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 Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
Not exactly a "thank you," but something that made me feel loved!
I admitted a little kiddo with RSV the other day. His parents were from out of state, just here visiting their parents. Great family, understandably concerned, and feeling very much like fish out of water in a strange place.
Yesterday I walked past his room, and the mom called me in to tell me a story. Turns out the day after I admitted him (when I wasn't working), he was choking on his formula. She smiled at me as she sheepishly confessed that mine was the only name she could think of and that she had just started yelling it out her door because she wanted me to come help him. "I knew you weren't working, but I just wanted you to come fix my little guy!"
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
Reading all the post here makes me emotional..The best memorable thank you i had was when a patient of mine told my other colleagues as "shes very kind, caring and etc..."and the best thing was when his son and other friends comes to visit that patient she would repeatedly said the same words..Its such a nice thing hear when patient appreciated your hard work. A sincere verbal thank you's is enough...
I got a pair of really good ones in the last couple of years. I took care of a young (48) guy who was having angioplasty, and was very, very nervous, as was his wife. Well, as life goes, he had a bit of a complication post procedure, and developed a hematoma, and ended up needing a low dose Dopamine gtt to maintain stable BP's. He did very well, and I explained everything very thoroughly to he and his wife, and they were very appreciative, for everything I did to help them out. I never realized how appreciative until my aunt told me they'd talked to her and told her how "good" I was to them, and a few days later, I received a very nice "Thank You" card in the mail and a gift certificate for one of the nicer Italian Restaurants in town. I felt a bit uneasy that they'd sent such a nice gift, but used it one night to buy the staff dinner, making me feel a lot better about it.
The other was a 88 yo woman, I'd known most all my life, a very, very well-to-do woman who'd known my grandparents and watched my dad and all of his siblings grow up living right across the street from my grandparents. While she was in the hospital, her cardiologist diagnosed her with Heart Failure, and she was extremely depressed and withdrawn. One night while doing my rounds, I stopped in and talked to her for a bit, but even more, I "LISTENED" to her. And she was sounding like she thought she'd die soon. I looked at her and said "Mrs. M, you have mild heart failure, you are not DEAD!!!" I continued with, "Your condition is very treatable, and is not a terminal illness, just a minor bump in the road, which you can overcome if you WANT to." After our conversation, she had a spell that night of flash pulmonary edema, which we quickly treated, and averted need for intubation with some aggressive diuresis. And we increased her PO Lasix to BID, and that seemed to do the trick. She was discharged within a few days, in satisfactory condition. Once home, she called my parents and asked them for my address. They gave it to her, not knowing she'd recently been in the hospital and I'd cared for her. But the "Thank You" she sent me put tears in my eyes as she told me that she "believed I had saved her life by realizing she'd thought she was dying and 'straightening' her out." She told me that she "knew I'd certainly found my calling, and that my grandparents would be very proud."
And as I read the letter, I realized that sometimes the little things we do, mean far more than we as nurses mayh ever realize.
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
... the "Thank You" she sent me put tears in my eyes as she told me that she "believed I had saved her life by realizing she'd thought she was dying and 'straightening' her out." She told me that she "knew I'd certainly found my calling, and that my grandparents would be very proud."
And as I read the letter, I realized that sometimes the little things we do, mean far more than we as nurses mayh ever realize.
that's one of the reasons i love being a nurse. there is such pride that comes with caring for other people. a lot of times my friends with (dreadfully) boring office jobs will pity me for having to work nights, weekends, holidays, long shifts, etc. but at the same time, i only wish i could tell them that i actually pity them because there is no way that their "normal" 9-5 jobs will ever give them the kind of pride and satisfaction that i get from my "crazy" job.
i've had a hard week. if staffing wasn't bad, it was patient acquity. way too many sick folks being cared for by under staffed floor nurses [haven't we heard that before?] for a new grad nurse fresh off orientation, this is positively terrifying.
i hung in there the best i could. some of my patients (and more importantly, their relatives) had some not so nice comments about my (our) efforts. at first i was angry - i worked my butt off, got meds in mostly on time and even doubled up as cna/tech because we were short (i'd be positively lost without out techs/cnas).
i wasn't angry with "having to do so much work" at all. i was angry because the workload forced me to devote less time to patients than i would have liked! i thought it was very unsafe.
but... in the midst of the gloom and doom...
... this thread has replenished my energy. my love for nursing. i found myself with misty eyes with some of the stories. like i told my charge nurse for my 90 day eval - "i honestly and humbly believe that what i do everyday has a great, personal impact on people. i'm not dealing with bricks, figures or abstracts... but with people. it gives me great pride to know that i am the source of comfort to those who face their darkest hours - be they sick, wounded or dying."
i re-recognize today, that we nurses share a great wonderful profession.
that despite staffing, recognition, regulations and other issues - we strive to improve the lives of our fellow humans (and other animals!). we strive on - despite the odds.
i realize what gompers has to say. see, i'm living with 'family' and one of my cousins was "astonished" by the fact that i still had to report for work whilst his parents got the day off (snowstorm). i told him - "i work at a hospital - we never close. it's a different responsibility".
if that wasn't enough - i had a recent 'run in' with my 'family' about how late i was coming home from work daily. i flatly told them that i can't just "up and walk away" when the clock strikes 'so and so'.
they responded with: "but, if the morning shift is supposed to cover, why can't you go home ?"
a seemingly simple question - to which all nurses know the answer!
