What is One of the Most Memorable Moments in Your Nursing Career?

[tnbutterfly - Mary]

Whether you are just starting out or you have years of experience, all nurses have those moments, good and bad, they will never forget.  These moments have an impact on us as they are etched into our memory bank and woven into the colorful tapestry that defines our nursing career. 

I need your help. As we are preparing the next issue of the allnurses magazine which will be published in a few short days, I would love to get input from nurses of all ages, specialties, and levels of experience as soon as possible. Just before the last magazine was published, I sought your help and you responded quickly with some fantastic comments. I know I can count on our allnurses readers to contribute again.

Whether you are just starting out or you have years of experience, all nurses have those moments, good and bad, they will never forget. These moments have an impact on us as they are etched into our memory bank and woven into the colorful tapestry that defines our nursing career.

Nurses are the core of healthcare. We touch so many lives in ways we might never imagine. When we look back over the years, we can see the faces of those whose lives and deaths have touched us. Not only are we the most trusted occupation but I dare say we are among the most compassionate and caring professionals that have the privilege and opportunity to touch many lives in some of life's most vulnerable moments.

A Beautiful Tapestry of Memories

I saw this quote by Donna Cardillo several years ago that has stuck with me.

Quote

When I think about all the patients and their loved ones that I have worked with over the years, I know most of them don't remember me nor I them. But I do know that I gave a little piece of myself to each of them and they to me and those threads make up the beautiful tapestry in my mind that is my career in nursing. – Donna Wilk Cardillo

What is one of the most memorable moments in your nursing career?

It can be something you witnessed or that you were directly involved in. How did this event affect you? What changes, if any did you make in your actions or thinking?

Share your memorable stories so others can be inspired and touched as they reflect upon their many nursing memories over the years. I know everyone is busy, but please take a few moments to post some thoughtful comments.

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[OldDude]

7 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

I am respectfully requesting that you tell your story, OldDude, of when you worked in ER... you know: the adolescent patient?.... I don't want to ruin the story for others.

I would have copied it from the past thread but couldn't locate it.

PLEASE, OldDude?

Well...OK...

Pediatric ER...working triage...14 year old comes in with his mom at 2:00 am on a school night. He had to go pee at midnight, felt dizzy, fell down, told mom, here they are. Another kid had him by the arm at school, swinging him around in a circle, let him go and he collided anterior first with a chain link fence, no redness, bruising, no pain. Still, I start to get a blip on my radar screen. So I put him in as "urgent." Sent to registration and returned to waiting room in my line of sight where I noticed he laid his head on his mother's shoulder and was dozing off. My radar was still blipping. Soon thereafter I looked over at him and noticed a fine sheen of perspiration on his forehead and alarms starting going off in my head. I grabbed a wheelchair and took him immediately to the back. On the way I yelled for other nurses and the MD. He was unsteady on his feet, dizzy, pale, clammy, etc. We couldn't get a BP on him so we put him in Trendelenburg, got an IV and starting pouring on the fluid. He improved somewhat and he was off to CT. At CT the Radiologist stated, "Call the OR, this child has a ruptured splenic artery and is bleeding to death in front of our eyes!" Thing's starting popping after that and he walked out of the hospital a few days later alive and well...less one spleen.

That's when I realized how important it is to listen to your "nursing gut instinct

[GSDlvrRN, MSN]

16 minutes ago, OldDude said:

Well...OK...

Pediatric ER...working triage...14 year old comes in with his mom at 2:00 am on a school night. He had to go pee at midnight, felt dizzy, fell down, told mom, here they are. Another kid had him by the arm at school, swinging him around in a circle, let him go and he collided anterior first with a chain link fence, no redness, bruising, no pain. Still, I start to get a blip on my radar screen. So I put him in as "urgent." Sent to registration and returned to waiting room in my line of sight where I noticed he laid his head on his mother's shoulder and was dozing off. My radar was still blipping. Soon thereafter I looked over at him and noticed a fine sheen of perspiration on his forehead and alarms starting going off in my head. I grabbed a wheelchair and took him immediately to the back. On the way I yelled for other nurses and the MD. He was unsteady on his feet, dizzy, pale, clammy, etc. We couldn't get a BP on him so we put him in Trendelenburg, got an IV and starting pouring on the fluid. He improved somewhat and he was off to CT. At CT the Radiologist stated, "Call the OR, this child has a ruptured splenic artery and is bleeding to death in front of our eyes!" Thing's starting popping after that and he walked out of the hospital a few days later alive and well...less one spleen.

That's when I realized how important it is to listen to your "nursing gut instinct

This is pretty stinkin awesome! *applause*

[Davey Do]

31 minutes ago, OldDude said:

Well...OK...

Thanks, OldDude- GREAT story & save!