinical judgment is excellent. They are all well-seasoned with a minimum of 5 years in, up to 35 years. I would say that I would let probably 1/3 of my coworkers take care of me (if I had anything to say about it) -- the rest I would have to decline.

Are you kidding? The thought of having my colleagues seeing me nekid and drugged-up is one of my greatest nightmares. :w00t:

Specializes in Med/Surg.

None of them :sofahider:

I think that and have been told that I could take care of them and their loved ones if they needed it though :redpinkhe

If I have a patient that I think is more critical I have certain nurses I refuse to let the charge nurse assign them to.

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