Nothing ordinary about it

The first thing I do after getting report on my patients is to do a quick assessment. I wanted to share what happened one night during my initial assessments. I am not changing the stories or situations. Please keep in mind that this all happened in the span of 20-30 minutes.

Room 1. Older woman who had come in initially for a 2 day stay to get a procedure. She had suffered a stroke while in the hospital and had ended up having to stay for over 10 days. She was weak, frustrated, but nearly ready to go home. As I assess her, I told her that she could probably leave the next day, and she was thrilled.

Room 2. A patient on hospice with her daughters in the room. The patient was no longer responsive, wasn't eating or drinking, and her breathing was ragged. I assessed her and wondered if she was going to make it through the night. Her daughters were tearful, so I asked them if I could pray with them. As we prayed, I held their hands while they held their mother's. I assured them that I would do everything I could to make their mother more comfortable in what could be her last night.

Room 3. A young woman who had two little girls visiting. I did the assessment and then asked the girls if they wanted to try listening through my stethoscope. I had them listen to each other's lungs and then made funny noises/ beatboxed into it. They thought it was pretty cool.

Room 4. A woman who was an ideal patient. Hardly needed anything, but was just waiting for her medications to work so she could head home.

Room 5. An elderly lady who was suspected to be a victim of elder abuse. She had wounds all over her body that didn't make sense. She was confused, in pain, and I wondered what would happen to her once she went home.

I walked out of the last room, took a deep breath, and then got back to work. I realized just how crazy it was to walk into five completely different situations, deal with completely different emotions, and then keep working. And that is what is expected of you- from praying with the family of a dying patient, taking a deep breath, and then laughing with the little girls in the next room.  This was an ordinary shift, but there was nothing ordinary about it.

Today is National Nurses Day. Find a nurse and hug them because every single shift they are expected to keep their patients safe, perform complete assessments, notice the little details and changes, chart accurately, be the patient's advocate, clean up poop, blood, and vomit, deal with difficult family members and doctors, go for hours without food or bathroom breaks, handle emotional situations and rude patients, go from room to room without letting anything phase them, experience emotional whiplash, and keep smiling through it all.

So. Go find a nurse, give them a hug and say thank you. Or give them donuts. We like those too :)