For instance, I work night shift and I hear many, many times from my elderly patients, "I hope you get some sleep tonight!"...do people really think I get out my cot and take a nap?
I don't think you really know what a nurse does until you've lived it, mainly because we do so much.
My friends either think I wipe a lot of butts in a twelve hour shift or they think I'm helping to perform some crazy life-saving measure on my patients. In reality, I'm usually just helping my patients get through another night, hopefully comfortable and restful.
My mom (or any family member) feels that each night I'm holding the hands of an elderly person, loving them, and having an easy, stress-free night...but, I don't think this ever happens. I get a mix of patients. Sometimes their cute and kind and just want some TLC, other times their withdrawing from a mix of substances, combative and angry.
Society often times relates my job as a nurse to the medical dramas that they show on television. I, myself, wish my job as a nurse was like that of Grey's Anatomy, but it's not even close.
Now realistically my boss does not assume all we do is sleep on the job, my manager is actually a wonderful person and supervisor. I think in some settings though, especially as a night shift nurse, we are thought to do less than day shift. People assume our patients sleep and that we kick back and do nothing..this is false.
In my own perspective, I feel like I have no time to accomplish anything in those twelve hours that I work. I feel like I sit at a computer screen charting redundant information over and over again in various different places. Documentation is vital in nursing.
In all actuality, I am a caregiver above all else. I take the time to hold my patient's hands and give them TLC. I give them tough love if that's what is necessary, too. My job for the night is not to get all of my patients medicated and sleeping so I can finish my charting and have time to socialize, etc. My job is first and foremost to tend to my patient's needs. Regardless of how needy some people are, at the end of the day, my job is not about me and will never be about me.
I've learned that I know exactly what my role is despite what other people may believe. If I truly know what it is I'm called to do, I can do it and do it well.
-Meme made from http://frabz.com/meme-generator/what-i-do/
I think your meme is very creative in relations to a nurse. I love your comment about what you actually do as a nurse, no matter what others think nurses are/do. I definitely think a nurse should be someone who is willing to care for patients, no matter the circumstances and go the extra steps when needed. Sometimes it is just comforting to the patients to know that someone else cares for them and are willing to help them in their time of need.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your meme about nurses. It seems to be spot on. My non-medical friends also think that all I do is respond to all emergencies. When they find out that I am a wound care nurse they immediately ask if I see gun shot wounds. I actually have never seen a fresh gun shot wound. I also love that you say your mom thinks all a nurse does is hold older patients hands. This was the one that really made me giggle. My parents have no idea about "sun downers syndrome." :)
ReplyDeleteKatie that's so funny that people think you see gun shot wounds, if they only knew! It is humorous to me that a lot of people feel that night shift nurses get to sleep at night. I sure wish that was reality!
ReplyDeleteMariah, I really enjoyed your meme. I especially liked the picture you choose to represent your reality. I think that picture is perfect. I have actually had a patient ask me if working in the hospital is like it is on Grey's Anatomy. LOL! So, that picture definitely fits. I think you did a really good job.
ReplyDeleteMariah,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your meme. The perception of night shift is so funny. If something crazy is going to happen; it will occur in the middle of the night with less staff. I hope that multiple charting can be fixed in EPIC. It has helped radiology staff we only have to chart once.
Mariah,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your meme! As a fellow nurse, it made me smile. I absolutely love your image of Grey's Anatomy and the your text of what society thinks. I have been a nurse for 15 years and I have yet to live in the daily drama or the constant excitement that appears on a television show. :-)
Nice job!