Happy Moment

Published

Hi!

I went to the gas station on the way home from work this morning to get a biscuit and I ran into an old patient of mine. He looked GREAT! I can't describe how awesome it really was to see him look so good. I work in an LTAC and our patients stay an average of 28 days or longer and I really get to know some of these guys. This particular patient also happens to be one of the sicker ones that I have taken of.

Anyways-just wanted to share. It made my day to see him dressed nice, smiling, chatting about how great things have been and telling me about how he was going to spend his day doing a little of this and that. He gave me a huge hug, thanked me for care that I provided for him and drove off to enjoy his Saturday.

This just reinforces why I went into nursing to begin with. Patients like him are what is all about. After a few rough shifts, it was nice to have a reminder of why I chose this profession. I am so excited and happy for him.

Thanks for reading.

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It's always great to see a patient doing well, getting better. Knowing that what we are doing really does make a difference.

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Yes! It was just nice to actually get to see the other end of the spectrum with my own eyes. I was/am really excited about it. :)

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

It's always nice to know you've really made a difference in someone's life. I was shopping with my daughter when she was 12 or 13...you know when most kids think their parents are lame....a woman ran over to us and gave me a huge hug. She then thanked me profusely for taking care of her father when he had been a patient on my floor of the SNF. She told my daughter that if it weren't for me her father would have died. After she walked away, my daughter looked at me and said "Wow, Mom, your job is wicked awesome!!" High praise from a teenaged kid.

Our job as nurses IS wicked awesome. We work hard, short staffed, stressed out with empty stomachs and full bladders but what we do makes a huge difference.

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That is really cool that your daughter said that! Coming from a 'preteen' that is quite the compliment! I remember myself at that age...my parents were def. lame. Actually, anything that I wasn't directly involved in was pretty much lame. haha It really does make ya feel good when you see the results. That had to be a great moment when that daughter gave you a hug.

My son is 9 yrs. old and he tells everyone that I am a nurse! We were at the fair and one of the guys working there had a brace on his arm and my son told him I could fix him up if he needed me too! It makes me laugh, but I am glad I got a job that makes him proud (for now). All the neighborhood kids come to my house to get fixed up after their neighborhood football injuries (bandaids, neosporin or ice). haha

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I once attended the funeral of a ex-colleague of mine. The funeral was huge as she was only in her late 30s and her death was unexpected. I believe she took her own life, but not sure how common knowledge that was. Anyway, afterwards I saw an ex-patient and wife at the funeral and went up to them and chatted to them. They said they had seen the death notice in the newspaper and wanted to go come out of respect to the wonderful care the nurse had given them. They did not know the cause of the death. Wow, it would be hard to get greater recognition than this. Years later, I wish I had written to the parents of this beautiful nurse and told them how much an impression their daughter had made on people. I think the couple (the ex-patient and his wife) were at the funeral quite anonymously. She was an amazing nurse, but obviously had a lot of hidden personal trauma going on. She is sadly missed.

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Specializes in thoracic ICU, ortho/neuro, med/surg.

Those are always really nice moments. Thanks for sharing!! It's always good to have a reminder like that.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Good job, Poop.

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