What's your favorite nursing task?

[beekindRN]

There's been a lot of rants and vents about nursing, but let's focus on the odd tasks that make you happy. Maybe you love post-OP patients or CRRT or giving bed baths...what's something that makes you happy?

Personally, I love enteral feedings. I love placing NGs and Dobhoffs. I love Kangaroo pumps, I love crushing meds, and flushing the line with 30 ccs. I love hearing the whoosh when I check placement q 4 h. It's my favorite thing!

[WestCoastSunRN, MSN, CNS]

I like doing almost anything on someone else's patient. I love being the float nurse who puts in IV's, foleys, responds to codes, draws labs, does wound care, places dophoffs, or any other help I can give another nurse.

And I love a super-sick/unstable patient -- really love starting with them from scratch -- from ED or floor and working my tail off to keep 'em alive, help figure out what's going on, and turn the situation around. That's my ultimate favorite.

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

Starting IVs on the most difficult pediatric/neonatal patients, being that nurse that gets called to other floors when I'm working because they know I am a very good stick.

[TheMoonisMyLantern, LPN, RN]

I love giving antipsychotics IM, it's very satisfying to see someone going from a psychotic agitated state to a peaceful sleep, especially when they wake up more coherent than they previously were.

I also love admissions I love getting to build the therapeutic relationship and helping people be at ease with being admitted to a behavioral health unit I also love the assessment piece of it, assessing for cognitive and behavioral abnormalities.

[KrysyRN, BSN]

Dressing changes. IV sites, incisions, wounds, ostomies......love it all.

[River&MountainRN, ADN, RN]

When I was working primary care, I loved building the patient's chart from all of their old records and what was already in our system records (we were connected to the hospital and some specialty practices). I also loved the education portion, whether it was educating patients, onboarding/precepting a new hire, or just sharing my knowledge with a coworker.

[Forest2]

My favorite nursing tasks are admissions and patient education. If I had a job to do that and nothing else I'd be sooooo happy.

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

14 hours ago, Davey Do said:

Wow, dream'n. Just to be able to stand the noise without clenching my teeth or gagging is great for me!

But to "love" it? Wow.

And: "Ew!"

It’s like vacuuming the yucky stuff out. It gives me a sense of satisfaction. I’m weird

[River&MountainRN, ADN, RN]

15 minutes ago, dream'n said:

It’s like vacuuming the yucky stuff out. It gives me a sense of satisfaction. I’m weird

Can't stand trach suctioning but oral/nasal/oropharyngeal suctioning has its "rewards" for me like you mentioned with the "vacuuming" analogy! Lol!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I like changing tubing and having everything all nice, neat and labeled!

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

I like finding and taking care of the "missed" item/s. Sometimes it's realizing a lab hasn't been done (perhaps from days ago). Sometimes it is just pulling off 10 bandages from phlebotomy/IVs and washing their hands & arms, or the dry flaky feet in the socks.

[Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN]

2 hours ago, dream'n said:

It’s like vacuuming the yucky stuff out. It gives me a sense of satisfaction. I’m weird

Oh man I love when you can hear something rattling around in the chest and finally pull a suction catheter out of the ETT/trach with a big old glob hanging off the end of it. That resistance you feel when the catheter grabs it always makes me think of hooking a fish on a line. So satisfying.

[Kitiger, RN]

I love happy play time with my toddler client who doesn't realize that we're accomplishing his physical therapy goals.