I am just so, so shocked and disappointed by some of the nurses that I have heard over the past month say something along the lines of "Welp, it ain't in the job description" when they are confronted by either a family member or staff member when it came to a matter of patient care.
As you all know, everyone cannot be a nurse. It takes a certain personality, mindset and individual to deal with the demand and stress that a nurse is required to handle. However, I don't understand why nurses, the quality health care professionals you all are, don't try to rise above "the rest" or "the job description".
I'm not saying all of you guys are awful nurses, but listen to this. Let's say we have a patient whose mother just died... she is now "alone" in her life. She has no father, no relatives or not even a close friend to speak with. As you deliver the news, the woman bursts into tears and begins to express her feelings for herself and how she feels so alone. And you walk out of the room after simply saying "I'm sorry". Or suppose a young man whose parents have not yet arrived, is brought in on the ambulance after being a victim of a hit and run with multiple injuries (fractures and the like). He is scared to death, tears in his eyes and the only thing you're concerned about is getting those pain medications delivered... or performing an intubation so he will calm down and stop crying.
My point of saying this is my little "out-reach" to this community to say that as nurses, we NEED to make an impact. We have worked so hard to be where we are today -- and to retire knowing that we did nothing more than just provide standard patient care... how rewarding does that sound to you? Doesn't making someone's day or possibly even their entire LIFE turn around based on 10 minutes you took to talk to that person, or maybe talking to that young man, holding his hand and comfort him and reassure him that he is not alone and that you care about his health (not just: it appears as though you have several injuries that we need to address. We're now going to jam this 7" tube into your trachea to get you to shut the heck up.". Doesn't it sound more rewarding to exceed, and go beyond the expectations of your job description, and not only give the hospital a good name, but most importantly, show others and YOURSELF that YOU can make a difference in someones life.
So please, when you accept a job (this is for new nurses or aids, ANYONE in the medical field) -- don't just do it for the money. You will be much more enjoyable if you like your job, and really hope to change someones life. If you're only working for money and the "job description" - you are not going to get anywhere. Sure, you may gain experience... but what are YOU, as a person going to get after 30 years of work.
Go beyond expectations, and the job description. Be extraordinary.
Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.
Sometimes I get enough satisfaction from having enough strenghth to even DO this job every day. Seriously. It's a tough, tough job.
But anyway, I see where you are coming from antidote, and it was a nice post and a nice thought. But sometimes it's just frustrating when you are a person who tries to do this job AND go that extra mile every once in a while, and while you know that it should be satisfying just to know, or at least feel, like you went that extra mile... it gets frustrating when you feel like no one appreciates you. THEN, you get to that point where you just want to become "techno nurse".
Specializes in ER, ICU, Infusion, peds, informatics.
while i do hear what you are saying, i just don't think that nurses today have the time to provide that kind of care.
most nurses, whether in the er on on a floor unit, barely have enough time to assess their patients and give the necessary meds. psychosocial considerations are ... not a priority (unfortunately).
those interventions don't meet any cms or jcho standard ... thus, they can't possibly be important enough to take into consideration when staffing a unit.
if these things were taken into consideration, then the (purely) trauma floor where i work wouldn't have 9-11 patients per nurse.
i think that most nurses, if given the option, would very much want to provide this kind of care. but, priorities being what they are, this care gets prioritized to the bottom of the list; job description not or not.
Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.
I really do no see this much at my facility either. I was always taught that nursing was providing for the physical as well as psychosocial needs of the patient and I still approach it this way. My favorite people are nurses. Everyday I am all over that hospital in multiple departments and I witness such acts of kindness, caring, and great nursing care that I am proud to be part of this profession. My best nurse friend taught me many years ago that I should consider it an honor that I can intimately interact with the patient and affect their life.....and I do consider it as such to this day. On my part I come prepared to provide the best care that I can wheter it is appreciated or not
I believe that the vast majority of nurses do "go the extra mile" when it's needed. I've worked with a few nurses whom I wouldn't let take care of my dog (if I had one).
One thing that we need to keep in mind is our personal boundaries, and while that may seem like and excuse to some, many of us have let our guard down, let someone get a little too close, and gotten hurt - badly.
Boundaries are not only our way of keeping ourselves, and our patients, safe, but also the means by which we can stay healthy and continue to practice in what is an extremely personal and intimate profession - by that I mean that our job requires us to know more about people who were previously strangers to us and come in physical contact in ways that are considered by most people to be very invasive of personal space.
Each of us base our practice on experience and comfort. Each of us have strenghts and weaknesses, and I believe that one of the most damaging factors to the interpersonal relationships we have with our colleagues is to expect others to have the same strenghts and values that we have as individuals.
Don't expect me to shed tears with a patient or a family member, but if you're looking for someone who can say "I'm going to do everything I can to prevent you (or your family member) from dying on my shift" - and mean it, I'm your man.
I appreciate everyones comments and feedback the thread has gotten thus far. I like how everyone has different views on the topics, and people aren't just saying "thank you".
I think one thing however I need to clarify, is that I'm not saying us as nurses need to be this involved all of the time. As some people have said, it's only appropriate to go the extra "bit more" when nessecary. Sometimes, there isn't anything more you can do other than the standards. However, my point to this entire thread is don't feel ashamed to go the extra mile. Don't just do what your job description says, or what the work books say. Do something that will make an impact. Maybe it's with another co-worker and not a patient. Do something that you will be proud of, and someone that people will remember you by name, and not just "the nurse that took care of me".
I believe that the vast majority of nurses do "go the extra mile" when it's needed. I've worked with a few nurses whom I wouldn't let take care of my dog (if I had one).
One thing that we need to keep in mind is our personal boundaries, and while that may seem like and excuse to some, many of us have let our guard down, let someone get a little too close, and gotten hurt - badly.
Boundaries are not only our way of keeping ourselves, and our patients, safe, but also the means by which we can stay healthy and continue to practice in what is an extremely personal and intimate profession - by that I mean that our job requires us to know more about people who were previously strangers to us and come in physical contact in ways that are considered by most people to be very invasive of personal space.
Each of us base our practice on experience and comfort. Each of us have strenghts and weaknesses, and I believe that one of the most damaging factors to the interpersonal relationships we have with our colleagues is to expect others to have the same strenghts and values that we have as individuals.
Don't expect me to shed tears with a patient or a family member, but if you're looking for someone who can say "I'm going to do everything I can to prevent you (or your family member) from dying on my shift" - and mean it, I'm your man.
What about privacy? "Oh well hipaa didn't exist then. ali baba
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
I have yet to take a job that didn't include some variation of "including but not limited to" verbage in the job description. People seem to forget about that phrase when they make claims about their job description. Where I work, they do, anyway.
NurseCard, ADN
2,850 Posts
Sometimes I get enough satisfaction from having enough strenghth to even DO this job every day. Seriously. It's a tough, tough job.
But anyway, I see where you are coming from antidote, and it was a nice post and a nice thought. But sometimes it's just frustrating when you are a person who tries to do this job AND go that extra mile every once in a while, and while you know that it should be satisfying just to know, or at least feel, like you went that extra mile... it gets frustrating when you feel like no one appreciates you. THEN, you get to that point where you just want to become "techno nurse".