Why we do this...

[TopsDrop, RN]

I figured I would post a positive story today because there are enough rants (I understand) and I am sure some graduating nurses/nursing students are probably second guessing themselves about their career paths reading the stuff we post.

I had one of those nights this last week that reminds me why I come to work each night and why I love this profession. You never know what you're walking into. Keeps me on my toes ya' know.

Even though most nights are full of craziness, admissions, blah, blah, blah; it was not one of those nights. I came in to a full wing so right away I know I am not getting an admission right at shift change or at 0230 when the doctors are oh so happy to talk with me or not awake enough to give me coherent admission orders.

I know most of my patients from the night before so report is short and sweet.

My pt. in 3 admitted with hypoxia and an extensive psych history is sleeping wonderfully with her overnight pulse ox never dipping below 94%

The one in 4, In with a new Atrial Flutter, completely stressed about her possible TEE and cardioversion in the AM, converts to NSR 3 hours before shift end. She then cries with happiness when I let her know she won't be going for the cardioversion; then she starts laughing when I give her the print out from the tele monitor showing her the minute her heart converted back to NSR. She happily proclaims she "is going to frame it and put it on the wall".

Then there is 6. The 80 yr. old I admitted the night before on bipap cause he wasn't maintaining his oxygen sats d/t bad pneumona and probably COPD even though it's not in the hx. His lungs still sound horrible, but he is now on 4L and I can actually have a conversation with him. He goes on to tell me a bunch of stories from his youth in his serbian accent because I actually have some time to sit with him awhile. He later asks why I don't turn the lights on when I come to hang his antibiotics and I tell him "I work in the dark all the time, so I don't really need the light". He then tells me how he was once asked in his business how he could do good work in the dark and he would always say "I made all of my children in the dark and they all look pretty good". I almost fall over laughing with him.

And finally there is 11. She is exhausted from her elopement from the hospital earlier in the day and tells me the story before getting a full nights sleep. 9 and 12 were wonderful too, but those are whole other stories in themselves and this post is probably too long for most readers as is.

I even got to give report back to the same nurses who had them the day before, so we even get some continuity of care here. I even got out on time .

Hope everyone who reads this enjoys and realizes that not all days are as bad as we nurses make them seem sometimes. Its just that nobody understands our profession other than those that are in it, and that's why we can come here to vent sometimes.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

You're right, not every day is a bad day ( knocks on wood, because ofcourse all hell will break loose on my next shift for me posting this)

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Without giving too many details, I had a long afternoon with a man who had a serious traumatic injury a few years ago, his wife, and his lawyer. We were all exhausted at the end of the day, but we all think he has a bit of hope for his future, the beginnings of a better plan to move forward, and I remember that bedside patient care isn't the only patient/family-centered care there is. Sweet. Whew.

[Nightowl_lpn]

The good days out number the bad for sure. At least for me. So glad and blessed I'm in this profession.

[WoosahRN, MSN, RN]

One of the sickest patients I'd ever had brought to me emergently from the floor in the middle of the night. His face, arms and legs were already purple and black from poor perfusion and DIC. He deteriorated so fast. I was his primary for the months he was in our PICU. I ended up close with the family and followed his progress from through carepages website when he went to other hospitals to address his rehab. He lost an eye, fingers, a leg and his kidney function. He was still out of it and withdrawing when he was transferred out. I vowed I would get to officially meet him one day. Six months later he walks into my hospital. Walks. He didn't remember me but he came up to me and said "thank you for helping me". I still talk to his family a lot. He's still in my life. I never thought he would live past that first night. I've never been so happy to be wrong.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

It is a good reminder that we need to remember the good shifts.. So on the bad ones we know it can and will get better. I just LOVE it when the shift flows well and you feel acomplished and like everything fell in place.

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

Glad to read the positivity! I am a CNM, and we try to have as much continuity of care as possible in our clinic, so I see a lot of patients throughout their whole pregnancy. We rotate shifts in L&D so unfortunately I'm not always the midwife on when my patients deliver, but I love getting to know my patients and their families throughout the prenatal course. Today TWO different patients who I saw the whole pregnancy, who delivered recently, but who I didn't get to deliver, came in just to say hi, thank me and show me their babies! It was so great to see them again and they had both had really great birth experiences with the other midwives. Really makes the day better when you feel like you're doing something for a reason and the patients appreciate it.

[SeattleJess]

Thank you, TopsDrop, and everyone else who posted the positives. I'll start nursing school this fall. The posts about no jobs, understaffing, bad management, mean docs, bullying, corporate greed... I was starting to feel discouraged before I even picked up my student nurse badge! You good people have put the light back into the picture of what lies ahead. Thank you, thank you!

[annie.rn]

Thanks for sharing! It is so awesome when you have shifts like that.