Nursing moments

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm wondering if others have quintessential moments of satisfaction while working, something I call "nursing moments". For me, its making beds, particularly if the pt. is sitting by the window, with family in the room. I know that it seems mundane, but I derive immense satisfaction from making beds. I don't have to calculate anything, measure, wipe or document the event. It's a fresh clean bed, with no wrinkles, no complaints, no doubts and everyone is grateful that it's done.

I have known this for some time, but just recently had the courage to tell a good friend, the former DON of a Harvard hospital. He said the same thing, but he liked making beds with people in them.

Specializes in ER.

Hairwashing, especially since so many of us don't have time anymore.

Assessing a problem and saving a life.

Soothing and chatting with demented patients, I had a lady who I gave a manicure to every day, she never remembered me or having it done before but she was used to having nice nails, and thought it was the best thing.

Bringing some sort of comfort and trust to patients and family that have learned to distrust healthcare.

Having a patient or family say "thank goodness we got you for a nurses tonight" that is my favorite thing.

Specializes in Interventional Pain Mgmt NP; Prior ICU and L/D RN.

To me it is special to be allowed to be with a dying patient when they pass. To be able to do the little things for the family to attempt to make it a little easier; some water to drink, tissues, a blanket if they are cold, cleansing the face of the pt, fluff and puff the pt so the family knows that I still care even though the pt is on his/her way....little things. It makes me feel like I've done something special when after the pt is gone the family take the time to give me hug and tell me thank you for making it a little easier and making their loved one comfortable through the dying process.

Doesn't sound like something special, but the family makes it so for me and they don't even realize it.

Ya know this thread all boils down to the same principle. Taking something that others would perhaps perceive as a negative and turning it into a "moment." Magic and Miracles on a day to day, hour to hour, moment to moment basis. Nursing.

oh yeah and code browns!

Tres

Definitely giving a patient a good washing to their backs! You can SEE how much better they feel after you wash their backs with lots of soap and water and give a good back rub with lotion......they usually spend so much time lying on a plastic mattress or sitting in a plastic chair. I also love washing their hair when I have time. I also love it when a patient comes back for a follow up appointment with their surgeon and makes a stop on the unit and asks for me by name! I consider it a real compliment when someone actually remembers my name two weeks or so after they leave! Love this thread, by the way! :)

My moments have been so different from each other. As a hospice nurse, it's teaching a family how to care for a loved one and knowing that while they were in a panic at first, they now know it's going to be ok. It's seeing a man walk onto the unit 6months after release from a stay after a parachuting accident, and all he wants to do is hug you and thank you, and he still remembers your name. It's sitting down with a patient and his wife to review the results of a bone scan because no one else, including the doctor, wanted to tell him he had cancer everywhere. It's walking away with your cheek still tingling from the gentle kiss given to you for taking the time to tell someone he's going to die, and holding in the tears and shudders til you make it to the car....It's a rollercoaster of epic proportions, nursing, but I stagger off and get right back in line.

I am a bit teary-eyed here. This thread is a wonderful counterbalance to all the times when we have to vent.

I also get a special feeling when I am making a bed, and knowing that this small effort on my part is so appreciated by the patient. And the bathing, etc. I guess those of us who truly love it will always keep these things close to our hearts....especially when we are having the shift from hell.

It is the patients who make it worth it.

I also like helping the dying and their families. At our small hospital, we can get the kitchen to send a courtesy cart for the family. The cart has fresh coffee, water, and lemonade for the family. Plus assorted cookies and rolls for the family to munch on. I like to take extra special care of the dying-combing their hair, making sure they are clean, pain free and supported.

I also enjoy talking to my patients, especially the elderly. They can be such an incredible resource of history. A couple of weeks ago, I cared for a woman whose husband had been killed in the Battle of the Bulge during WW2. She was left to raise her 2 young sons without the love of her life....Had another lady the other day tell me that she and her husband have been married 73 years!! Her husband came to visit, and he sat on the bed next to her and you could tell that they were still in love. :) Patients like these are a real joy to take care of.....

Back in 1985, when AIDS was first showing its ugly head, I took care of a woman my age who needed a blood transfusion. I went into her room after the doctor told her this and she was crying hysterically. She thought she was going to get AIDS and die!!! I was very relieved that I was able to calm her by saying that there was a test to check donated blood for the presence of AIDS and she wouldn't receive any. She was ENORMOUSLY relieved and we both laughed about it.

Sue

YES to all these special moments! I had one the other day. We were having a decent night in the ER and a n 84 yr old male and his family came back in. He is a CHF/COPD 'er who is probalble on the downhill side of the disease. He was just in last week with an exascerbation. I wa stopped in my tracks when he went to a ambulatory bed not a monitored bed. His wife and daughter said we're back as I passed them in the hall. I smiled and went on since I wasn't the nurse for that area. A few minutes later that nurse said T3 is requesting you. I walked in and and smiled and said Hello. It turns out he had broken his hip this time. He smiled back and had a new joke for me. Simply amazing - I had to give him a big hug and tell him I was sorry he had to visit again so soon- he joked I'm just trying to make sure you don't miss me too much! As I left the room his wife gave me a big hug and told me thanks for coming in to see him - that he really enjoys having me as his nurse. Yes--I had a big tear in my eye. As I was walking back to the station it struck me how blessed I am to have this job and be able to have this contact with these special people. If I could just remeber that loving , warm , squishy feeling when I'm having a bad night.... Thanks for the thread!

i work in long term care. for me its giving a resident a hug, or just talking with and seeing the smile on thier faces...

Some really good moments for me came working M/S in a very small hospital. We "did it all"- bed baths to blood transfusions, babies to end of life. I learned skills daily and how to be flexible. One day, it occurred to me that I had become the nurse I had admired for years- confident, capable and posititve. That was about the time hospital admin decided that we were "overstaffed with RN's". Several really good nurses went out the door. I don't work as a nurse at all anymore, I am still mad !! Missing those moments lately..

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

I like bed making too. I like looking in and seeing a coworker making a bed and helping from the other side. No words, just help. ...and a smile of thanks.

One special moment I only viewed from the sidelines, but I will never forget.

I had a patient who was within hours of dying, but still had all his faculties. His senior care physicianasked if he would like to stay in the hospital or be at home with his wife. At home was the choice.

The doctor lifted the man into a wheelchair. Took him home in his own car and had 4 university students help carry the chair up into the house.

The doctor stayed with the couple until he passed away.

And you know what? That doctor had been an RN for about 10 years before finishing medical school. He said that's where he learned "how."

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