Sunday, May 4, 2008

In the dead of night......

The visitors are gone. You lay sleeping through the night. The beeps of the machines are echoing down the hall, the dinging of call lights wakes you up. "I need a blanket, I want a drink, my pain is high, my a/c is loud, can't you do anything about those people next door?" and so on. I hate to break it to you, but I am here to keep you well.
I will let you vent, but we need to understand each other.
I'm here because I believe there is no higher calling than serving your fellow man. Health is the one thing that everyone must deal with. The touch of a warm cloth in a fever, a quick clean when you lie in your own stool, even a massage when you have some back spasms.
I demand respect. I am not here to be your servant...i'm here to help you become as functional as you can at the moment. I am not here to find 15 chairs for all the family you have here, or get you 3 pepsis when your glucose is over 500. I will not agree with your non-compliance with care. You can choose to do so, however, do NOT yell at me when you can't understand why you aren't doing better.
I vent, I yell, I cry at times.....but I wouldn't trade the moments I've seen for the world.
I like to think that my grandfather had the kind of care that I give everyday. I hope that patients remember me when they leave the hospital...and I know that I won't see many of them again. And I'm ok with that.
so what motivates you to do what you do?

1 comment:

overactive-imagination said...

..that there are patients out there that really are grateful for your help and actually thank you every so often....that there are still nurses who see their patients as more than a MAR and a shift assignment. I hope to have the priveledge to work with many nurses of your calibur.
Keep up the good work. You are going to ROCK!