So check this out....

You are too kind I am afraid....I have so much to learn. I feel like an infant. I pray everyday that I do no harm to a patient. I was involved in a rapid response the other day and I was really really impressed by the nursing supervisor and how she handled everything. Just soooo fluid and calm. She was amazing. She has tons of experience. I am going to ask her to be my mentor :) I hope she says yes.

6 pts......all strict contact iso. All have either trachs, vents, or both. All are incontinent B&B. All have a huge list of meds that must be crushed and given via PEG. We are talking total care here........makes for a long day.....

Family is present frequently and requires a lot of attention.

Very very hard job.

But then speech patho comes and puts a passey muir on one of my pts and the first thing she says to me is "thank you for being such a comfort to me".

That makes it all worthwhile. Then another family, the mom and the brother of a guy my age...he is weaning off the vent but he will likely never progress beyond a GCS score of 5.....as they were leaving...it is my custom to touch people on the shoulder lightly to reassure them....well this time I did that and they wrapped their arms around me and gave me a huge hug.....

Then another....her dad is GCS 3, vent dependent.....being dc'd to home under hospice care....again...another big hug.....

Another thread says nursing is slavery...I say nursing is a labor of love. I say that many seem to have lost the caring and compassion element of nursing.

I say that if any nurse does not love what they do...it may be time for them to re-evaluate what they are doing.......

It certainly can be rough out there somedays! And it's usually those days, that my patients make me feel at my best! Just when I think I have had enough, one of them says something that makes me feel like what I do is worth it. Through the good and the bad, we have to remember why we became nurses!!

Great post Mindlor! Sounds like you were working an interesting floor that day.

I have about 15-18 patients depending on the day. Sub-acute rehab. With extensive wound care, HBO, dialysis, and at least one trach/Jtube. I often find myself wondering what a bathroom is, and if my blood sugar's going to crash to the point I'm dizzy. Plus admissions, new orders, etc. Its all about money.

Not everyone has these experiences and not everyone will love their job. Despite that they still might be good at it, and everyone needs a roof and to support their family. That's just life. It can't always be a Mary Poppin's world. Sometimes what's difficult can make you stronger too. Glad you're getting some positive feedback though!

Thank u for sharing your story. Caring is the most important thing we can do as nurses!

Six patients on isolation??? That's at least 3 too many! Crazy.

I was a PCA for 7 yrs. and I have been out of of the field for 5yrs. I'm now taking classes to be an RN & it's stories like this that me happy to be in the pursuit of becoming a RN. I miss the medical field. However I'm getting an opportunity to be apart of the Nurses Guild at my Church. They do BP checks, glucose monitoring & other health class. I'm so excited about being apart of that as well. Thanks for the awesome story. Patients family members & lived ones can really make your day.

I've never felt less like a slave than in nursing. In retail yes, in manufacturing and design yes. Nursing no. I'm in a field of nursing that has a high patient/family appreciation rate and every time they thank me I say honestly that it was my pleasure.

I used to be self employed. I had creativity, autonomy and freedom. I feel the same way about nursing sometimes too. Not slavery not to me.

I love this post! Thank you so much for sharing.

I loved reading your post! You are right that caring can neither be bought nor taught and with days like you described, family and patient appreciation makes all the difference. However, I do not think that your staffing levels are safe. The scenario that you described is downright scary! Anxiety level and thus risk for errors are just expected with this kind of assignment and on top of that you are still brand new?? I hope that this gets better soon for you, because I hate to tell you this but you will get burnt out within a matter of months.