Have you received memorable cards and gifts from patients and families that made your day? I have always loved to see the cards, flowers, etc that people will send after our patients go home. Especially I like a progress report that shows our caring made a difference!
We may feel like "just another provider" but when we get a little thanks or recognition, for example, "The best unit my mom has been on" etc., it just helps ease the pain of the trials we face and feeling unappreciated.
I know we aren't supposed to take gifts but my supervisor once made an exception. I was caring for a lady in a nursing home and she passed away. Her family gave me a special watch that was made with abelone shell, it was gorgeous. They just liked how I had cared for her in her last days.
This is something that says "thanks" to all of us - and from some of us, to you. It is written as if people with disabilities might have written it, but it seems to apply to any of our nursing experiences:
BEATITUDES FOR SPECIAL PEOPLE
BLESSED ARE YOU who take time to listen to difficult speech, for you
help us to know that if we persevere we can be understood.
BLESSED ARE YOU who walk with us in public places, and ignore the
stares of strangers, for in your friendship we feel good to be
ourselves.
BLESSED ARE YOU who never bid us to "hurry up" and, more blessed,
you who do not snatch our tasks from our hands to do them for us,
for often we need time rather than help.
BLESSED ARE YOU who stand beside us as we enter new and untried
ventures, for our unsureness will be outweighed by the times when we
surprise ourselves and you.
BLESSED ARE YOU who ask for our help and realize our giftedness, for
our greatest need is to be needed.
BLESSED ARE YOU who help us with the graciousness of Christ, for
often we need the help we cannot ask for.
BLESSED ARE YOU when, by all things, you assure us that what makes
us individuals is not our particular disability or difficulty but
our beautiful God-given person-hood which no handicapping condition
can confine.
REJOICE AND BE EXCEEDINGLY GLAD for your understanding and love have
opened doors for us to enjoy life to its full and you have helped us
Specializes in PICU, Nurse Educator, Clinical Research.
When i was a student on an ortho rotation, I took care of a THR patient in his 30's...he was an army ranger who'd just been sent home from his 1-year tour in iraq because of his hip problems. he was day 2 post-op and, being the hardcore dude that he was, kept pushing the limits with his PT, and ending up in quite a bit of pain (which drove him crazy with his 'drink water, drive on' mindset).
This floor had some really lazy nurses who would go down for smoke breaks in groups for 20 minutes at a time, several times on a shift, and it was common to get patients who were a little nasty towards the entire staff because they were so used to getting lousy nursing care. This guy was no different, and because of his military training, it bothered him even more- in his world, you did your job, and you did it right, even when it sucked, because that's what you'd signed up for.
His wife was in the room, and she was pretty distrustful of the nursing staff as well. When I came in and found out he was a ranger, I told them that my husband was in the army and currently stationed in japan on a 2-year assignment. We talked about military stuff, and I developed a rapport with them. He told me he was going to return to iraq as soon as he was recovered, and, though I thought that was a terrible idea, I told him to make sure his PT and OT knew about his plans, as he would need to be really careful about what he did physically, and he said something my husband always said- 'there's a fine line between hard and stupid'.
I can't say he was ever really *friendly* toward me- compliant, and (after he realized I wasn't going to ignore him like some of the other staff) respectful, though. I always knocked and addressed him by name when I entered his room- it's just something I feel is important, and it means a great deal to me when I'm treated that way as a patient. When my shift was over, I went in and shook his hand, wished him luck, and told him to take care of his soldiers (which was the reason he wanted to go back), and of himself.
This was a difficult time for me- my husband was so far away, I was working full time and going to school, and I was in constant pain from endometriosis, facing abdominal surgery in a few weeks. Plus, it had been my birthday, and the only thing I had to look forward to when I left that night was going home, taking a vicodin, and hitting the books, alone. Even though I dreaded work and clinicals, they took my mind off of how crappy my life seemed for a while.
The next week at clinicals, the charge nurse handed me a note. The soldier and his wife had written a note to her and to my clinical instructor thanking me for taking such good care of him- apparently, it meant a lot to him that I addressed him by name, and that I believed part of my job was treating my patients with respect and dignity. They said that they found out it was my birthday that day, and they truly appreciated the fact that I was willing to give 100% to my job, even though they knew how tough it must be with my husband away.
