An interesting thing happened.
One evening, an elderly man was admitted to the critical care unit where I work after an unsuccessful cardiac intervention- unsuccessful simply because of his comorbid conditions. His condition was grave and his status was made DNR. His family was present and emotionally distraught and after preliminary care was given, they were allowed back. It was evident that they were focusing on his terminal condition and they were unsure of what to do. All of them standing there, choking back tears, I encouraged them to step foreward, hold his hand and speak to him. He would hear them. It wouldn't be long so make this time count. This gentleman happened to be the grandfather of an employee and I would'nt know the the impact of my words and actions until later. After he died, she came in and shared the video played at his funeral. She explained how important it was for me to "give permission" for them to touch him and speak to him. She relayed gratitude from her uncles, stating that otherwise, they would've never thought to speak to their dad and how special and important it was for them to take the time to say their last words. His teenaged grandson felt comfortable shedding his own tears while awkwardly holding his grandfather's hand. I share this as a bullet for just how great the nursing profesion is and as a practitioner, how much value it adds to my quality of life.
R
One evening, an elderly man was admitted to the critical care unit where I work after an unsuccessful cardiac intervention- unsuccessful simply because of his comorbid conditions. His condition was grave and his status was made DNR. His family was present and emotionally distraught and after preliminary care was given, they were allowed back. It was evident that they were focusing on his terminal condition and they were unsure of what to do. All of them standing there, choking back tears, I encouraged them to step foreward, hold his hand and speak to him. He would hear them. It wouldn't be long so make this time count. This gentleman happened to be the grandfather of an employee and I would'nt know the the impact of my words and actions until later. After he died, she came in and shared the video played at his funeral. She explained how important it was for me to "give permission" for them to touch him and speak to him. She relayed gratitude from her uncles, stating that otherwise, they would've never thought to speak to their dad and how special and important it was for them to take the time to say their last words. His teenaged grandson felt comfortable shedding his own tears while awkwardly holding his grandfather's hand. I share this as a bullet for just how great the nursing profesion is and as a practitioner, how much value it adds to my quality of life.
R