The More You Give, Inspirational Poems, Touching Stories

[nurseamyg]

So there I was, having a tough night in the ER. Five PTs, couple of belly pains, acute pancreatitis, intractable pain (not drug seeker but the real thing d/t spinal stenosis) and yes, one actual drug seeker (great actor though). Orders coming in simultaneously, docs calling to give more orders, call bells going off, charting being done on scrap paper for later input into the computer, you know, the usual new grad time management spin and futz.

Actually get to d/c one of the belly pains. She’s developmentally and physically disabled, very pleasant, just has a full plate medically so to speak. Everything’s done and her aide is starting to wheelchair her out when the PT yells, “Wait, I forgot say goodbye to {insert my 1st name}!”

The aide wheels her over to me and the PT grabs my hand and tells me how nice I was, how well I treated her and that she was glad I had been her nurse. All I could say was “you’re welcome.” Anything else and I probably would’ve teared up. She then leaves. I turn around, and the medical director, charge nurse and other staff are standing there smiling at me.

And magically, everything fell into place after that. Got everybody else admitted or discharged, finished up my charting and left on time. As Travolta said in Broken Arrow, “Ain’t it cool?”

[nurseamyg]

I am a community nurse working in an intermediate care team. My job is to prevent people from having to be admitted to hospital if I can. For me, the best part of my job is still what it has always been - to make my patients feel better, to make them smile again.

I've been nursing for 29 years and although there has been a lot of change in the nhs the job satisfaction is still what keeps me nursing, my patients' appreciation is what drives me to always give my best, I couldn't imagine doing any other job.

I will continue to make my patients my priority, my nursing principles ensure that I put patients first and, in return I will continue to feel fulfilled knowing that I did my best.

[nurseamyg]

Years ago, while still in nursing school, I worked the overnight shift at a nursing home. More often than not I was the only Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for the 50 residents in one wing of the facility. Some nights I was the only CNA for all 150 residents. As you can imagine, I spent the entire night going from soiled bed to soiled bed, changing sheets, and changing and re-positioning patients.

One of the women living there had night terrors. She was never able to name that which she feared, but woke every few hours screaming in panic. Her confusion and fear touched my heart as I tried to imagine experiencing her quality of life. I immediately discovered that she would calm down and return to sleep if I spent 10-15 minutes talking to her. Soon thereafter, I discovered that if I came to work 20 minutes before my shift started, held her hand, and talked with her she slept peacefully the entire night through. 20 minutes a day, five days a week out of the life of a student nurse was a small price to pay for her peace of mind.

JT Hayes, RN, PHN
Palm Spring, California
- See more at: http://www.nursetogether.com/stories....sW87RsPy.dpuf

[nurseamyg]

Sat in the staff room a few days ago, I found myself talking to a consultant about how we love working in intensive care, and how we need time away from it to preserve our sanity. While talking I had a vague feeling of the jigsaw pieces not quite fitting together but I didn't really grasp the significance of that feeling until a few hours later when we found ourselves at the bedside of a child who was doing their best to slip away from this world. My shift had ended, I should have been out the doors and on a tube home. But when a bed space looks like a bomb site you know there is still work to be done.

In a lull of activity, the same consultant said to me "This is what I'm talking about, this is what I love." Suddenly, I saw the jammed-together jigsaw pieces and realised they were from different parts of the picture.

What I love about ICU is that it embodies the most cardinal quality of nursing. A few weeks ago, in a mentorship class, I raised the question of what we have to offer our patients that no else has because until we can define that, our entire profession is endangered. In danger of encroachment, of sidelining, of marginalisation, of being thoroughly demonised by a culpable government and a complicit media. To my disappointment, the majority of people in the class when they answered focused on the technical skills required of nurses. There is no doubt I am technically competent in many nursing tasks but so would you be if I trained you. Anyone can dress a wound or insert a catheter. That doesn't make you a nurse and it certainly doesn't make you the thing that your patient needs most in the world right here and now.

So what is it? What is the thing that I love, that makes nursing what it is? The secret comes, in fact, from the meaning of the word midwife. It means 'with women'. The one thing I can give my patients that no doctor or physiotherapist or psychologist or any other of the team of experts can is simply to be with them. In ICU this is somewhat easier. I have my one or two patients for 12 hours at a stretch and there we are, all day or all night. Together.

I don't crave the drama of saving a life. I am rather compelled to preserve the self, that has fallen into my hands, from the indignity of illness. Some would hypothesise that in the unconscious states often found in ICU, the self almost ceases to exist. Without consciousness, there is no you. You do not think, therefore you are not. I would hypothesise instead that the self of the critically ill individual simply migrates into the guardianship of those around them. Principally the family, but also the nurses. I keep your favourite toy next to you, I play your favourite music, I style your hair the way you always liked it, and I never let people see the bits of you that you wouldn't want people to see, unless it's absolutely necessary.