I keep that note in my wallet, and I wonder how things turned out for that army ranger...my husband is back home now, and I hope he made it back, too. When i hear stuff on the news about the war, I think of him and his wife, and the thousands of military families facing similar situations. My hope for them all is that things go well and they make it home in one piece, like my husband did- but I'll always be thinking in particular of this one ranger. and i hope his hip isn't taking *too* much of a beating! :)
We get "famous" patients in our hospital from time to time. Mostly they don't even write a card (although autographs are freely provided). However, recently we had one who gave us chocs & a card. S/he was a great patient & was truly one of the nicest people I've ever met. Still winding up hubby as we speak!:wink2:
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
When i was a student on an ortho rotation, I took care of a THR patient in his 30's...he was an army ranger who'd just been sent home from his 1-year tour in iraq because of his hip problems. he was day 2 post-op and, being the hardcore dude that he was, kept pushing the limits with his PT, and ending up in quite a bit of pain (which drove him crazy with his 'drink water, drive on' mindset).
This floor had some really lazy nurses who would go down for smoke breaks in groups for 20 minutes at a time, several times on a shift, and it was common to get patients who were a little nasty towards the entire staff because they were so used to getting lousy nursing care. This guy was no different, and because of his military training, it bothered him even more- in his world, you did your job, and you did it right, even when it sucked, because that's what you'd signed up for.
His wife was in the room, and she was pretty distrustful of the nursing staff as well. When I came in and found out he was a ranger, I told them that my husband was in the army and currently stationed in japan on a 2-year assignment. We talked about military stuff, and I developed a rapport with them. He told me he was going to return to iraq as soon as he was recovered, and, though I thought that was a terrible idea, I told him to make sure his PT and OT knew about his plans, as he would need to be really careful about what he did physically, and he said something my husband always said- 'there's a fine line between hard and stupid'.
I can't say he was ever really *friendly* toward me- compliant, and (after he realized I wasn't going to ignore him like some of the other staff) respectful, though. I always knocked and addressed him by name when I entered his room- it's just something I feel is important, and it means a great deal to me when I'm treated that way as a patient. When my shift was over, I went in and shook his hand, wished him luck, and told him to take care of his soldiers (which was the reason he wanted to go back), and of himself.
This was a difficult time for me- my husband was so far away, I was working full time and going to school, and I was in constant pain from endometriosis, facing abdominal surgery in a few weeks. Plus, it had been my birthday, and the only thing I had to look forward to when I left that night was going home, taking a vicodin, and hitting the books, alone. Even though I dreaded work and clinicals, they took my mind off of how crappy my life seemed for a while.
The next week at clinicals, the charge nurse handed me a note. The soldier and his wife had written a note to her and to my clinical instructor thanking me for taking such good care of him- apparently, it meant a lot to him that I addressed him by name, and that I believed part of my job was treating my patients with respect and dignity. They said that they found out it was my birthday that day, and they truly appreciated the fact that I was willing to give 100% to my job, even though they knew how tough it must be with my husband away.
I keep that note in my wallet, and I wonder how things turned out for that army ranger...my husband is back home now, and I hope he made it back, too. When i hear stuff on the news about the war, I think of him and his wife, and the thousands of military families facing similar situations. My hope for them all is that things go well and they make it home in one piece, like my husband did- but I'll always be thinking in particular of this one ranger. and i hope his hip isn't taking *too* much of a beating! :)
That is an awesome story - wow, in a way he helped heal you while your husband was away - and the way you cared for him helped heal him.
I was a smoker and still could not understand staff going out in groups or for more than the allocated break time. That is so disrespectful, I think...
It is so cool that he let the people that mattered know what kind of a job that you did, as well.
I am going to send you a private message too, by the way re your post Take care!
I had worked home care for many yrs and got many things from patients. One patient sent me a dozen roses the day my youngest son was born.
One was a 4 yr old who had TID antibiotics. I saw him every day, 3 times a day for 6 wks. When his treatment was over, his mom sent me a dreamcicles angel with a bandage on and a card that the little boy signed himself.
