What thrills you/what terrifies you?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm not a nurse yet, hopefully will be attending next fall, but I'm interested to hear (from people in all specialties), what ONE thing gives you that thrill? What can you just not get enough of?

Conversely, what one thing causes your stomach to drop to the floor in dread/terror?

It could be a specific procedure/skill or a more overarching situation.

Whether you are a new nurse or have been on the job for years/decades, I'd love to hear from you! Thanks!

Thrilling: successful codes that allow the patient to stay on the unit and not transfer to ICU

Terrifying: when your patient's WBC count is less than 1 and the patient starts going febrile and you suspect sepsis, because it almost always is for our patients

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Specializes in Psychiatric nursing; Medical-Surgrical.

Trilling: blood work,IVs,beautiful veins,pounding pulses,needles through skin,patients recovering,patients doing better,seeing patients smile,having a successful shift. PAYDAY[emoji322][emoji122]🏻[emoji122]🏻[emoji122]🏻[emoji122]🏻[emoji122]🏻[emoji122]🏻

Terrifying: codes and coworkers from hell

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Specializes in Psychiatric and emergency nursing.

Thrilling: codes, CPR, emergent CVL insertions, intubations, severe arterial lacerations, major trauma, unresponsive patients, psych emergencies (ED nurse, so I'm an adrenaline junkie)

Terrifying: Falling for a co-worker (happens more often than you'd think when you see life and death together and connect over it), JCAHO visits.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
Thrilling: codes

Terrifying: codes

Agree, with a modification:

Thrilling: Other nurses' patients' rapid responses and codes

Terrifying: my patient's code

Knock on wood, I haven't had a patient code yet, but I've had plenty of rapids. The codes other nurses have had have been sudden cardiac arrests.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
What thrills me every.single.time it happens is coming in to see a fair & balanced assignment, with no call-ins and no charge nurse from hell.

What makes my stomach drop to the floor with dread every.single.day is the drive into work, anticipating said assignment and trying to gauge the possibility that it will happen.

Very well said.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.

I am long past "thrilled." I can be reasonably happy with a good assignment that works out to still be a good assignment by the end of the shift.

Signed, COB

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