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 :)
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?
This past weekend a visiting family told me I'd be a great nurse someday (I'm a tech/student) because of my "bedside manner". Mom was in the hospital for hypothermia and some confusion and, during a busy shift, I took five minutes to squat down by her chair and share a couple of laughs with the group.
I love those moments. When I read about med errors and salary complaints and understaffing, I sometimes wonder what I'm getting myself into. When a patient smiles at me after I make that magical connection, I remember.
This past weekend a visiting family told me I'd be a great nurse someday (I'm a tech/student) because of my "bedside manner". Mom was in the hospital for hypothermia and some confusion and, during a busy shift, I took five minutes to squat down by her chair and share a couple of laughs with the group.
I love those moments. When I read about med errors and salary complaints and understaffing, I sometimes wonder what I'm getting myself into. When a patient smiles at me after I make that magical connection, I remember.
D
And D, it's those very moments you will NEVER forget, because it's the reason you keep going back day after day :)
There's lots of ways to earn money. But what we get FROM nursing, beyond the paycheck....that's what I find irreplaceable!
I had a patient last week, really sad case actually, the father had been driving the two teenage daughters and wa sin MVA, he was fine but one daughter was brain dead, other daughter (16yo) was head injured in ICU. I had her post extubation and she was extremely agitated and took a lot of calming down (invluding IV meds), was vocalising but not understandable, and generally very confused all night. I spent my whole shift reassuring her every time she woke up... etc etc, had no idea what was happening in her head or if she understood a word I said. When handover came I said goodbye to her parents who were there and she waved goodbye to me. Brought a huge smile to my face and made the whole night worthwhile!
I bet they won't forget you soon, either! Good job! :)
Peter and Rose made me cry too!! I love that story.
While it is always rewarding to hear a "thank you" from your patients, it is just as rewarding, if not more so, to hear a compliment from one of the other nurses.
I had one of my colleagues tell someone she wished she could be more like me because I made every one of my patients feel like they were the only patient I had to take care of.
One of my colleagues told me I inspired her to return to school. I was finishing my MSN and she went back to finish her BSN.
One horrible day in the ED, I spent over three hours with a man who had been in an MVC with his wife and his sister-in-law. His sister-in-law was seriously injured, his wife didn't make it to the ED and his injuries were basically nothing.
He had asked about his wife at least three times in the first 15 minutes he arrived. He told me he heard the paramedics ask for the coroner and wanted to know if it was for his wife. I told my ED doctor and asked him what did I do and should I tell him the truth about his wife? My doc said if I was comfortable telling him, then I should, but to check with the coroner first and call the hospital chaplin. I did both and walked into my patients room. He took one look at my companion--the priest--and said "This isn't good, is it?" I told him no it wasn't and of course began to cry. I spent a lot of time with this poor man. I found out his first wife had died of breast cancer and he didn't think he would ever find a woman he could love as much as her until his second wife came along. Now she was gone as well. I called his family for him, but everytime I would try to tell someone on the other end what had happened I began to cry again. (Boy I was effective that day!)
A few weeks later I received the nicest note from this man, thanking me for all I had done. I have kept it and it has been many many years ago. Now that was a nice thing for him to do, but it was at the end of that horrible day when one of the nurses I was working with (who isn't one to hand out compliments) said to me, "You did a nice job with that guy. I don't think I could have done that. You stayed with him for hours and helped him."
I don't expect thank you's from anyone, patients or coworkers, because I am doing my job. Yes they are nice and I won't turn them away, but I don't expect them.
Over the years I've experienced many positive and enlightening things. But there is always this one case that I often reflect on....
A young married couple were struggleing through the last phases of cervical CA. The patient was discharged into home care. She and her husband were given the belief that she just needed to "take a little break" from Chemo and that she could start again in a few weeks. We knew in our station that she was sent home to die. So, we got everything set up at home, pain meds, parenteral nutrition and so on... after a few days I started working on finding out what they really knew and believed. I trusted my instinct and was then direct with the patient's husband and told him she had only a few weeks. I also talked directly to the patient and she had a very hard time letting go and accepting her condition. As predicted the situation developed as we all know it can and does. She died then but I wasn't there on that day. I felt very unsure for a few days if I had done the right thing. Then a friend of the family came to my home, with flowers for me and a moving letter from the patients husband. He thanked me for helping them experience these last weeks so close as they did. If no one had had the guts to say the truth, they wouldn't have had the chance to say goodbye.... I'll simply never forget it.
I work in a long term care facility. One of my patients is dying, she knows it, her family knows it and we (staff) know it. I went in today to check on her and to see if she needed anything. She reached up and put her arms around my neck, and told me that she loved me and thanked me for everything I have done for her while in good health and now in her final days. The tears came to my eyes but I told her that I also loved her and every moment that I have/had with her is a blessing.
She may not be there in the morning when I return to work but her love and memory will be with me forever. It is the little things like this that make me realize that I have made a difference in someone's life and if that is the only time anyone says anything even near that, it has made my nursing career all worth the while.
When I used to work in the nursing home, some of the residents from my unit always waited for my arrival by the elevator just the way my kids did at the sitter. They checked the posted monthly schedule to make sure I was working each day. Few family members had me talked to the residents when they got "stubborn". I know I was loved.
I get to watch babies with congenital heart defects recover from heart surgery and go home with their parents. Without surgery these little guys wouldn't make it. What a great feeling. I especially love holding babies. Most of the time I can get them to stop crying by rocking them , feeding them and talking to them. It's so fundamentally stress relieving.
The cardiologists at the hospital trust my judgement and respect me. I just got a $2 dollar pay raise and our shift diff for evenings was increased to $3 and hour. The hospital pays 50 cents to the dollar on contributions up to 7% of your check in our 403B plan. We have new equipment--monitors, computers. I got to help pick out the supplies for our new unit and decide where things went. Our new call system uses phones for the nurses to carry. I was able to use the phone to call from the patient's room and talk to the doc about getting some pain meds stat. We had pulled an eight french femoral sheath on a very large lady who had a very low tolerance for pain and she was arching her back and hollering and the tech who was holding pressure lost control over the artery. I got the demerol and inapsine in and took over holding pressure and thank God had goggles on because it spurted blood on the side of my face and hair in the process but I got control over the artery and the guy I was orienting took over holding when it was safe and we mashed the hematoma out. My coworkers cleaned my face and hair and arms with cavicide wipes while I held pressure until it was safe to switch. Her groin was fine. She was grateful. She went home the next day. Good learning experience for new guy. Thankful for those phones we carry and a doc quick to call back. I enjoy working with most of my coworkers. We laugh a lot and work together to get admissions in, start IV's, whatever. Good teamwork on our floor.
As a psych nurse we rarely see what happens to our patients and families. I worked with a 10yr old boy for 6 months who had been severely abused physically and sexually. Whe he was 18yo he returned to our hospital and asked to talk to me. He told me how our relationship and his experience at our hospital was the only thing that helped him through his life. He was currently enrolled in college with a 4.0 and had a positive outlook on his future. Can we ask for more. I cried and hugged him. This keeps me going day after day.
darrell
103 Posts
This past weekend a visiting family told me I'd be a great nurse someday (I'm a tech/student) because of my "bedside manner". Mom was in the hospital for hypothermia and some confusion and, during a busy shift, I took five minutes to squat down by her chair and share a couple of laughs with the group.
I love those moments. When I read about med errors and salary complaints and understaffing, I sometimes wonder what I'm getting myself into. When a patient smiles at me after I make that magical connection, I remember.
D