What makes you say THAT'S WHY I'M A NURSE??

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Been kicking around the idea of starting a new thread, then I read the post about the hostile work enviroment and decided it was a good idea. True we do come here and vent the bad days, only those who are in this profession truely understand. BUT we also understand WHY we get up the next day and do it all over again.OK getting a little long winded. Here's the question.

On one of those days when you seem to be chasing your tail, when you can barely recall your pts. diagnosis, much less their name... who gave you that "lightbulb moment" that made you STOP and remember why you are doing this job. It could be as simple as a square look in the eye and a "thank you honey" or a patient reaching for your hand. What or who did/does it for you. That connection that says yes THAT'S WHY I'M A NURSE.

newtelenurse

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Specializes in Almost everywhere.

I got a lightbulb moment the last weekend I worked....

I took care of a 97y/o woman with end stage heart failure, she had no family....and I mean nobody. She wanted to sit on the side of the bed for a few minutes which I helped her to do. She sat there, I sat beside her and she said "You know I don't have anyone, but I have you...you have been so good to me and I love you." She died later that night.

That is why I am a NURSE!!!!!!!

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It's when parents bring their baby back to the unit to show us how well they are doing and leave some cookies or popcorn or other snacks behind:) What can I say, I have a sweet tooth!

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I'm a school nurse and I love my job ! I have those "that's why I'm a nurse" moments when I am in the grocery store and a former student comes up to me and recognizes me from his elementary school days and he/she remembers me as a "nice nurse" !! :lol2: Makes it all worth it to be remembered as a friend of kids and parents.

LPN 90

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Specializes in ED.

When I pushed a patient recently to do something they didn't feel comfortable doing but I knew they could do (chronic complainer and tryed to get the nurses to do everything for her) and she did it and told me "Oh hey, look I can do this"

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Specializes in Case Management.

You don't get that many moments like that in my line of business. I work in managed care for a large health plan. I receive calls from case management for members admitted to my list of hospitals. I had a nurse call me with an update, stating the pt was showing signs of confusion and her respiratory rate was 28. I called the case manager back and asked her for a pulse ox. She seemed surprised and said she had been off "O2 protocol" for several days and thus, had not had her sats checked for several days. I requested she have the patients primary nurse obtain a pulse ox immediately! Half an hour later, the case manager called me back, and thanked me profusely for insisting on a pulse ox, as the nurse had checked and pt's pulse ox was 79%!

They reinstated O2 protocol and pt was feeling much more like herself. She was discharged home a couple days later with home O2 (new for her).

Believe me, I have the most respect for our "nurses in the trenches". You guys do every day what I have said I will never go back to. But I do deep down inside miss the impact that I had on my patients as a "bedside nurse".

:loveya:

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Specializes in LTC and MED-SURG.
You don't get that many moments like that in my line of business. I work in managed care for a large health plan. I receive calls from case management for members admitted to my list of hospitals. I had a nurse call me with an update, stating the pt was showing signs of confusion and her respiratory rate was 28. I called the case manager back and asked her for a pulse ox. She seemed surprised and said she had been off "O2 protocol" for several days and thus, had not had her sats checked for several days. I requested she have the patients primary nurse obtain a pulse ox immediately! Half an hour later, the case manager called me back, and thanked me profusely for insisting on a pulse ox, as the nurse had checked and pt's pulse ox was 79%!

They reinstated O2 protocol and pt was feeling much more like herself. She was discharged home a couple days later with home O2 (new for her).

Believe me, I have the most respect for our "nurses in the trenches". You guys do every day what I have said I will never go back to. But I do deep down inside miss the impact that I had on my patients as a "bedside nurse".

:loveya:

I haven't actually started nursing as I'm waiting to take the NCLEX-PN next month. But I really love working with people in situations where I actually have a skill to offer that means something and can help them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

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Specializes in LTC and MED-SURG.
You don't get that many moments like that in my line of business. I work in managed care for a large health plan. I receive calls from case management for members admitted to my list of hospitals. I had a nurse call me with an update, stating the pt was showing signs of confusion and her respiratory rate was 28. I called the case manager back and asked her for a pulse ox. She seemed surprised and said she had been off "O2 protocol" for several days and thus, had not had her sats checked for several days. I requested she have the patients primary nurse obtain a pulse ox immediately! Half an hour later, the case manager called me back, and thanked me profusely for insisting on a pulse ox, as the nurse had checked and pt's pulse ox was 79%!

They reinstated O2 protocol and pt was feeling much more like herself. She was discharged home a couple days later with home O2 (new for her).

Believe me, I have the most respect for our "nurses in the trenches". You guys do every day what I have said I will never go back to. But I do deep down inside miss the impact that I had on my patients as a "bedside nurse".

:loveya:

I haven't actually started nursing as I'm waiting to take the NCLEX-PN next month. But I really love working with people in situations where I actually have a skill to offer that means something and can help them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Also, I love being in a profession where I'm always learning something. The above comment teaches something I didn't know about another aspect of nursing.

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Specializes in NICU.
It's when parents bring their baby back to the unit to show us how well they are doing and leave some cookies or popcorn or other snacks behind:) What can I say, I have a sweet tooth!

I know what you mean!

I've worked night shift on Christmas for the past eight years. I've had to leave my family party as it was not-quite-yet winding down to go to work. Walking onto the unit, I have to pass the wall where we post pictures and letters the families send showing how well their babies are doing. During the holidays, it's literally wallpapered with hundreds of Christmas cards and photos sent by grateful families. So many of them contain the words, "Thank you for everything you did for our baby. We will never forget you!"

So I miss out on a little eggnog that night. These babies are worth it!

:)

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