In the ultimate battle of life and death, medicine vs nursing, nursing always wins. When the drugs no longer work, I hold your hand, or the hands of your devastated parents. We talk, we laugh, we cry. We're together. Because that is what my time is for.

Some still believe there is mileage in the 'too posh to wash, too clever to care' sound bites. Let me go back to the entrusting of your self to my guardianship. As a nurse, with a degree, I understand that the skin is the largest organ of the human body, that it regulates immunity, temperature, sensation, excretion and that it is fundamentally linked to your body image and therefore your psychological well being So as an educated nurse, it is my duty to wash you. As a nurse entrusted with the guardianship of your self and your well being, it is my honour.

[nurseamyg]

I decided at the age of about five that I was going to become a nurse. My uncle tried to persuade me to go into banking as I was good at maths but I never waivered from my dream. I did a pre-nursing course just in case I couldn't actually stand blood etc. I have now been nursing for 34 years and my passion is education and helping students and colleagues get the best out of their career. I am an RCN Learning Representative and hope that I can inspire/motivate RCN members in getting as much education and learning from their jobs to make a difference to them and their patients.

[nurseamyg]

Nursing has always been a dream for me since I was a child. I remember the first time I told my family I wanted to be a nurse I was only 9 years old. My Aunt told that to be a nurse I will have to spend few days in a morgue alone (scary). However, that did not discourage me to leave my dream.

Coming from a background where financial is an issue, this immediately put a barrier in my goal of being a nurse as tuition fees will be an enormous burden to my family. However, wanting to help and make a difference in people lives has never left me. It took me awhile to achieve my long life dreams, but now I am living the dreams.

Being a single mom of two, going into nursing has been a huge sacrifice for us all, juggling study and family commitment was not easy, however this all paid off in the end.

Being a nurse for me seeing the family smile when the patient recover, knowing that you deliver an effective care and the self satisfaction comes with job, even though most of the time we walk around looking like a zombie after a long week of 12 hours shift. I love being able to care, give advice and just being their for the patient and family, even if they just want to talk.

Furthermore, nursing has many things to offer, many channels that one can enter eg specialise courses, professional development are endless, you can just imagine how much you contribute to patient care and come home at night and say to yourself I made an impact on patient recovery and to the patient family today...Nursing is a very rewarding career with job satisfaction.

Now my son is also on his first year of nursing and enjoying the role of being nurse.

[nurseamyg]

Imagine some one comes in with severe pain and just seeing a nurse smile and give a drink and reassure them that I am a nurse here for you and will continue to look after you. Suddenly they get up and tell you "Nurse I feel better now." No tablets given; the presence of a nurse has treated the pain. I am proud to be e nurse even without pay.

[nurseamyg]

Chemotherapy nurse Ellie Hodge is a remarkable nurse. She hasn't lost sight of why she went in to nursing in the first place - there's real passion there for what she does.

When I first went into hospital and met Ellie she was instantly warm and very quickly put me at ease. She treats everyone like a human being rather than a number or a piece of data. I always felt like a person that she genuinely cared about and I know other patients have said the same.

Not only that, but while I was undergoing my treatment she offered so much support to my husband as well. He used to say that he felt Ellie was there for him as much as she was for me.

Throughout my treatment Ellie was incredibly patient - I never felt like she was in a rush even though I am sure that she was. It meant so much to be able to ask questions and not be rushed or made to feel silly.

One of the special things about Ellie is her ability to retain information about all of her patients - she always knew exactly what was going on with everybody's treatment. And it wasn't just medical information she remembered, it was all sorts of things going on in our lives outside the hospital.

The only way she can possibly remember all that is because she cares about all her patients as individuals and is actively interested in their lives. She speaks to the person, not the symptoms or the disease.

I just hope she realises how appreciated she is and what a difference she makes to so many people's lives.

[nurseamyg]

I love being there for my patients at night. I had a patient the other night who had a bad cough that was preventing her from getting any sleep, so I called the doctor at midnight and got a cough suppressant ordered for her. I love how I can do something small like that that makes such a difference.

I had another patient on Sunday that I had Friday as well, and when I walked in her room she said, “Ooh yay, you were the best nurse I’ve had since I’ve been in here,” which meant SO much to me! I admitted this guy from the E.D. on Friday night and when I passed by his room Sunday he said, “Hey Stephanie!” I stopped by, got him some ice cream, and just saw how he was doing.

I love my patients, I love my coworkers, and I love my job!! Yes, I have some bad nights where I can’t wait for the shift to end, but it’s always a challenge and I’m always learning and taking care of people. I can’t ask for anything more.

[nurseamyg]

Becoming a nurse many years ago i did not ever dream i would be traveling with the army and nursing in areas of conflict, supporting and caring for our soldiers in these difficult war torn countries. I am a Terrortorial Army nurse and only by joining the nurse profession I have had the opurtunities to travel to Bosnia, Kosovo, Irak, Afganistan and Ghana, performing nursing duties and proud to call myself a nurse.