stephen1219

It was my day off. I met my date for "coffee or drinks" at an eclectic little side shop downtown. The conversation was stimulating and not the typical first date interrogations I've experienced in the past. We talked for an hour and then left the coffee shop to go for a walk at the nearby park.... And that's when it happened. A tall man in a dark blue suit approached me and asked "excuse me, you look familiar do I know you?" I told the man we didn't know each other but I introduced myself and my date. When he heard my name, he said "Oh, now I remember, you were the nurse that helped me when I had my heart attack" Bam. Zing. Ring-a-ding-ding. I suddenly remembered him... and you know what else... I seemed like a F^%&ing hero to my date. A F%$*ing hero. We only had a very brief less than 1 hour interaction as he came into the ER and we rushed him as quickly as we could to the cath lab. There were probably 8 people in the room doing various things (lines, labs, EKG, monitor, pads, shaving, consents, etc.) I remember while I was working on him, I did my best to stay at the head of the bed and explain everything that was going on and what to expect going forward. There wasn't a social worker on shift so I had to also call his extended family which was one of his biggest concerns. We gave him the meds, cardiology was finally ready for him and then just like that he was gone. I didn't think I would ever see him again, especially since I live in a big city. However, I was pleasantly surprised to meet him again. It was perfect timing actually. I was trying to explain that nurses do a lot more than just give pills and follow doctors orders when he approached me. He shook my hand, told me that they "put a few stents in", he stayed a couple nights and then he was discharged home. And then he thanked me and walked away. My date asked me if I paid the man to say those things. I told her I wasn't above doing that.... But it was genuine interaction. I'm not sure she believed me. Experiences like this are so refreshing and rare. I think we as nurses tend to cling to the negative experiences and interactions. Just the last shift I worked, I was called every name in the book while taking care of a very intoxicated patient. Everyday there's a nurse out there taking some kind of undeserved abuse from a patient. And while the importance of nursing and the impact on people's lives was drilled into our heads (or at least my head) in nursing school, I forget every now and then. And it's nice to be reminded. I should remember the woman who stopped me at Target and told me I worked with her father when he had his stroke. (He's apparently still smoking and was currently at the casino according to the daughter). I should be grateful that a future chef in culinary school who cut himself on two different occasions and needed stitches remembers me and is excited to have "the fanny pack nurse" again. Because they are proof of this positive impact that nursing can provide. And this is why I became a nurse. I doubt I'll see that patient again, but I've been wrong before. However, I do think I'll see my date again.... But I've also... been wrong before...

A friend of mine dislocated her shoulder and ended up in the emergency room. Because the emergency room is normally a hot mess express, she ended up having to wait over an hour and a half to be roomed. When she finally saw a doctor, he told her she was going to get some pain medicine through an IV before he popped it back into place. Everything turned out fine and she was discharged within an hour. And then she proceeded to call me (because I'm an ER nurse) and tell me how awful her nurse was. "She missed my IV the first time and she had to poke me again. It was awful". I told her "That's not a bad nurse". This isn't the first time I've heard something like this. Many people and patients tell me their "horror stories" about emergency, urgent care, or office visits. And when I ask for any more details besides them missing one or two IV starts, they usually don't have anything more to add. And that's when I get frustrated. If you sat in a pool of your own diarrhea for 50 minutes you had a bad nurse. If you were poked six times for an IV before an ultrasound IV expert was called, you had a bad nurse. If you were given 10mg Haldol and 2 mg Lorazepam by accident because your nurse didn't double check the order and realize the doctor put the emergent psychiatric "go to sleep cocktail" on the wrong patient, and you woke up with a tube down your throat... you had a bad nurse. If you were discharged home and developed a nasty rash on your arm that spread into a wicked skin infection that needed to be treated aggressively with antibiotics because your nurse didn't wash their hands and follow isolation protocols after touching an XDR patient... you had a bad nurse. If you were there for a chin laceration repair and could ambulate without difficulty and the nurse told you it was hospital policy that everyone had to use a urinal or bedpan only... you had a horrible nurse. If you were not updated with changes in status or progress every hour or so because your nurse was in the locker room exchanging saliva with the pharmacist... you had a bad nurse. If you noticed your left arm was rapidly swelling around your IV site that has Phenergan infusing and you called your nurse in to reassess and they said "meh, it's fine" and walk out... you had a bad nurse. If you had a horrible burn from a kitchen fire and your nurse walks in singing "This girl is on FIRREEE, FIREEE, FIREEE".... You had a bad nurse.... But you kind of have to appreciate the irony. A bad nurse is someone who diverts narcotics and sells it on the black market for extra cash. A bad nurse only goes into your room to watch the game on the television. A bad nurse doesn't advocate for you or questions things when they're wrong. A bad nurse doesn't clean up their mess and leaves a "sharps and needles minefield" in your stretcher. I remember being a new nurse and I missed a lot of IV starts. I still miss now, I'm not perfect. And there's no question clinical skills are important in nursing. But to categorize the entire experience with a nurse based on one or two pokes is crazy to me. If I have a nurse that is attentive to my needs, empathetic, smart, and considerate, they could poke me twice and I'd be fine with it. Because that's not a bad nurse

