Email excerpt

Just a little bit if the desert for ya. I can't decide which I like best the cactus or the palm trees...you can keep your fall leaf changes and the summer humidity, I'll keep the heat, the cactus and the palm trees.
This is a little excerpt from an email from my favorite nurse:

Long day today. I admitted an Indian woman yesterday from the ER. She had 32 home medications which were not written on the med reconciliation form and No allergy band on from ER. She went to the ICU at 0300 today for respiratory failure. I got her back not bathed, from ICU at 10AM. 25-30 relatives at her bedside. Well at 1820, after being in the room for the last 20 minutes of her life,the nursing supervisor tells the Organ donor bank that she is a white lady. Well,that fried me for some reason and I told him Hey she is no white lady she is Native American. I did not see her grandson standing nearby but, he stopped me in the hall and thanked me for correcting him. She would appreciate it. Long day.

Sometimes it's the little things...they can either make your day or just mess it up. The 32 meds not on the med rec form and the allergy band not on the patient from the ER will most certainly mess up your day. I find it happens a lot from the ER...all over the country. I know they are busy down there, I've worked there a couple of times but, they still need to be held to the same standards as the rest of us...just those little omissions can cause error.
Getting your patient back from the ICU without a bath or at least smelling like they got no bath seems all too common as well. Most ICU's bathe their patients at night but, I have run into some that don't get it at all...maybe it's too basic of a nursing chore for them...that's one of my peeves. I know you are trying to keep them alive and it's really busy but if they are well enough to come to the floor then you should give them the decency to be clean when they get there. Getting a dirty patient half into your shift can really make for a messed up afternoon, cuz then you have to stop and clean them up before the hoards of family members come to see them. Minimal visitors and lots of weird smells in the ICU can mask it for ya but, no so on the floor. Plus, I don't feel like I have cared for my patient if they appear dirty or unkempt.
Just that 2 seconds it took for the grandson to thank the nurse can make your whole day seem worthwhile. After all, it's what we need, just for someone to notice that we really do care. After a long day of family in your face, patients being crabby, poor staffing, nurses whining about their assignments, doctors yelling, and your boss not backing you up, it's nice to hear something positive.If we didn't care, we wouldn't do what we do. Just one sincere thank you for a little thing can make it a good day.
We can do it for our co-workers too...let them know if they helped you, tell them you appreciate it. It just might make them have a good day.
Thanks to my favorite nurse for sharing and for caring enough to be the very best....
Non noc nocere.