But I couldn't handle you being nice to me the other day.
I was running around like a crazy person on a night when we were packed to the rafters. I was supposed to have the "easy" area, the one including the asthma chairs. But there were people with abscesses, and possible DVTs, and pneumonia in there. And because we were working short, I had several other rooms. And because one of those rooms was a monitored room, I got an ICU patient who needed CVP monitoring. I also had two psych patients who could barely keep from fighting with each other. People were (justifiably) bitching about their long waits, and for some reason, they all kept asking ME (instead of their own doctor or nurse) about when they would be seen, and could they have a sandwich, blah blah blah. One man was rummaging around in a cabinet, and when I asked him if I could help him, he said he wanted a straw (a hot commodity in our ED) for his wife, who was in another nurse's area. I went back into our staff lounge and dug one up and then ran off on my busy way.
The patients kept coming, my CVP guy was becoming increasingly more unstable, and I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed, being buttonholed by docs every other minute about orders for their patients, and feeling unable to keep up with everything I had to do.
I was standing at my desk putting together an IV setup when the gentleman for whom I had found the straw came over. He looked me in the eye and said, "You know, I've been watching you. Everyone around here looks busy, but you're the only one who is actually DOING something."
I stared at him for a second and said, "Well, thank you, that's very nice to say."
He touched my hand and said, "I really mean it."
My eyes immediately began to well up with tears, and rather than completely lose it, I snatched my had away, averted my eyes, mumbled, "thanks," and sped away, so he wouldn't see me get upset. I feel really bad about blowing him off, but I couldn't take it.
So, thanks, nice man, for nursing the nurse.
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8 comments:
Yeah, always knew you'd kick righteous ass at that.
So much for that "snippy" rumor someone has been trying to start...
I thought is was about time that I said I really love your blog. Thanks for putting it out there. Sometimes when I am having a really bad Nurse moment I think about your blog and smirk. Yep, there are jerks but at least one nurse is calling them out! Nurse T
Thanks, T!
It is good to hear that someone touched your soul! Compliments are far and few between but there are still good people out there! : )
Did you know that lemondrop.com has a link to your blog? Just thought i would let you know its a little summary of nursing blogs and yours is first in the article! Rock on!
http://www.lemondrop.com/2009/03/30/lifespy-nurses-who-blog/
I was just about to say that people were asking you for everything because you looked like someone who could help, and then you got the straw and I said, "A HA!" I was right.
Apparently the nice man felt the same way. It's so funny sometimes, how the smallest gestures can take on huge proportions in the ER. Patients appreciate things we don't even think twice about.
With the swine flu news hitting the airwaves over the weekend we were absolutely packed all day with mostly non-sick whiners. Everytime I called someone back, I got a blast of stink eye. And even though we have a big sign that explains the triage system in the waiting room, and, the receptionist explains it LOUDLY (yet with the utmost respect!)people complain that "I was here before she was, blah blah". I don't know, it was such a shitty ass, long day.
When out of the blue...someone (who was really sick, by the way), looked me in the eye,squeezed my hand warmly and said, "Thank you for making me feel better". It was all I could do to not burst into tears and hug him. I thanked him and 'got busy'. That happened yesterday, and I still feel all warm and fuzzy.
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