Their Appreciation Catches Me Off Guard

[AspiringNurseMW]

Today was an ok day at clinicals. My patient wasn't particularly challenging and it wasn't my turn to pass meds with my instructor, so I had extra time on my hand. She was an elderly lady who had come in for a brain bleed, with dementia, incontinent, and confused. But today, I noticed improvement in her neurological status (I really really wanted to chart A&O x 3.5 haha) and witnessed her with PT yesterday so I convinced my nurse to let me ambulate her to the bathroom instead. She was so happy to go to the bathroom and be able to clean herself, her brief was dry the entire time I was there.

I know, I know! It feels like such a silly little thing! Maybe because it felt like the most nurse-y thing I did today, despite the meds that I helped my nurse pass, the injections, the IV changes, and other hands-on skills. Is that what it feels like? To assess your patient and make changes in your care accordingly?

Or helping ambulate another elderly patient and explaining why she was still NPO when all she wanted was some water and offer oral care instead. Or the very confused elderly one, who despite not even being able to open her eyes from fatigue, was so grateful when my co-assigned nurse and I change her linens.

Or last week, when another patient held my hand with gratitude just for straightening his head back on his pillow.

I guess I am just reflecting because I've dealing with patients lately who were grateful for the little things. And it caught me off guard every time, because the things I was doing seemed not to be deserving of it, especially since I have the time to spare.

Maybe its because I didn't go to nursing school "to help people" or because nursing itself is not my calling or because I don't consider myself above "CNA tasks".

My hope is that when I become a nurse myself and find myself drowning with patients, doctors, families, technicians, bosses, etc all vying for my attention, I can remember to try and still do those little things that they may appreciate too.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

You'll remember to do them, you just won't have time to do them.

[Hollybobs]

You'll squash them in around all the "tasks"! I like your post OP, all that stuff is exactly why I enjoy my job (most of the time) :).

[OCNRN63, RN]

Good for you!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

"I guess I am just reflecting because I've dealing with patients lately who were grateful for the little things. "

This is what makes nursing worth it .

Embrace it.

[SleeepyRN]

"I guess I am just reflecting because I've dealing with patients lately who were grateful for the little things. "

This is what makes nursing worth it .

Embrace it.

I second that. Embrace it. The little moments are, for me, the only thing that keeps me sane and remain in the medical field. Embrace that one little moment in your shift where you could feel gratitude. Because there will be a thousand moments where you go above and beyond just to still get yelled at by the pt, family or scolded by your bosses. If you can embrace those rare moments, remember them and smile on the inside while another patient is giving you grief, you will make it in this thing called nursing.

[amoLucia]

I understand you.

One simple thing I liked to do freq, and Lord knows, there was always a need to do it. I cleaned folks' eyeglasses.

Maybe because I HATE dirty eyeglasses for myself, I found dirty eyeglasses to be a pet peeve of mine. That simple act was always so appreciated by pts. I didn't do it for the appreciation. It was one of those simple random acts of 'just because'.

And another simple act is to run a comb/hairbrush thru a pt's hair. It does feel good for them & pts know they look better. Again, appreciation for a simple little thing. And it doesn't really take any time or effort.

Those things always made ME feel good. Pts may not know that I caught a low potassium level early and took care of it. But they'll feel good about the eyeglasses/hair comb.

[Kitiger, RN]

You'll remember to do them, you just won't have time to do them.

That's why I work private duty; I have time to do the little things. Usually.

[MerciNurcee]

Last week at work, a patient was picking up a prescription and fell face first and began to have a seizure. Blood poured from her head, we called 911, she came to before she was transported to the hospital. The next morning the same patient came back in to get her prescriptions...I was speechless! She thanked me over and over and over. Then she apologized because she thought she scared the day lights out of me. She told me my face was the last thing she remembered and how she felt I was an angel.

Ahh the little things