Please share something GOOD that happened at work!

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Maybe as a tag-along to the thread that has people in a twist over whether or not nurses are being positive enough, or too negative, or whatever, we could try for something a little upbeat.

What has happened to you (or someone else?) at work that made you GLAD that you were there that day? Did you feel you made a difference?

I recently had a patient who had diverticulitis and was facing a bowel resection and somehow no one had either explained to him what to expect or he hadn't been able to hear it. At any rate, when I got him he was scared to death what was going to happen to him, whether he'd be able to eat/poop normally again. Somehow he got the idea he'd need a colostomy, and that freaked him out unnecessarily.

I spent all of fifteen minutes with him initially and watched this fella change from freaked out to calm, once he realized the why's and wherefore's. I then checked on him and let him talk when he needed. I got him after surgery, too, and while most of the time people never even give a cursory "thank you", this man made me feel like a million bucks! He thanked me for taking the time to talk to him and apologized for being "a baby". Oh, man, he wasn't a baby at all, just a human being who needed another human (who happened to have a medical clue) to calm him down.

I felt proud to be a nurse when I left for a couple of days :)

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I made a difference just the other day. The CA pt I posted about in another thread.....she was tired and her 92-year-old sister/caregiver was worn out, even with respite care. The pt had an appt with her onc yesterday for another round of chemo; the pt and sister wanted to stop but didn't know how.......from the older generation that does what the docs tell them to. I told the nieces to take the older ladies to the onc and talk to him. Tell him their feelings.

Yesterday I got a call from one of the nieces telling me the appt went very well and the onc was very receptive to their feelings. The chemo has been stopped and the pt will have pain control care only (pancreatic CA). The niece was very grateful that I took the time to listen to them and give them a direction to go in.

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If everybody who posted on the "negative" threads would turn around and give a contribution to this thread, we would have a more balanced view of nursing.

My contribution for today: When I start to feeling low when thinking about how I miss taking care of my patients since not working for my last employer, I replay in my mind one of the instances, when I would go in at night to see my vent dependent young guy and I would catch him with his eyes open, waiting for me. He would close his eyes very quickly, because he was supposed to be asleep when I arrived for nights, and I was supposed to do my best not to interrupt him. His parents were very strict about this. Then went I went in an hour later to do some care, he would wake anyway, and we would have our "off the record" short conversations. I tried to wear his favorite T shirt so he would have something to comment on. I probably got more from interacting with him, than he ever got from me. These are the moments that sadden me when I have to substitute them for thinking about the negative people at the office and missing patient care.

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Specializes in NICU.

I'm a nursing student but this happened last week and it was a very cool thing. I was observing in pre-op/OR and I was following a 15 year old girl that had never been in the hospital. She acted like she was ok at first and then would break down crying and her mom told her not to be a baby. Well, that just rubbed me the wrong way to begin with but anyways. She really didn't know why she was there or what to expect so I held her hand while she cried and I talked and was able to explain to her what was going on and how the whole process would go. It turned out she was most scared of the IV and if it would hurt every time they put something in it. I talked her through everything that was happening and she was able to calm down. It was so cool and I was thinking "man I love this." In a scary time for this girl I was with her and made her feel at least a little more comfortable.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

A patient relative phoned me yesterday to thank me for looking after her mother who had died last month, and she wanted me to know her whole family appreciated the way I had made her mother feel very special.

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I made a difference just the other day. The CA pt I posted about in another thread.....she was tired and her 92-year-old sister/caregiver was worn out, even with respite care. The pt had an appt with her onc yesterday for another round of chemo; the pt and sister wanted to stop but didn't know how.......from the older generation that does what the docs tell them to. I told the nieces to take the older ladies to the onc and talk to him. Tell him their feelings.

Yesterday I got a call from one of the nieces telling me the appt went very well and the onc was very receptive to their feelings. The chemo has been stopped and the pt will have pain control care only (pancreatic CA). The niece was very grateful that I took the time to listen to them and give them a direction to go in.

:yeah: :yeah: :yeah: :yeah:

Now THAT'S what I'm TALKIN' about!

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1. A patient said to me "I don't want to leave ICU you won't be there to take care of me."

2. patient told doctor "She is the best nurse you have here." right after the doctor yelled at me because another one of his other patients pulled his trach out.

3. I got a pay raise. (That was the bestest thing)

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I'm a nursing student but this happened last week and it was a very cool thing. I was observing in pre-op/OR and I was following a 15 year old girl that had never been in the hospital. She acted like she was ok at first and then would break down crying and her mom told her not to be a baby. Well, that just rubbed me the wrong way to begin with but anyways. She really didn't know why she was there or what to expect so I held her hand while she cried and I talked and was able to explain to her what was going on and how the whole process would go. It turned out she was most scared of the IV and if it would hurt every time they put something in it. I talked her through everything that was happening and she was able to calm down. It was so cool and I was thinking "man I love this." In a scary time for this girl I was with her and made her feel at least a little more comfortable.

You know, I had a similar experience when I was a student, second semester, and it has never left me. I was observing a surgeon putting in a triple lumen line, along with a few other students, and this poor thing in the bed was terrified. When he started the procedure (testing and joking with us, totally ignoring her), there were silent tears coming down her face. I immediately grabbed her hand, told her how brave I thought she was. The young woman squeezed harder than I thought possible (taught me to ONLY give TWO FINGERS, lol, but I digress). She cried and squeezed, and kept turning her eyes to me. All she could see was eyes, since I had a mask on. I dabbed her face with tissues, and she got through it. She didn't let go of my hand until everyone else had left the room....I stayed with her while she 'came down'. And I swear I will never forget what she told me: "I just kept looking at you, you were the only one I saw, and you were the only one who seemed to see ME. Thank you."

If that doesn't make you sure you want to be a nurse, I don't know what will.

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3. I got a pay raise. (That was the bestest thing)

I think I'll have to wait a long while for that, lol, but that sure does make the workday brighter! :)

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A patient relative phoned me yesterday to thank me for looking after her mother who had died last month, and she wanted me to know her whole family appreciated the way I had made her mother feel very special.

Yes!

I had a patient die, and I spent alot of time with the family, and I KNOW I made the passing better for them. Other nurses commented on the work I had done. I actually expected to hear from them, get a note at the hospital or something, but never did. Then I reminded myself that *I* was not the priority for these people, and I can't expect praises for doing my job. It would have been nice, but I certainly understand if they don't remember us.

It must have made you feel SO good to get that phone call!

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

working in a gp surgery here in the UK you get to know a lot of the patients especially the ones with chronic conditions and on several occassions have ran late with surgeries because I take the time to talk to them and help them sort issues out but what really made my time and felt so much thanks from my patients was when I left due to getting ready for moving and several patients went out of their way to come and see me off, say how sorry they were that i was leaving and not sure what they are going to do now and bring me gifts of flowers, cards and chocolate, a couple even made sure i had their addresses so i could keep in touch with them. that made me realise on how much I had enjoyed working there and the impact I had had on some of the patients

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Specializes in ICU-Stepdown.

Had a young girl (early twenties) who was an incomplete quad (gross motor movements in upper extrem. -though with a LOT of effort and time, she gained enough to control a marker well enough to write a note (on a large sheet of paper) that said 'tell joe I said thinks and save a piece of candy for him' -she wrote this just before being discharged to a long-term facility -about a day after I'd left on vacation for a hunting trip last year. She (and family) were considdered to be rather difficult as patients and family goes. When we first got her she had had plenty of complications, including resp. failure. Before she left she was on a trach collar (no longer needing a vent) I still have the note and the piece of candy (I dont eat candy, but it was really touching).

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