You are a patient in the hospital. You are 45 years old and live a relatively healthy lifestyle. While you were jogging in the park this afternoon, you noticed a sharp pain in your abdomen. You went home, not thinking anything of it. The pain started to get worse later on that night. You think to yourself "this is not normal", so you immediately drive yourself to the hospital.
You were admitted that evening.
A few hours later and after being seen by 3 different doctors, you finally get sent upstairs to a hospital room for the night.
It's 3rd shift and the night nurse has doctors orders to put you on three different IV's, and to start administering 3 different PO meds.
She gets you started and now you are resting.
When you finally wake up, it's morning and the nurses on the floor just had a shift change.
There are two nurses on the floor for covering first shift.
They both are helping you.
One of the nurses walks into your room for the first time and notices that you are on two different IV's that she's never heard of before. That you were slouching and looked uncomfortable, and that your mouth looked dry.
So she immediately tells you that she is going to give you a boost because you look uncomfortable and that your skin was turning red. She also offered you a drink of water because looking at you made her feel dehydrated. She was really concerned about you. She new she could do something to make you feel better. NOT because it's her job, but because she would want to be treated the same way if she was in the hospital.
She leaves the room and immediately goes into the drug book to find out what your medication is and why you are on it.
She looks it up, NOT because she has to, but because she genuinely wants to know what's wrong with you so that she can help facilitae your plan of treatment.
The other nurse walks in and she looks around to make sure you are not a liability to the hospital. She makes sure the bed is in the right position because she is worried she might get a write up. It's time to turn you, so she walks in all hurridly because it's been 19 minutes over the time she was supposed to turn you and she and a tech turns you all fast and doesn't give you a chance to catch your breath or a break-even though you are in a lot of pain. She noticed that your cup was half empty and that your mouth was dry, but thought to herself, I need to see my other patients or I can get in trouble. This nurse doesn't care about you at all. She acts like she's listening when all that's on her mind is going to lunch.
Now which one of these nurses would you prefer? Then, ask yourself if you are going to school to be a nurse for the right reasons.
Gosh, I'm still waiting for my life to be changed forever!
Me, too. It takes a lot more than that OP to chage my life -- this thread is just a waste of another minute of my time. The fact that nurses should be nice to their patients is hardly newsworthy.
I really do not understand this thread very well...I have read some of your posts and whatever you have been going through at nursing school, just be confident and trust God. He will clear your path.
i would much rather have a booksmart nurse with technical knowhow than one who simply cares.
:yeahthat:
when i was in the hospital recently, i didn't want my nurse in there holding my hand and commiserating with me, i wanted her fixing the fact that my bp was in the 70's systolic, hr was in the 40's and falling, and only 150 cc's in my foley over 6 hours despite being on ivf @ 125/hr and pushing po fluids as fast as i could swallow them.
the best situation is having a nurse who is experienced enough to know what they are doing and how to deliver compassionate care in the few minutes he/she has...but sometimes situations trump compassion, especially with a critical patient (which i'm assuming anyone on three different drips would be).
i'm one of those people who is really coming to resent, after many years of trying to ignore it, the assumption that it is an either/or situation with caring and knowledge. i deliver excellent care to my patients, families, and coworkers and am also plenty booksmart. i'm not trying to come across as cocky, but i feel that the fact that physicians and coworkers request that i care for their family members specifically justifies my making that statement.
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Gosh, I'm still waiting for my life to be changed forever!
me too. and I am wondering what the point is to the original post...??
yes, I want a smart nurse, yes I want a compassionate nurse. Do they have to be 2 different people?? Why do I have to choose as a pt, why do I have to choose as a nurse??
i think that as a nurse, I am smart enough to want to understand what my pt is rec'ing meds wise, but also smart enough to fluff a pillow.
I dont wake up each day and say "Gee, yesterday I was smart, so today I will be compassionate"
Hi - I haven't been following any of your threads. Just stumbled upon this one, so will just go with what I got from it. :) I think I see what you are saying. As humans, we all have different character - that part of us who is who we are when nobody else is looking. Some nurses I've seen do not have the best character and may not be the most compassionate... and go through the motions for some very wrong reasons. But, as others have mentioned, there certainly are nurses who are both compassionate and book smart. :) Each pt. deserves both, but doesn't always get it. When the chips are down do I want someone who is competent or nice? Yes, both. But if my loved one isn't kept alive or kept from harm, then there's no place for niceness.
I'll always remember my first week of nursing school when an instructor read some quote about "They (Patients) won't care how much you know - until they know how much you care."
This was evident for me when I was a student. I had patients tell me, in my first semester mind you, "You're the best nurse I've ever had!" Eek - I hope not. They didn't know how much I didn't know but I think it goes without saying that they felt cared for better than they had before because I am very compassionate and treat my patients the way I would want myself or my loved ones to be treated ... not to mention that students dont have a full patient-load and have the opportutnity to spend more time in the room with their patient(s). Just my continued presence in the room made the patients feel cared for. It didn't mean I was a better nurse than the "real" nurse, but it made the patient feel better cared for - so the little things do mean a lot. :heartbeat
A heart of gold will get you far if if motivates you to learn all that you can, expand your knowlege base as a lifelong learner & continually hon your critical thinking skills. Your heart is in the right place. It's obvious you care deeply about people. Building on that foundation of kindness will help you go far.
But, as others have mentioned, there certainly are nurses who are both compassionate and book smart. 
:) Each pt. deserves both, but doesn't always get it. When the chips are down do I want someone who is competent or nice? Yes, both. But if my loved one isn't kept alive or kept from harm, then there's no place for niceness. 
but I think it goes without saying that they felt cared for better than they had before because I am very compassionate and treat my patients the way I would want myself or my loved ones to be treated ... not to mention that students dont have a full patient-load and have the opportutnity to spend more time in the room with their patient(s). Just my continued presence in the room made the patients feel cared for. It didn't mean I was a better nurse than the "real" nurse, but it made the patient feel better cared for - so the little things do mean a lot. :heartbeat
llg, PhD, RN
13,469 Posts
Me, too. It takes a lot more than that OP to chage my life -- this thread is just a waste of another minute of my time. The fact that nurses should be nice to their patients is hardly newsworthy.