Your Most Heartwarming Moments in Nursing

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Hello everyone,

I realize that this thread subject has probably been done but it can never be OVERdone, right?

Post the moments in nursing that warmed your heart, made you burst with pride, made your tears well up, took your breath away and filled you with an utterly complete conviction that you did the right thing by becoming a nurse.

Mine:

My first shift as a student vocational nurse in a hospital. When I told the charge nurse who I was assigned to, she had THE LOOK. Like, OH... You have THAT patient. Uh oh. The reaction was not unfounded. This lady was very noncompliant, combative, was addicted to various drugs and was generally nasty to everyone. The first thing she asked me was when she can get more pain meds. Her pain meds were not due for a hour. I offered to give her a back rub instead.

I always thought my teachers were dinosaurs for requiring us to complete a back massage with AM baths and PM care. I did it out of requirement. After I lotioned her up and dutifully rubbed her back, she turned me to with tears in her eyes and told me no one has touched her like that since she was four years old.

RN came in with her pain meds. It was time for my class to leave the floor. Patient said "I will trade all my pills if (my name) can stay."

One of the moments that sealed the deal for me. :redbeathe

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Specializes in Critical Care.

agreed. this thread can NEVER be overdone. :-)

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Specializes in Government.

I used to be a pediatric nurse. You get a lot of AHHHHH moments as a peds nurse. Seeing a kid laugh out loud when he sees urine in the bag for the first time post kidney transplant. Or a teenager who has never had a continent bowel movement (due to birth defect) master his colostomy care with a beaming smile.

I keep those kids in my heart because when I have a lousy day, I remember how much they endured to get their cheer on.

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

About 3 weeks ago. Had helped at a clinic is Kenya, Africa. As we wrapped up & I was looking around at everything and thinking, a man came up to me, out of nowhere. He said "Mahm, thank you. Thank you so much for helping us. God bless you." Made me remember why I went into nursing in the first place......

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I was shopping at a dept store a few weeks ago and a woman came up and hugged me. I took care of her after a recent surgery and she thanked me with a big hug. It was so nice. Plus, my teenage son was with me which made it nicer. He saw that what I do makes a difference. I think he was proud of me.

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One of my best moments as a nurse, I love this story.

I work in the ICU and had taken care of the same patient for multiple days, really getting to know him and his family. He had been extubated the day previous and was doing OK after a lengthy intubation. I gave him a really good bath, lotioned, new sheets, backrub, the whole deal. I put his bed in "Chair Mode" and turned it to face the window so he could look outside. This poor patient had been so miserable for days, and he SMILED over and over again. I had tears in my eyes as I brought his family in to see him, they spent the afternoon talking with him and he was most interactive he had been for weeks. The next day I was his nurse again, and we had to re-intubate him and he went downhill quickly. He passed away a few days later. I went to his viewing with another nurse who had also cared for him frequently, and his wife couldn't believe that we came and just cried and said "It's our favorite nurses" and knew us by name.

Those are the days that make up for all the bad ones, I will never forget that patient and his family. Brings tears to my eyes even now...

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Specializes in critical care.

There's not a specific instance that stands out for me, but I can honestly say that just about every one of my patients warms my heart in one way or another. I'm still a student and working as an aide, but I think if I can retain at least 10% of the love I have for nursing for the rest of my career, I will consider myself blessed. Such an amazing job and I feel so lucky to be doing it!

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Specializes in Mental Health, Medical Research, Periop.

I have had many moments like this, where patients have hugged me, thanked me, left me treats (they have sent fruit baskets, cakes, candies, etc..), and thank you notes. It is definitely the biggest reward this job can offer IMO. BUT I would like to mention something that warmed my heart that wasn't related to me. As a prep nurse you are with a person in their most anxious moment, right before surgery. I, as usual checked my patients armband, but this particular time it was bulky. I said "whoa, something is wrong with your armband. Its bulky." Her daughter looks up and says, "No, I put a prayer in there." She'd written a prayer, folded it up really small, and taped it to her moms armband. SOooooo sweet! :D

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Specializes in ICU.

I had taken care of a patient whos wife was a nurse. They were Philippino, I am white. They usually requested a Philipino nurse, but they got me one night!

Well, the patient had CA, was vented, septic, the whole 9, but I knew he could hear me. So, I spoke with him, he responded. i took care of his needs, took the time to talk with and answer the wife's questions, gave compassion.....while the other nurses were trying to push DNR on the wife and were kind of rude about it. (she told me this)

Well, he got a little better. trached and vented, but able to move to the floor. I transferred a patient to the floor he was on one day and went in to visit and say hi. he was up in a chair, on trach collar during the day, doing pretty well.

They were both really happy to see me, actually started crying and saying God sent me to help heal him, I was what a nurse was, a healer, he was holding my hands so tight, they were calling the other nurses in to tell them "about the healing, I did"

i was embarassed and humbled. The point they made to me was how I made him feel like a human. How I spoke to him knowing he was listening and I didn't discuss DNR with his wife in front of him. The other nurses assumed because he was on a vent and couldn't talk and was lethargic he wasn't hearing or listening. Turned out he was.

Treating patients like people goes a long way.

I have many stories like this working in the ICU. This one always really stayed close to my heart.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

So many moments, but one of the ones I'll always remember:

I was the supervisor of a skilled facility. I spent a lot of time on the short term unit so I knew most of the residents and their families. We had one resident who was only 68. He had had a dense CVA and hadn't recovered much function. His wife came every day to visit and stayed most of the day. We were having a senior prom....most of the residents got gussied up...gowns, suits, makeup, a band. So there we all were. This man was in his wheelchair and his wife showed up in a ball gown. Before he had gotten sick, they used to go dancing all the time. She said to no one in particular, "I wish we could have just one more dance." I looked at the social worker, he looked at me. We hoisted the man up by the back of his pants (he was not light weight) and held him up so he could "dance" with his wife. She was crying, the man was crying, the social worker and I tried not to cry but.....

He died a few years later. His wife came up to me the day he died and said "Thank you for everything.....especially the last dance."

How blessed we are to be able to have such positive impacts on people's lives.

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My moments are always with those deemed to be unreachable. During my first clinical I had a lady in a geri-chair, very closed in, and I was talking to her and touching her and saying things like, "Let's move that arm. It looks uncomfortable." She never opened her eyes but she grasped my hand as if it were a lifeline. I knew that she was in there, and I knew then that I would treat even the most obtunded with gentleness and kindness. I still have a soft spot for the ignored and forgotten.

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Specializes in Home Care.

I work in medical rehab so often have the same patients for weeks.

I love when I go into work and my patient says "thank god you're here, you always take such good care of me".

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