These are my ramblings when I get the question "what's the craziest thing you've seen in the ED?" I always respond differently because I never know how to answer this question. Sometimes, there's a very specific example in mind. Other times, it's that people keep coming back to work. When people find out I work in an emergency department, they always ask me what is the craziest thing you've seen?” I always laugh at this question because I think it's ridiculous. I could tell them about the person with a chainsaw accident to the face. Or the woman who was so convinced that she had parasites living in her hair she picked away at her head until she dug almost completely to the skull. I could tell them about the man in the psych ward who referred to my Adam's apple as a tea kettle ******** (the nicest of names he called me) who ended up in 4 point restraints. Or the person who fell from a 10ft ladder and had every bone in his face smashed after the window he was replacing toppled over. Or the female on suicide watch after her husband suffered a cervical spinal injury 4 months ago and told me I haven't cried since the accident”. Or my favorites, the people who have tattoos all over their body but cringe when I come toward them with IV supplies. I could tell them about the screaming, the yelling, the spitting, the crying. The unusual anatomies, the mental health breakdowns, the social work nightmares. After everything we see working in the ED, it's hard to sum up a single craziest moment”. Maybe the craziest thing is we don't talk about it. I've been in numerous high stress codes and sometimes we get the patient back and sometimes we don't. Either way, we go right back to business after the code because there's always more people in the waiting room. It's not that we don't want to talk, but sometimes we don't have time to have a debriefing. And sometimes we really don't want to talk about it…. because then we have to really think about it… which can be terrible. Or maybe the craziest thing… it's that we keep coming back. And that we enjoy it. At least I do. What are your thoughts?

Hello all, I know there are other forums about this but I thought I'd get a more recent perspective. I landed a good job in the ER with a 4 month residency for new grads. It starts later this month and I was wondering what are things I can do to best prepare for this (labs, meds, procedures, etc). Im very grateful for your help in the past and I look forward to hearing your insights

Hey all, I recently graduated from nursing school in oregon and for financial reasons moved back in with my family (in another state) immediately after finishing. I've applied to many jobs back in Oregon and I do have one interview scheduled for a position in a hospital residency program that is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. However after talking with a current employee, I'm concerned that my chances are very slim of being selected because I'm out of state and I don't have any family in the city. How can I best present myself so that they're convinced that I'm dedicated, want to work there and won't bolt after a year or two (even if I'm not that familiar with the city)? Thanks!

I appreciate all of your concerns. I really have no interest in discussing my well-being with the PCP's on campus as we're already acquainted and I don't feel comfortable talking with them. I'm just wondering if you guys live for your days off as much as the people on my floor do and if it's normal for new grads to feel like puking before coming to work.

Hey all, I'm just a few weeks away from graduating from my accelerated nursing program. I've done well in classes and feel capable of doing well on the NCLEX, however, I feel that I'm the most depressed I've ever been. I dread going to my senior practicum (my preceptor has been amazing, the staff is very supportive) but I feel like throwing up before every shift. I feel that nursing (at least the type I've been exposed to) is something I could be good at but is not fulfilling, does not motivate me to come back, and does not make me happy. With graduation approaching, I'm becoming even more concerned because I need to apply for jobs/pass nclex and I don't even know if I'm going to like what I'm doing. I realize a lot of this depression may stem from the fact that I haven't seen my family in six months, I don't have many close friends here, and I'm in a lot of debt... but those aside, I still feel very unhappy and incompetent. Is this normal, and if so, what have you guys done that helps? I also feel trapped because I have to work for several years regardless to pay off my loans. Ahhh!

I'm almost halfway through my accelerated program but I'm feeling depressed. School is going well and I'm interested in the material but I'm not convinced I'll be prepared as a nurse when I graduate and I'm always worrying about the 40k debt I'll have to repay. Also, while I love my nursing friends, there is no one near my age (23) or gender (male). I feel incredibly isolated and this is only worsening my depression. Is this something most all nursing students experience? Input is greatly appreciated!

Hey everyone, I've been fortunate enough to have been accepted to a couple great nursing schools: University of Arizona and John Hopkins. However, I'm having a big problem deciding between the schools. I live in Arizona and it would be MUCH cheaper (around 50,000 less) than JH and it would be easier to commute. I am not familiar with Baltimore and finding housing would be a hassle. However, JH is faster 13 months compared to 2 years at Arizona but I would be in debt around $80,000. I also might be able to pay off Arizona over the course of two years while I would have no way to do that at JH. I guess what I'm trying to ask is whether or not the debt is worth going to a prestigious school or if I should save my money and stay local. Thanks! Steve