remembering why we do what we do

[fiveofpeep]

So the other day, I totally got the shaft and got a horrible assignment with a patient completely crashing and a new admit coming at the same time. I was grumpy and annoyed but pushed through.

I spent that whole shift fighting for my patient's life, fixing his blood pressure, getting him intubated before he coded, working on urine output, and trying to fix a ST >150 bpm. During it all, I was so busy and probably a little melancholy, but when I got off work I couldnt stop smiling (no matter how tired I was) because I realized that we saved a life today and I loved every minute of it.

I couldnt have done it without the doctors who helped me troubleshoot all night and listened to my ideas and suggestions. I couldnt have done it without the respiratory therapists who advocated for the patient and whose years of experience I can trust. And most importantly, I couldnt have done it without those other nurses who pitched in to help me with my other patient and mix drips and prepare for intubation. Instead of eating their young, or being judgmental, they helped me prioritize and make decisions without criticism.

I just wanted to share my story, because even as a new nurse, often times I get bogged down by all the tasks without results, family heartbreak, or getting a crappy assignment. Sometimes, I forget how cool it is that our job is so big. It's really cool to be able to make an impact like that and see such fast results. It's not like a desk job, that's for sure. Im going to try to remember this day when I feel jaded, annoyed by an assignment, or ineffectual by watching a long term ICU resident fade away.

[1icurn.jn]

That's really awesome. some of the worst shifts i've ever had I still went home smiling and inspired because I'm like, "this is why i do what i do". to help someone like other ICU nurses who have helped people who are special to me. that is why i chose to do this. I think of my brother's friend who was in ICU s/p SCI and I think, what if this was him, what could i do to help him and help the family.

[sunnycalifRN]

Ditto!! Great work!! Many times, assignments are not equal and some people are really busy and others are twiddling their thumbs. Fortunately, the thumb twiddlers almost always jump right in and help out the nurse in your situation. I recently had a near identical situation, except that the admit was a code from step-down . . . I only got to say hello to my other patient, who fortunately was stable and was non-stop with the code for almost the entire shift. My wonderful co-workers saw what was going on and took over care for my other patient without being asked!!