"because i can't! i have to cover during report and i also have to finish charting - or it's my butt that's potentially on the line!"
so many people don't know what we do on a daily basis! i'm very proud of being a nurse. :)
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
... this thread has replenished my energy. my love for nursing. i found myself with misty eyes with some of the stories. like i told my charge nurse for my 90 day eval - "i honestly and humbly believe that what i do everyday has a great, personal impact on people. i'm not dealing with bricks, figures or abstracts... but with people.
***********
i realize what gompers has to say. see, i'm living with 'family' and one of my cousins was "astonished" by the fact that i still had to report for work whilst his parents got the day off (snowstorm). i told him - "i work at a hospital - we never close. it's a different responsibility".
*******
if that wasn't enough - i had a recent 'run in' with my 'family' about how late i was coming home from work daily. i flatly told them that i can't just "up and walk away" when the clock strikes 'so and so'.
*********
so many people don't know what we do on a daily basis! i'm very proud of being a nurse. :)
with a sniffling nose and a teary eye,
roy
{{{{{{{{{{roy}}}}}}}}} awesome!
i kinda wish the powers that b would "get it". we all basically are saying the same thing, we love it and almost hate it. i said to myself that if i ever got to the point of hating it more than loving it i would get out. i got to that point, and not just because of my illness it just hurt too bad.
reading this thread and being on this board tho makes me want to go back - in some! capacity. maybe for those who want to get out - a break is what is needed. we are needed.
this board is so good for us to be able to talk and support each other - isn't it?
be aware...the "powers that be, do, indeed "get it."
and, you may "hate it" but you must accept partial responsible for your condition.
"they" can get you to do more and more because you feel, as a nurse, that if you protest the work load you're just being a whiner and not a "real nurse."
never ever fall for such guilt garbage.
real nurses are real people with concrete physical and mental limitations. when those limits are exceeded we put other people at risk of physical harm.
when you realize that getting out on time and taking your breaks and lunch should not be a "now and then luxury" you'll be on your way to taking control of your job and feeling much better about nursing and yourself.
essentially, here's the great disconnect and conflict many nurses experience but do not articulate:
who we are taught to be, and our job's expectations, are creating ever-increasing disconnects between our images and our ability to practice safe nursing.
since we're supposed to be selfless, all accommodating, never-complaining individuals, we cannot reconcile any other type of behavior with our supposed "image".
think about it.
if things didn't work for "them" they'd change things. they're primarily concerned with maintaining a public image. if you are constantly averting "disasters" by working at warp speed, it makes no difference to them. as far as they know, all is well in mudville.
but when you have to work at an unsafe pace in order to avert disasters, you will eventually end up hating your job and yourself. and you will be partially to blame.
until the public understands that we will not, reflexively, simply accept further physical and mental responsibilities in order to maintain a "perfect image" we can only blame ourselves for our own exhaustion and career demise.
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
but when you have to work at an unsafe pace in order to avert disasters, you will eventually end up hating your job and yourself. and you will be partially to blame.
yep, i did and i did and i left nursing :) -- not sure really what i'm supposed to do next. how were you/are you able to do it, as you describe? i mean, we have often thought and said the same things you are saying - have you been able to do it?
if so you could probably make lots of $ teaching it lol
First, it's a downright shame that you left your position. But others can usually avoid that situation by having what the Cowardly Lion did not....Courage.
1. Learn your job well enough that you can practice with confidence and can answer those who question your work.
2. When you get that feeling that things are getting out of control, ask for help. If there never is any help, that's a Big Red Flag.
3. Learn to say "no" "no" and "no" again when asked to do extra time when you do not really want to.
4. Learn that it is not your responsibity to properly staff the facility and that doing your job well is the end of your responsibility.
5. Never ever feel guilty about number 3 and 4.
6. Start looking for a new job when the red flags become commonplace or little minds begin labeling you as either a cynic, a whiner, uncooperative, or inflexible just because you are trying to protect your own sanity and the health of your patients.
How do I do it?
I prioritize what I need to get done. Things may be left for the next shift, but always remember nursing is a 24-hour operation. If the next nurse knows you truly did your best, it will be ok. If not, then suck it up and know that it is not your problem, but the other nurse's problem. If you're NEVER done with your work, and you are working safely and professionally, then it's red flag time...start to look for another job.
Take your breaks and lunch, unless there's an emergency.
Follow the rules 1-6 and do not deviate.
No courage leads to no respect, low self-esteem..and eventual self-doubt and hate.
There's no magic to it. Follow your heart when it tells you things are wrong and you are being disrespected as a worker and a person. When enough people do this, management will "wake up" and begin making changes. They know things are bad. But why make changes when they can keep getting the selfless to do the job.
And, yes, you're right. I am going into teaching. That's the only way to get a head start on inculcating students with the proper behaviors and perspectives and preparing them to handle what nursing will eventually throw at them.
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
And, yes, you're right. I am going into teaching. That's the only way to get a head start on inculcating students with the proper behaviors and perspectives and preparing them to handle what nursing will eventually throw at them.
I have to chuckle, you say it's too bad I left, and here is how I could have avoided it, and then you say you left ...
Anyway, I was able to do steps one to six that you describe (on a few other positions as well). The last job lasted 6 months even with applying those principles. I also left the job due to health problems, which were aggravated by the work situation.
I recently admitted a patient whose wife (he's non-verbal), upon hearing my name, said, "oh my God, you're Jen? Mrs X said you were her favorite!" Turns out a former patient had been her husbands roommate at a care facility and his mother had shared with her how much she liked me. When her husband had to come to our floor she was "hoping to see me." I was amazed.
it just hurt too bad.
Liddle Noodnik
3,789 Posts
Sounds like a thank you to ME!