Now that I have gone back to the hospital...........
Had a pt that came in one morning in full arrest from the floor....... I had taken care of this patient for almost a month in our unit. We tried everything on her to pull her through the code. The family decided to withdraw care on her because she was so bad. The following week, I got a package at work........ It was a handblown glass bell with a rose and a hummingbird on it. The note attached said "thank you for being the rose that allowed our loved one to fly" It sits on top of my TV now.
I'm eating, but the ball of emotion in my throat won't let me swallow!! That was beautiful!!
I am an aide and this is my story. I recently had a patient I had been helping to take care of for several months. She had cervical cancer with mets. When I first met her she had shoulder length hair that was very curly and pretty. She would constantly walk the halls with her twin sister. Her twin sister never left her side. She spent the night at the hopsital with her in the next bed. I had never seen such devotion and it broke my heart to watch this story play out. I always dreaded going into her room because it was so difficult for me to handle seeing her towards the end. (I am still trying to learn how to deal with my emotions on the job.) However, if she needed something I would walk to the moon for her.
Well, I happened to be on the last nights with her when she was on CMO. I walked into her room and her twin sister was reading her a story book. It t brought tears my eyes. As I was cleaning her up and washing her mouth out her sister said, "I bet you didn't think you'd be dealing with stuff like this, huh?" I said I knew I would but that it was so hard. I confessed to the sister that it had been very hard to take care of her sister like this. I told her that I would treat her like I would my own sister even though that fact alone made it even harder but that she deserved that from me.
Well, when I went back in later to clean her up I was rolling her over and she died in my arms. It was so hard for me and I let loose. I started crying and her sister was there with us. She gave me a big hug over the bed and told me that this was what her sister needed and that I had done a great job and that it was okay to cry. Later that night she came up to me and thanked me for treating her sister like she was someone I knew. It was very special to me when I realized that she had been taken care of in the gentlest manner and that I knew this for sure because I took care of her. Very hard situation though-one of many I will face in my career I'm sure!
I had to read this a few times cause I could not stop crying ... You did a great job.... great post
i tried at one place to institute a thing called "kudos!" for those who did something special for someone, or who were consistently an asset to the unit, or whatever... management looked at me like i had two heads - well as any of us knows, a paycheck only goes so far ...
great idea, zoe. too bad your managers are living in the dark ages. but who says you need their approval? just write up a kudo next time you feel it's warranted and post it on the board in the staff lounge for all to see. i'll bet it won't be long before others start recognizing their peers in this way.
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
great idea, zoe. too bad your managers are living in the dark ages. but who says you need their approval? just write up a kudo next time you feel it's warranted and post it on the board in the staff lounge for all to see. i'll bet it won't be long before others start recognizing their peers in this way.
kudos to you for having a constructive outlook!
linda
that is a good idea, to post it - what i did do was write them up (the kudos i mean, lol) and give a copy to them and to their supervisor, and let the recipient know that i had done so.
it is amazing how a little positive feedback can make a difference. there was one guy at work that the supervisor was complaining about, that she couldn't get him to do this and that, and he kept procrastinating, etc. all she did was give him grief, and all he did was dig his heels in.
the day after that i was working with him. i noticed, at one point, when he was working very hard - and just told him so. you would be surprised how, after that, he was very happy to work harder! (you have to be sincere, though).
I got the best one this week. I had had a horrible day on Monday and was at the point of wondering if this job was really worth it if all I could do was run from one thing to another and feel like I as spinning my wheels.
On Tuesday night I arrived at work to have a note from my manager that there was a package in the back room for me. She had also told another staff member to make sure I got that package. I found the package and inside was a note from the daughter of one of our patients saying how much she appreciated my kindness, and gave me two ukrainian easter eggs that her mother had made.
What made this even more special was that this daughter had been struggling with her mother's illness and had not been accepting that maybe at 98 her mother was just not going to get better. This daughter had been kind of labled a problem family member and had everyone walking on egg shells incase she complained about the care her mom was recieving. All I really did was tell her that we were doing the best we could for her mother but that it may be time to accept that she might not get better.
