AHRN

We have found that the dyes in purple drinks, grape pedialyte, Kool-Aid, etc. turn stools Neon green, especially if the child has diarrhea.

I left NICU bedsides in 1996 after almost 25 years! I was still doing 8 hour shifts, but most RNs were doing 12 hours. I felt like I just couldn't keep up the pace until retirement and was dreading going to work each day. I found a job in Telephone Triage that I love! We were just opening the call center, so I have seen it grow almost from the beginning. I still use my assessment skills, nursing process and get to do parent teaching, only via the telephone. The job is much less physical, the downside is I've gained weight sitting on the phone in front of a computer all shift. We still have our stressful, busy times, but I wouldn't trade it for going back to the floors. I thought I'd really miss the babies, especially the preemies, but found I did not miss it that much. I guess it was time to move on.

I started reading this post and thinking: after almost 30 years as an RN, how would I define a "real nurse"? After reading most of the replies, I found JennyP's statement very profound, "And I don't care how many initials are in a nurse's title; nursing has many areas and fields to work in, but the bedside nurse has one task: to care for the patients in her charge to the best of her ability. That's what 'real nurses' do in any setting." It sums up what nurses do "in any setting" very well. As nurses we do our best to meet the needs of our patients: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. Patmostoi's post also sums it up very well. Both of them expressed what I could not easily put into words. Some days it does seem like all you do is "push pills or wipe bottoms", but your interaction and the way you do your tasks mean much to the patient and are also a part of nursing care. P.S. I couldn't get cut and paste to work, so I apologize if I miscopied any quotes.