what do you say when thanked?

[NurseNature]

I am not yet a nurse; although I can't wait to be a real live nurse! So... what do you say when you are thanked for caring for someone when you enjoy it so much and are being payed to do so? I have been thanked a lot lately for my actions as an in-law passed and I do not feel I did anything special. I cared for her the same as everyone else did. I feel very awkward being thanked for what I supposedly did for her and everyone else. I am now thinking that in this profession we will be thanked often, hopefully anyhow. So... what do you say? I can't say you're welcome b/c it just doesn't feel right. I am doing what I feel needs to be done or is right at the moment. I have never been good with compliments, but it just feels wrong to say thank you for helping someone be comfortable while dying. How do you all handle all the thank you's in all different situations?

[Devil_Duckie, LVN]

Out of habit (I worked at a Chick-fil-A for 3.5 years, and they ground that into our heads!), I always reply "it's my pleasure!" It's truly a reflex, but it is genuine and a lot of people (especially the older population) like that. Plus I think it's a bit more sincere then "you're welcome."

Nursing and caring for others truly is my pleasure and my calling...knowing I've made so much of an impact on someone that they go out of their way to thank me reinforces in my mind why I'm in this field.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

The management at my workplace want the employees to respond to all "Thank yous" by responding with, "It's my pleasure," due to the big push for so-called customer service. I still feel more comfortable by replying, "It's no problem," or "You're welcome."

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

"You're most welcome."

"Thank YOU."

"Sure thing."

"My pleasure."

"I appreciate your taking time to say so. You're very welcome."

Sometimes if I have a Spanish-speaking patient that thanks me, I say "A sus ordenes", which literally means "At your orders" but culturally is not taken that way. It's heard to mean, "I'm here for you", or something similar. It's a little formal, but I've found that people appreciate that formality.

Any way you slice it, if it is heartfelt, people will usually pick up on that. :)

[time4meRN]

OK , I read that wrong the first time, without my glasses, it though it said what do you say when your tanked. Haaa HAAAA ! Now back to the real question at hand. How a'bout. Your welcome .....It's been a pleasure taking care of you. Works for me. This could be a red flag to you. Many times as nurses we forget that we are allowed to be cared for as well. That it's not ok to get beat up or abused by rude pt's. Give your self a pat on the back ....remember it's ok for nurses to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

[abundantjoy07, RN]

I just say "you're welcome."

And when they are discharged, this is me --->

[Lorie P.]

" you are very :welcome:" always seems to work for me.

[southernatheart]

Whenever one of my pts thanks me for the care I have given, I always tell them it was my pleasure. I try to make each of my pts feel as though he/she is my only one;)

[leslie :-D]

i usually respond with, "it has been my pleasure", or, "i should be thanking YOU".

one time (and one time only), i added, "come again".

not a good thing to say.

especially in hospice.

leslie

[MIA-RN]

I usually say something like "You are welcome! We sure worked hard today!!" Or something like "Thank you! We made a good team today!"

I usually start my shifts by greeting my patients, giving them an idea of one or two goals for the shift or a brief outline of what to expect over the next few hours, and usually say something like "We will work together tonight so that we have good evening" or if its someone I have cared for before and know fairly well, I'll smile and say "Oh, we'll have fun tonight, won't we?" Something kind of chummy so that in the end, when I stress that we worked as a team, it fits. I feel like it makes the patient feel more of a participant in their care.

When I have a few days off though, I say goodbye and if they thank me I tend to hold their hand and tell them how much I appreciated being able to care for them. Also if they are going to be discharged I will do this.

WHen pts are embarrassed and say thank you, I tell them no problem. (like if they need extra peri care etc)

If a patient's family member thanks me, I usually tell them you are welcome and then tell them something nice about their loved one, like they are so nice, or sweet, or a wonderful person..etc. Its always from the heart so its hard to give an example.

[mak2]

How bout, "Don't thank me, Uncle Sam thanks me twice a month". Carry on.

[mak2]

ok, just kidding. Your welcome is fine.