I've noticed for a while that there's a common phrase of "saving people's lives"......
In the ICUs (various sorts) and EDs - Yeah, they do save lives. IN surgery, yep- I'd agree with that.
On a med-surg floor, you help patients progress and stay stable. It's not a constant "hero festival" :)
To read a bunch of threads/posts, it sounds like every nurse is out there saving the world (did someone forget to tell the UN?).
Nurses (aside from ED, and the units where critical patients are being cared for) work on rehab the minute the patient lands on the bed. You do deal with unexpected emergencies that are life threatening- but it's not a constant run from room to room assessing for the need for the ERT.
It's busy, sometimes overwhelming, hard work...but most of the time, you maintain the status quo, and hope for some improvement that helps get them out the door (and not feet first).
Is EVERY floor a hospice floor? Nobody comes to the hospital to get well anymore? Someone's life has to be in jeopardy before you can save it :)
Saving lives, saving lives, saving lives...... just sounds like it cheapens those floors that REALLY are faced with life and death decisions every single day. JMO. :)
but, i've seen several (not just one or two) posts/replies about "saving lives"... makes it sound like a one-man/woman show...some "super-nurse" with a cape and tool chest, who is independently out there to save the world. bs.
i'm totally with you on this one...
as i despise anyone who has a hyperinflated sense of supremacy.
no, we do not and cannot do it alone.
however, we are expected to catch/assess the signs of deterioration, overt and subtle.
and i still believe that warrants credit on our parts.
but in the end, we are all expendable.
it doesn't matter who you are and/or the perceived status attached to our titles.
all i want is people/public to know, is we are sooo much more than brow-moppers and hand-holders.
and that includes those times when yes, we do save lives.
how many people really know this? not nearly enough, i'm sure.:)
I work med-surg, it is my whole-hearted intention and desire and I will put 100% effort into making sure you are moved to the appropriate level of care should you start heading south, because frankly with my patient load, I don't have time to play super nurse.
There are a few who have the SupermanCape mentality... the rest of us just do our jobs.
but I think we do save lives, albeit quietly and as part of a team. The patient in sepsis, who isn't quite crashing, but gets IV fluids and antibiotics in time to not go into septic shock. Never quite starting circling, but would have eventually. Isn't that a save? but we all did it together, MD, RN, the tech who drew the blood cultures.
The cardiac patient we helped get under control, before he went so far as to throw clots from afib, or get the INR balanced, or angina relieved before ischemic tissue death sets in. To me those are saved lives.
Some have called it prevention and enhancement, or maintaining status quo; but all of those mean worse things could and likely would have happened. Do I go around bragging on the fact that I gave antibiotics in a timely manner and therefore am Wonder Woman of the ER, single handedly saving lives with an 18 gauge?
I'm happy with the inner peace of having done a good job, and going home without regrets.
Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
I guess I'm a life sustainer rather than a life saver. I don't shock, compress my 12 hrs away, but I do try to keep pt's from circling the drain and needing the shockers and thumpers.
There are a few who have the SupermanCape mentality... the rest of us just do our jobs.
but I think we do save lives, albeit quietly and as part of a team. The patient in sepsis, who isn't quite crashing, but gets IV fluids and antibiotics in time to not go into septic shock. Never quite starting circling, but would have eventually. Isn't that a save? but we all did it together, MD, RN, the tech who drew the blood cultures.
The cardiac patient we helped get under control, before he went so far as to throw clots from afib, or get the INR balanced, or angina relieved before ischemic tissue death sets in. To me those are saved lives.
Some have called it prevention and enhancement, or maintaining status quo; but all of those mean worse things could and likely would have happened. Do I go around bragging on the fact that I gave antibiotics in a timely manner and therefore am Wonder Woman of the ER, single handedly saving lives with an 18 gauge?
I'm happy with the inner peace of having done a good job, and going home without regrets.
Exactly.
To me it is just as important to emphasize the fluid restrictions on a fresh open heart, to monitoring the INR on a atrial fib, to giving the ABX on a pt with vegetation on the heart valve.
To neglect any of these can kill a pt, but I don't go around every day saying I saved a life.
)
leslie :-D
11,191 Posts
i'm totally with you on this one...
as i despise anyone who has a hyperinflated sense of supremacy.
no, we do not and cannot do it alone.
however, we are expected to catch/assess the signs of deterioration, overt and subtle.
and i still believe that warrants credit on our parts.
but in the end, we are all expendable.
it doesn't matter who you are and/or the perceived status attached to our titles.
all i want is people/public to know, is we are sooo much more than brow-moppers and hand-holders.
and that includes those times when yes, we do save lives.
how many people really know this? not nearly enough, i'm sure.:)
leslie