Please share something GOOD that happened at work!

[RNsRWe]

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 :)

[ROSYJO11]

Working in a child psych unit for the one shift (agency nursing) and about 8months pregnant there was a young anorexic girl, about 12yrs old.

she did constant escape attempts all shift, would just bolt out the doors and be off, to be chased by staff and returned.

whilst her nurse went to tea, I took over and had a lovely talk with her, I felt so sad for her. She told me later that evening that she had decided not to do a runner on me during that time I was with her because she thought I was nice AND because I was so pregnant, she didnt want to make me run

[ROSYJO11]

Here's one you will all like, this happened just a few weeks back.

I work in a 75 bed private hospital, in a surgical ward. I work in the lowest paid state in Australia. Private hospitals pay even less than public hospitals. Because I had taken over 3 yrs off nursing to be with my children I lost all my accumulated hours and was put back to Level 1 Grade 1 pay. This was despite being graduated 14 yrs after 3 yrs hospital training. The university nurses come out on Grade 2 pay so I was quite possibly the lowest paid RN in Australia LOL

I have been blessed with a generous management team and being single with four children I have always been able to work the school hours of 9am - 3pm. The days I worked depended on the kids ages (with school/preschool/daycare) but this year they are all in school so I am free mon to friday. I still work on a casual basis but am a regular in my ward nevertheless. Despite being there for almost 4yrs I still hadnt accumulated the hours to progress to grade 2 wages. I wasnt too worried as I was just grateful to get hours that allowed me to be there for my kids 100% as well as work.

So anyway, I emailed the payofficer to ask for my total hours with a joke that surely I must be close to grade 2 by now!!!!

She emailed back saying the ADON had spoken to her the week before and put me straight up to grade 8 wages and it would be in effect on my next pay!!!!!! They hadnt even notified me.

The reason being 'they thought I was worth it' :)

So my wages went up $8/hour PLUS another $2/hr for the casual loading so I received a $10/hour payrise.

I would have had to work at least another 9000 hours to get to grade 8 pay otherwise, equivalent to 6yrs full time work at the least.

Now that made my day :)

[gr8rnpjt, RN]

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.

Great story! That's what it's all about!

[ROSYJO11]

Years ago as an agency nurse, i was in my first year as an RN and doing a nightshift in a paediatric ward.

A 9yr old boy was very ill and the doctor and I were working frantically attacking each problem as it arose. Needing a catheter promptly we had nothing small enough to use as along with all his other congenital problems, he also had a member the size of a baby's. I raced into a storeroom I wasnt familiar with anyway , in search of a baby's nasogastric tube and raced back into the room with it LOL. The doctor thought it was a brilliant idea and it did indeed work just fine. I knew there werent any infant IDCs on the ward.

Next the patient went into respiratory failure and together we bagged him until he improved and began spontaneously breathing again. That night we did lots of things together, brainstorming off each other.

I felt great after the compliments the doctor gave me and her sincere thanks for my help that night.

The other RN who works full time in that ward was in awe saying how grateful she was that I was there that night cause 'no way' could she have handled it had she been in there instead of me.

And I remember being so calm and in control and enjoying it! I was fresh out of hospital training from the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere and I guess I was well educated, experienced and confident after spending 3 and a half years working and learning and used to experiencing new things.

I'm not sure how well I would handle agency nursing nowadays but back then (1990's) I loved it.

cheers,

Jo

[ROSYJO11]

not so long ago i was floated up to a medical/cardiac ward. i came across a patient who had been admitted 3 days earlier from an intentional overdose. being a private hospital, patients admitted afterhours are dealt with by a specific afterhours doctor. once the next day starts, their gp or specialist takes over the care. this patient had been referred by nursing staff to the cardiologist for care ( i think only because he had previously been a patient of his). 3 days go by and the cardiologist discharges him. i come on shift on the discharge day, read the chart and think,'why no medical review, why no psyche review?'.

no way was i sending this patient home especially as the cardiologist had written words to the effect of 'still depressed, has not had and is not having pysch therapy, discharge'. hello, pt goes home , suicides, law suit for the hospital???

nursing staff hadnt addressed the overdose issue either so i took his notes, grabbed a chair, shut his door and sat down beside his bed and talked and talked and talked. got information on preceding events prior to overdose , patient's current status and what would happen after discharge. the talk also gave me an excellent opportunity to assess his psychological status.

by the end of the talk he was willing and eager to see the psychologist that i knew was visiting that day to see someone else (very rare the psychologist comes to the hospital). i called the cardiologist and got the referral, spoke to the psychologist and organised the review and thus cancelled the discharge.

but what made my day was this and i still chuckle when i remember,

i came back to the patient and told him what i had arranged and what to expect. he looked at me, he studied my id badge which had my name and designation on it and said, 'who are you really?', he paused and looked at my obviously baffled face and said,'i know you are jo and it says you are a registered nurse, but who are you really? you can't just be a nurse from another ward working here for the day'

noone had taken the time to talk to this man who had attempted suicide. he wasnt silly, he knew he took sleeping pills and it wouldnt actually kill him but what a cry for help! he said i was the only person who had actually seemed to care and bothered to talk to him.

so after trying to convince him i was merely a nurse from another ward helping out for the day i left him and returned to the nurses station. i was sitting at the desk with my back to the ward. the patient came to the counter and spoke to the receptionist. he asked (lol) "that nurse that was here today" (the receptionist said jo?, he said yes), "who is she really?"

you know, he came back later on when again he thought i wasnt around to ask who i really was. he couldnt believe i was just a caring nurse, there to help him and finally get him the care he needed.

i was so flattered.

chuckling right now as i remember the look on his face, "who are you really?" lol

jo

[ROSYJO11]

One thing that makes me feel special and perks up my day at work is when the patient's relatives and visitors remember my name and welcome me when I enter the room.

Being in a surgical ward in a private hospital (more admissions, more money) means my day is HECTIC. So busy with admissions, discharges, post ops. The beds dont remain empty for long, sometimes new patients are in the loungeroom waiting for the room to be cleaned from the last discharge. No time for toilet stops, drink stops, and often lunch breaks just arent possible, we are understaffed and definitely overworked.

A lot of our patients are short stay, less than 4 days. Every now and then we get a long stay and it is so nice to get to know the pt and their loved ones. I look forward to seeing the patient's progress and hearing about what's been happening with them whilst Ive been on days off.

We get the occasionally palliative care patient that stays with us for weeks on end and we are hopeless at not getting attached, the funerals always have a few of us in attendance.

But coming on shift and entering a patients room to be greeted with a warm smile and a 'hello Jo' just makes my day.

JO

(i'm just racking my brain to think of more happy moments to share as I've just loved this thread - BUT- I gotta be up and outta here in 8hrs so better get some sleep)

[twotrees2]

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 :)

\

this didnt happen at work but to me was the mostimportant good thinhg ever- when my grandfather was dying - my grandmother stayed a night - oi stayed all the nights - and she watched me that last night and told my father ( mind you my family for all the yrs ive been a nurse have said they think i am no good at it and why would i work it and how could i be good at it etc - not supportive at all ) he could be proud of me she finally relaized i DID pick the right profession. my father just grunted lol - so he dont get it yet but my grandmother did if only for that brief moment - it made my career and life thats for sure.

[twotrees2]

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 :)

the last job i left i had a doc tell me how she was veryupset i was leaving and wished the situation could be different and offered to give me a great referance and gave me her number as well to prove oit!! she said she was upset cause i was one of the "few who actually knew my residents well and caught things early and took care of her residents very well" that was pretty cool.

[AliRae]

Today was the day that made us ALL realize why we're doing what we do.

We had a kid come in after a horrific MVA last summer. Ended up trached and basically a vegetable. We sent him to a rehab hospital where he coded and pretty much died. He came back to us, having lost what little he could do. We all gave up on him, over and over, and were just working to keep him alive.

Eventually, he was well enough to go to a different rehab hospital, and we haven't heard from him family in months.

Today he maneuvered his motorized wheelchair onto the unit, followed by his beaming mother. Smiling proudly he explained that he was in the hospital for a visit to clinic and wanted to come see the unit. Sorry that he doesn't remember any of us, but thanks for saving his life. Oh, and he got decannulated a while back. Oh, and he's getting tutoring at home to continue on with his schooling. Oh, and he's walking on the parallel bars and there's hope that he'll actually get out of the chair some day. Oh, and thanks again.

Possibly the best nurse's week gift ever.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Today was the day that made us ALL realize why we're doing what we do.

We had a kid come in after a horrific MVA last summer. Ended up trached and basically a vegetable. We sent him to a rehab hospital where he coded and pretty much died. He came back to us, having lost what little he could do. We all gave up on him, over and over, and were just working to keep him alive.

Eventually, he was well enough to go to a different rehab hospital, and we haven't heard from him family in months.

Today he maneuvered his motorized wheelchair onto the unit, followed by his beaming mother. Smiling proudly he explained that he was in the hospital for a visit to clinic and wanted to come see the unit. Sorry that he doesn't remember any of us, but thanks for saving his life. Oh, and he got decannulated a while back. Oh, and he's getting tutoring at home to continue on with his schooling. Oh, and he's walking on the parallel bars and there's hope that he'll actually get out of the chair some day. Oh, and thanks again.

Possibly the best nurse's week gift ever.

I totally choked up on this one. Anyone thinks they are absolutely sure how something is going to go, well, they should read this story!

[ROSYJO11]

I remember a young man who came to us in the medical ward after a significant brain injury from a sports injury. We didnt think he'd live for 48 hrs to be honest. He was in a vegetative state. He hung on for a few weeks but had a poor prognosis. Well to cut a long story short, he visited my garage sale (yard sale) the following year and bought my exercise bike! Boy was I surprised! He was surrounded by his family and you could see the joy emanating from all of them.

[navynurse06]

let's see i have a few...more when i worked at the va with my veterans than since i've worked in ped...but that's neither here nor there....

anyhow...i had a female pt in the pcu when i worked there as a tech, send each nurse that took care of her thank you cards. she also sent me a coffee cup shaped like a smiley face filled with candy. i had given her part of my lunch b/c she was hungry and the galley was closed. i still have the card and cup.

i was working at the va also when i choose to join the navy after graduating from nursing school. on the pt's id band and reg. cards it tells what branch of the service they were in. so i was taking care of a pt one day who was very sick...and i had taken care of him before. he was one of our nursing home pts. so i found out that he was a navy man. i was in his room one day, and he was alert at this time. i said "mr. k you are a navy man right?" he shook his head and got a grin on his face. then i said "well i'm joining the navy when i get out...i'll be an ens (officer)." and i'll never forget this as long as i live...

he smiled even bigger and gave me my 1st salute! it was one of the most moving things i've ever experienced...here he is sick...on his death bed...and he salutes me (not really an officer yet). i was so honored and humbled. i'm moved to tears just typing about it right now.

now the above is why i'm a nurse!!!