Topics About 'Compassion'.

You recently started your first job right out of nursing school. It's your third shift in a row, and you walk onto your unit to collect your assignment. Soon you see your colleagues give you a big friendly smile. Everyone knows you are about to have ...

"Please tell us your name, hometown, reason for joining the nursing program and clinical experience. Maria, let's start with you." "Maria Sanchez, Milwaukee, WI, I joined because my mother was a nurse and I respect her so much for the job she does, a...

It seemed like it was going to be just another usual Sunday night on our med/surg floor where I work as a tech prior to starting nursing school in the fall. A 3-11 shift doesn't include baths, but if the patient is incontinent of the bowel, there's a...

Growing up in the 60's was a wonderful magical time for me. Everyone my age seemed to be just as happy as I was choosing whose front porch we would set up to play Barbie's. American Band Stand was on flowing out of the open front door so we could hea...

Good at IV starts- check. Telemetry trained- check. CPR and ACLS certified- check. We work so hard to have a resume that is full of experience and skills; but have we forgotten one of the most important qualifications needed to be a successful nurse?...

"When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him." The parable of the good Samaritan, Luke 10:34 There comes a...

"Oh, that hurts so much!" My grandma's eyes are screwed shut and her breath is coming short and quick. I am trying to peel back the tape holding the bloody gauze to her leg. The nurse that comes to her house twice a day to check on her and change the...

Two more children came along, and I stayed home with the three of them until they all began school. I love being a mom! I was with them for every first word, first step, and first day of school. Finally the day came for me to pursue my dream of becom...

There are times, however, when the patient can't improve. To our frustration, we all remember times when our patients were terminally ill. Some we didn't know very well, so the feelings inside were sadness and reverence. Some were our favorites, and ...

Every now and then, though, we get to care of someone who shows us exactly why we do what we do. Those cases, those patients, provide us with the inspiration we need to do our jobs despite how taxing they can be. I had the pleasure of taking care of ...

My instructor said, Mr. Fernando...And I said who was that again ma'am? She repeated it, Mr. Fernando. The only thing I said to my instructor was "thank you so much and remember with a crocodile smile..." The moment I looked at the patient's chart, I...

I'm beginning to feel as though the word "compassion" is a dirty word. Maybe it's the way people use it these days. It doesn't seem to be about an actual feeling of empathy toward a patient, family member or even a colleague. It seems to be more abou...

We do the best for our patients and then we don't try not to take the job home or let it bother us. But I give credit for those floor nurses who are busy taking care of our grandma's, grandpa's, mom's, dad's, siblings and friends because in a way, th...

The window curtains were wide open. I kneeled down beside her where she could hear me and I grasped her hand into mine. I closed my eyes and I began to pray for her. The hall smelled of urine and that fecal odor that always permeates every breathable...

She knew what she wanted. She'd watched her husband of 52 years die on a vent, and followed his wishes to remain a full code. But she knew that was not what she wanted for herself. So, she wrote a Living Will, had it notarized, gave it to her persona...

So my usual morning routine goes like this: print my report sheet, and start putting in my little boxes for med times, assessments, etc (yes, I'm the OCD nurse), while I wait for the night nurses to be ready for report. Get a face-to-face report from...

I had an elective orthopedic procedure requiring a three day stay. "Elective" is a bit of a stretch- a joke actually. I guess there are some superhuman people who could walk around without any cartilage on the lateral side of their knee, but I am not...

Nursing, a caring profession or is this a lame description?Caring is such a mild description of what nurses are about. I believe the word care or caring are no longer adequate to describe what we as nurses do as a profession. I really do think you ha...

That One Patient takes the shape of many different things, and for me, it was Mr. Smith, a patient admitted with Altered Mental Status due to an infection in his spine that had allegedly gone to his brain and made him a completely different person th...

We had just finished our Monday morning hospice report. As a group, we routinely meet for 30 minutes on Monday morning to share admissions and deaths over the weekend. I was preparing my schedule for the day, still thinking of a patient that had just...

........A little effort can go a long, long way. Investing five or ten minutes in a needy patient at the very beginning of the shift sets the tone for the entire day, and pays dividends in decreased anxiety for them (and less call-light use for you)....

Dear Nurse, I hope you get the time to read this one because its written just for you. I know you can never have enough time to do all you have to do, let alone to read this letter but I hope you can sit awhile and ponder on these words. You are tire...

I’ve spent most of my career in busy Emergency Departments and Urgent Care. The fast-paced environment and high patient turnover mean I don’t get to spend much time with each patient. From triage to discharge, my job is to give compassionate care in ...

On the eve of a Junior Olympics Gymnastics meet, an 11-year-old girl helplessly watched her seriously ill father transported and admitted to a nearby hospital. For 6 months, pancreatic cancer dominated her dad's body and progressively made him sicker...

This precious time gave the patient the ability to share the story, thus allowing the nurse to show emotions and be empathetic towards the patient. Later, this small moment of time, resulted in a small return favor that showed a great appreciation fo...