CRAZY
As you know I am a nurse. I love my profession and it really does take
a special person to make it in this field. We go to school and study hard to
obtain our degree. We feel compassion and hopeless sometimes and both cry and
laugh on any given day with our patients. We take care of people from all aspects of life and we are affected
by both their sorrows and joys. The thing that bothers me is that people have who have
access to the wonderful world wide web think that they can google a symptom and immediately they
have the knowledge to make decisions and tell the Dr what test to order , what meds to give
and pretty much write their own treatment. Google supplies all the info in seconds which it takes us
years to study. We take pharmacology and microbiology, speech to learn to talk to people and
algebra so we don't make medication errors. We spend years of our life to learn to care for the needs
of others and we do stand by the oath also to do no harm. We are many times treated less than human.
Many people are mean and will report you at the drop of a hat. We really are treated like slaves.
I know this is not popular and many may not understand but I speak the truth. Nursing is hard, stressful
and many times nurses are abused. Throw working a shift when there is a full moon and that adds fuel to
the fire. People really are Crazy on a full moon. Now if you are reading this and have an encounter with a
nurse please go out of your way to be nice. If she is not in your room when the call light goes off please
realize that she may just be helping someones granny up out of the floor or cleaning someone who has
had an accident in the bed. She may be trying to talk someones grandpa into taking his necessary pills which
he is reluctant to take. She may be listening to someone who will not quit talking and let her leave. All of this while she may have 7 or 8 other patients who need and demand her at the same time. What I am saying
is that if she is not there when you need her remember that she is human too and can only be in one place
at a time. She may not be the lazy uncaring person you perceive her to be. She may be struggling to do a
good job and just overwhelmed by the task at hand. So please be gentle. Write her name in to recommend her and those cards and cookies really do make a difference. Maybe even send something in nice to acknowledge the nurse who was not your favorite. I work in ICU and have 2 patients at a time and my life is
pretty good but I see floor nurses mistreated and disrespected each day. Take a minute and say a nice word one of which is thanks.
Hello Angie, well said my fellow nurse. As you know I work in Hospice and usually have 7 patients who are all in various stages of the dying process complete with distraught families at the bedside and sometimes several children camping out on the floor beside the bed, one or two dogs or cats living in the room and good meaning friends. All who make caring for their dying family member three times as hard because now you have to care for them all. Hospice treats the entire family not just the patient and so instead of 7 patients I often have about 30 people to please. Everyone wants their loved one cared for instantly when they ring that call bell, not realizing it doesn't even ring at the nurse's station for about 30 seconds after they push the button (modern technology). Most nights (yes I do 12 hr. overnight shifts) I am trying to avoid tripping over children or pets to get to my patient and am baraged with demands and complaints about slow service when as you say I was in with another patient or drawing up a medication, cleaning a soiled bed, or holding a family member who's crying over a recently passed on loved one. I am only one nurse and although I love being a nurse I am most nights worn to a frazzle because as we are taught "it's all about the patient and family" sort of like the customer is always right even when they are wrong. So as I go into the utility room and cry or let off steam so I can appear in someone's room with a smile on my face let it be known that I wouldn't be doing any other job in the world and I can only do what I do because I am serving my Lord and savior Jesus Christ as I tend to the needs of the people. He is my rock and my strength.
ReplyDeleteHi Angela, just popped by to say I hope you and family are not in harms way, with all the tornadoes happening in the SE. Y'all are in our prayers. Be safe.
ReplyDeleteAngela - loved reading you but LOVE LOVE these poppies. they are gorgeous. I have several photos saved of poppies and can't wait to try some - if I ever get motivated...
ReplyDeleteI know how hard is you job, and admire you!
ReplyDeleteI have always had lot of respect for nurses. Twice when I was in the hospital, they really took good care of me, and literally going out of their way to make feel comfortable, be it the general ward or the private ward, I have experienced both and they were really very good and doing their duty well.
ReplyDeleteWell don't go by the attitude of some people, for as a nurse you will understand, it is their pain, the worry, the anxiety and trauma that makes them shout at you or complain against you. If they were normal, they would never ever be that way.
During one of my stay in the hospital, there was a nurse who was very rude, and got irritated very easily, I felt quite bad at her attitude, and i wished she would not be on duty during the night, and i felt i should complain against her.
However I noticed she was pregnant, and then i could understand her irritation, doing night duty when all she would have loved was restful night of peaceful sleep.
If we are able to understand others there is no need to complain, for she was a trained nurse, and normally she would have been kind and understanding, but her circumstances made her behave like that.