what was or is your most
rewarding experience?
I spent the year my mom was dying teaching senior nursing students clinical practice. The year before my 1st grandson was born severely brain damaged, unable to suckle, turn, play or smile. I learned how important it is caring for those who can do little to nothing for themselves. While on the unit I taught, we cared for a mentally challenged woman who was spastic with little stimulation. When I approached with my nervous student, I simply reached for the patient, stroked her head and sang *You are my sunshine* as I did daily with my grandson who suffered from seizures immeasurably. The patient immediately calmed and sought for my voice and soft touch allowing my student to be calm and administer her meds via her peg tube.
I didn't realize the effect I had on my student...I knew what it had done for my patient. In the yearbook that year, this student wrote that day in words as her most memorable experience.
What we do for our patients, others also see and learn. Mentoring is important for our profession also.
Brenda, RN
Doing mouth to mouth on a child who
stopped breathing on the way to the hospital. Had to chase the father around
the big admitting lobby to get the child from him. After about ten puffs
the child began to breath on his own, to my great relief! (And the father
never did say a "Thank you", but I felt very satisfied.)
Alberta, RN
In ICU, I helped care for a nineteen
year old, six months pregnant (high risk) girl who went into acute renal
failure. We dialyzed her, sent her to OR for C-section. When she returned
to our ICU she was unstable and went into DIC. Forty eight hours later
she was still alive, she remained unresponsive. Three weeks later she was
discharged to rehab. Two weeks later discharged to home. One year later
she visited our ICU with baby. Both were doing great. We made a difference!
Sue, RN
I was caring for an elderly woman,
legally blind, in frail health but keen mind. She had chosen nursing as
her profession in 1930 and shared many experiences with me. One day in
the course of care, she said to me, "My dear, I can not see you, but I
would recognize that touch anywhere, it is so familiar to me, it is the
touch of a nurse."
Karen, RN
The day one of my alert patients
was trying to get my attention. I was in deep thought about another ill
patient at the time and did not answer her quickly enough. My alert patient
then yelled, "Mom!". I quickly looked at her like she was one of my own
kids, and started laughing so hard that she starting laughing with me.
Today as it stands, my resident still continues to call me mom, and I always
respond.
Michelle, RN
Not one particular experience comes
to mind but I have many patients in the hospital and home care that request
me as their nurse. Have been told that I am like one of the family, and
that I am a very caring and compassionate person. Have even cried with
them on occasion, both happy and sad tears. Nursing overall is a rewarding
experience.
Jessica,RN
Carleta was a beautiful thirty two
year old woman from the Philippines. She was admitted to the GYN-ONC unit
because she had ovarian cancer. I was a nurse only a year and was shocked
with the reality that young, beautiful women do have life threatening illnesses.
Being younger than Carleta, I only thought of the older person haing the
life threatening illnesses. Carleta was a patient on the unit several times
for her chemotherapy and multiple surgeries and procedures. When you have
a patient that returns monthly you get to know them and their family real
well. Carleta's husband would come and sit quietly in the background. He
would bring her two year old daughter to visit with Carleta. For each admission,
Carleta's mother would stay with her. We closed the room down to other
patients so that her mother and family would have room to stay and visit.
Carleta's mother would position the other bed in the room next to Carleta's
so she could watch over her. We did everything we could to make this time
easier for Carleta and her family. Extra patient meal trays would go to
Carleta's room. I remember when Carleta had a Groshong catheter inserted
while in her room. I held Carleta's hand as the doctor inserted it. Carleta
yelled out in pain and cried. I held her hand and tried to comfort her
as the tears rolled down my face. During the day that Carleta passed away,
the family sensed that she was going to pass away and all came to the hospital.
They walked into the room when Carleta took her last breath. Carletta's
two year old daughter was sitting on the bed pulled close to hers and was
screaming, "MOMMY, MOMMY!" This scene has stayed with us since. What I
remember about Carleta was her beauty and grace. She had the most beautiful
black shiny hair, and lost it all due to chemotherapy. She covered her
head with baseball caps. She was also more difficult to care for and to
accept her diagnosis, prognosis, and death because she was so young. The
reality of life and death has no discrimination when it comes to age. Carleta
was so young . . .
Cheryl,RN and Lori, RN
My most memorable patient was a 32
year old homosexual male with Aids. I knew him from diagnosis to death.
He had a family who could not accept his lifestyle, or his disease. The
last evening I took care of him he was is a confused state and was not
doing very well medically. His mother said to me,"My son will die tonight,
please be with him as my husband will not allow me to stay here to be with
him". That night when he did pass on to heaven, I was by his side, holding
his hand and stroking his forehead. He was the youngest patient I ever
had die and was also the same age as I was. I will remember that night
forever and realized the importance of not dying alone.
Christine, RN
I work on a busy maternity floor
and I often realize what the patients miss out on with the busyness of
our unit, until I had a patient that had a baby precipitously. The
mother cried for help as the baby crowned and as I entered the room, I
saw what was happening and the fear in her eyes. She stated "Is my
baby gonna die?" I calmed her, delivered the baby removed the cord
from the baby's neck and the baby was fine. I have never had such
a greatful mother. I received a letter a few weeks later inviting
me to the christening since, she said, if it wasn't for my calmness the
baby would be in bad shape. It really made me feel good to know that
I had made a difference.
Kimberly, RN
Most
of these stories are a few I collected from a lovely handout we got
for Nurses Week 1998 from the Oakwood
Healthcare System that I work for. Most of the stories are written
by nurses who work in various Oakwood United Hospital's sites. I am very
proud to say that I work with such wonderful, caring people. Some
of these stories were shared with me by some kind, caring, wonderful nurses
online.