I work on an ortho floor, and most of the patients tend to be in a lot of pain. Over the past couple of months I've worked in a "chair massage" into my practice. No, it is not for 100% of my patients, but I try to do it as often as I can. I know massage is something that is taught in nursing school, but I rarely see any nurses actually do it. Anyways, I stand behind the patient, talk with them about their goals (basically the stuff that is in the careplan), and give them a shoulder/neck massage. It helps that my wife is a massage therapist who works part time at a corporate headquarters doing chair massage :) She taught me a few things.....
I've actually had a few patients that have commented on how relaxing getting their necks/back rubbed was. I also got mentioned by name in one of those press-gainey surveys about how great of a masseuse I am (lol press gainey sucks but that's for another post).
I know most nurses don't really feel like they have the time for it, and I don't particularly feel like I do either, but I just kind of made a point of making time to do this.
I'm just curious, what kind of things do you make sure you make a point of doing? What sets you apart from all the other nurses in the world?
I work mostly in group homes for the developmentally disabled. I try to touch my patients often - just putting my hand on their shoulder occasionally, brushing their hair, or rubbing their feet as I'm helping them to bed at night. Since this is long-term care and most of them do not have families that visit regularly, I feel that those of us who work with them often really are their "family". I don't have time for anything like this in nursing homes, so I take advantage of the more personal environment the group homes offer.
h2ogoddess
41 Posts
I don't post often--but this thread is so touching to me!!!!::heartbeat