What's your favorite nursing task?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

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!

Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.
15 hours ago, buttercup9 said:

ohmygod...... nightmare. I'd rather give an enema

I'd rather GET an enema ?

edit for clarification: this is in regards to suctioning...gives me the heebie-jeebies

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuroscience.

Getting positive on a Euvolemia patient when no one else could. But my most favorite thing is a really productive NT suction.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Ortho, CMSRN.

This is a fun topic! I love starting sono IV's on hard stick patients. My favorites are larger patients that actually HAVE veins, just deep ones. I do get a bit anxious when I have a patient that doesn't seem to have any good veins and I'm searching both arms while my patients are getting backed up and needing things.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

1. being able to get a difficult IV

2. Patient / family member finally understanding the education that everyone has been trying to provide them with

3. Seeing a transplant patient come back (to visit) and not being able to recognize them because they look so good.

4. Combing someones hair who has bed bound and getting all the tangles out.

5. I love wound care

(except when there are maggots-- not as a treatment, but when someone comes into the ED with 4 pairs of socks on to keep the flesh and maggots from falling out. I don't live that)

6. when people say thank you

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 4/28/2019 at 6:50 PM, MunoRN said:

I like the vicarious sense of relief I get when dropping an NG in a patient who's belly is so distended it seems like they need to be rolled down to the juicing room, when as soon as you open the esophageal sphincter with the tube they spray stomach contents exorcist-style. I don't think patients find the same sense of relief I assume they do though, but I like to assume it feels way better after stomach is longer about to pop.

So, I recently had an NG, not for suction, but for outpatient manometry and then 24 hr pH testing. I knew it would be bad, terrible in fact. What I did not expect (and I am not being hyperbolic) was that I basically found the testing to be torture.

I will spare the details, (while placing the 1st tube for manometry, she just hung out at my gag reflex so I could vomit 4 times) but honestly, placing the tube was so much worse than I expected. My NGT was much thinner and softer than the ones placed for suction so I cannot imagine how much worse that is.

Also, once placed, I could barely turn my head, which was great because I had to drive 40 minutes home. Even hours after placement, it was awful. I had such a bad headache, throat ache and nose ache that I seriously considered pulling it out.

I know we often place these with little to no anesthetic and after having this done I will never do that again (unless it is a code).

Please ask your Doc's/NP's/PA's for something better to make this less painful!!!

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

I find central line dressing changes very satisfying. Lining up that stupid little sticker part under the lumens and having a clean, intact site makes me happy.

I also find providing post mortem care to be a meaningful part of my job. Not that I want my patients to die, but I seem to be an angel of death and knowing they were respectfully cared for until they leave the building means a lot to me.

5
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ah I forgot one- setting up a well working Zassi/Flexiseal! If it wasn’t contraindicated all of my super incontinent pts got one. It was such a relief not having to constantly worry about skin break down and multiple (sometimes more than once an hour!) full bath and linen changes.

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am a NICU nurse and I have found that I love working with the 34-35 weeks preemies that are just learning how to drink from a bottle. Sometimes i feel like i take bottle feeding for granted with the older babies who know how to eat, but it gives me so much joy giving a bottle to those preemie who take 13 mLs when they usually just take 5 or if they have enough energy and coordination to finish a whole bottle. I really feel like I'm able to bond with those babies then and it's really exciting to see them hit those milestones and how much pride I feel when they hit milestones with eating.

I also love using a neonatal yankauer and saline and sucking out those boogers. So satisfying. ?

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

Triage. I get to ask for a brief synopsis, take a guess and draw whatever labs are appropriate. I go back after the doc has seen them to see if I got it right.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.
On 5/2/2019 at 5:28 PM, DextersDisciple said:

Ah I forgot one- setting up a well working Zassi/Flexiseal! If it wasn’t contraindicated all of my super incontinent pts got one. It was such a relief not having to constantly worry about skin break down and multiple (sometimes more than once an hour!) full bath and linen changes.

I love me a good poop chute ? Honestly, nothing quite as satisfying as a patient whose bottom is beautifully intact after they can't quit pooping.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg, Parish Nurse, Hospice.

I always loved to place a ng tube and get great results. Same as placing a foley in the patient that couldn’t pee, no matter what. They felt so much better after the foley was placed.

I was pretty good at starting IV’s and often enjoyed the challenge.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro.

Removing staples, sutures, or drains is my jam.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment