Vanity,all is vanity

[ohbet]

Nursing can be a frustrating profession,frustation with administration,frustration with patients,frustration with co workers,frustration with doctors,frustration with families and frustration with self.

The question is,how, in spite of the frustration ,do nurses remain hopeful and believe that what their doing has a purpose and is meaningful?,and for that matter,given the suffering and pain that we see, how can nurses believe that even life is meaningful and with purpose?

I didnt know where to put this post,if it should have gone to the off the topic classification,my apology,maybe I need a theology or philosophy place to post this.

[NurseDennie, BSN, RN]

I've said this before, but when somebody says "Here comes the nurse" and you can FEEL the relief in their voices and see it on their faces.

Love

Dennie

[live4today, RN]

When you are walking through the mall with your children in tow, and a 21 year old young woman walks over to you and says, "My mom wanted me to run over here and get your attention. She says you helped to save my Daddy's life last year."

Even when I looked at the woman's mother, I did not recognize her, but she finally reached me, hugged me, thanked me over and over again. She said, "I know you probably don't recognize me, but I recognized you right off the bat! I told my daughter to catch up with you so I could thank you again for being such a wonderful nurse to my husband last year." I said, well, you're welcome! How is your husband doing? She said, "He couldn't be better! I can't wait to tell him I saw you again!"

The more we talked, the more she described her husband to me, even showed me a photo of him from her purse, I finally remembered "the patient", but still wouldn't have remembered the name without the wife and daughter telling me what it was. We talked for about 10 minutes, then we hugged one another, and said our goodbyes.

It's worth being a nurse for moments in history like that! :)

[4XNURSE]

51 yo hospice pt. - inoperable brain tumor. dx 6 mo. ago. currently living at home. hasn't been out of the house in several weeks.

I did the admission to the program. After all the ___ ____ paperwork, and the physical exam. (little more than V.S.) My final question was "What is the #1 thing you would like us to help you with."

She replied that she would like the pain to go away just enough to get some sleep. (During the admission process I had gotten a list of her meds, - NOTHING for pain.)

I called our on call md. Got an order for Vicodin. That was Wed. Picked up the Vicodin on Thursday and took it out to her in the afternoon with instructions. - Take 1 or 2 before bedtime.

Called her on Friday AM. She almost knocked me over, via the phone lines, with gratitude. She stated that Thursday night was the first nights sleep she had gotten in 6 months. From 1 Vicodin! Requested by, and delivered by, the hospice RN. (me)

Every one of us has different stories, and most of us have more than one. That's why we do this!

just my $ .02

ken

[sharann, BSN, RN]

When the patient says "that wasn't as bad as I thought. Thanks"

[billy_boe]

ok me and my bud were working a triple bypasss and we wewre like hey what do we do? our doctor had to gude us through the whole thing but then it turned out the guy had a bacteriophage or something along those lines

[petiteflower]

When you go home, tired, sore feet, knowing that your hands saved a newborn's life and held the hand of someone who's life was passing all in the same day.

[billy_boe]

YES BUT WHAT IS IT ALL FOR!!!! what it's it all for my friends........... we work so hard for this dream, but what is this dream you say. THe dream of manifest destiny!