Anyway it made my night and reminded me that we do make a difference in peoples lives and this job really is worth it. Even if we have horrible shifts, you never know when you are going to be the one to say the right thing at the right time and change someone's day for the better.
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
What made this even more special was that this daughter had been struggling with her mother's illness and had not been accepting that maybe at 98 her mother was just not going to get better. This daughter had been kind of labled a problem family member and had everyone walking on egg shells incase she complained about the care her mom was recieving. All I really did was tell her that we were doing the best we could for her mother but that it may be time to accept that she might not get better.
Hi Mel,
Maybe what made her a tough cookie was the fact that she KNEW mom was not going to get better, and everyone just skated around the truth. Sometimes the truth can make you free :) I am sure she was most grateful!
Thank you's are always special. The ones you least expect are the greatest. Such as when a patient dies and time goes by,and out of the blue you get a card. A card that says..." I'm glad you were the one working the night mom passed away.She thought a lot of you and your kindness will be remembered in our hearts." Talk about the rewarding aspects of nursing! It still brings tears to my eyes to read the whole card.You know it's a good thing when it makes a male nurse want to cry.LOL.
I had a Baby named after me, The parents were so pleased with the care I had provided in the NICU after a very rough start. The Parents gave the baby my first name for the babys middle name. I was very honored. :):wink2:
Take care!
rach_nc_03
372 Posts
When i was a student on an ortho rotation, I took care of a THR patient in his 30's...he was an army ranger who'd just been sent home from his 1-year tour in iraq because of his hip problems. he was day 2 post-op and, being the hardcore dude that he was, kept pushing the limits with his PT, and ending up in quite a bit of pain (which drove him crazy with his 'drink water, drive on' mindset).
This floor had some really lazy nurses who would go down for smoke breaks in groups for 20 minutes at a time, several times on a shift, and it was common to get patients who were a little nasty towards the entire staff because they were so used to getting lousy nursing care. This guy was no different, and because of his military training, it bothered him even more- in his world, you did your job, and you did it right, even when it sucked, because that's what you'd signed up for.
His wife was in the room, and she was pretty distrustful of the nursing staff as well. When I came in and found out he was a ranger, I told them that my husband was in the army and currently stationed in japan on a 2-year assignment. We talked about military stuff, and I developed a rapport with them. He told me he was going to return to iraq as soon as he was recovered, and, though I thought that was a terrible idea, I told him to make sure his PT and OT knew about his plans, as he would need to be really careful about what he did physically, and he said something my husband always said- 'there's a fine line between hard and stupid'.
I can't say he was ever really *friendly* toward me- compliant, and (after he realized I wasn't going to ignore him like some of the other staff) respectful, though. I always knocked and addressed him by name when I entered his room- it's just something I feel is important, and it means a great deal to me when I'm treated that way as a patient. When my shift was over, I went in and shook his hand, wished him luck, and told him to take care of his soldiers (which was the reason he wanted to go back), and of himself.
This was a difficult time for me- my husband was so far away, I was working full time and going to school, and I was in constant pain from endometriosis, facing abdominal surgery in a few weeks. Plus, it had been my birthday, and the only thing I had to look forward to when I left that night was going home, taking a vicodin, and hitting the books, alone. Even though I dreaded work and clinicals, they took my mind off of how crappy my life seemed for a while.
The next week at clinicals, the charge nurse handed me a note. The soldier and his wife had written a note to her and to my clinical instructor thanking me for taking such good care of him- apparently, it meant a lot to him that I addressed him by name, and that I believed part of my job was treating my patients with respect and dignity. They said that they found out it was my birthday that day, and they truly appreciated the fact that I was willing to give 100% to my job, even though they knew how tough it must be with my husband away.
I keep that note in my wallet, and I wonder how things turned out for that army ranger...my husband is back home now, and I hope he made it back, too. When i hear stuff on the news about the war, I think of him and his wife, and the thousands of military families facing similar situations. My hope for them all is that things go well and they make it home in one piece, like my husband did- but I'll always be thinking in particular of this one ranger. and i hope his hip isn't taking *too* much of a beating! :)