#bedside nursing

Have a living will/DNR+DNI.** Especially discuss this with your parents/older loved ones. Discuss those uncomfortable "when my time comes" and CMO topics. Appoint an MPOA if you cannot speak for yourself who will honor those wishes.

Death and grief are uncomfortable, yes, but unfortunately a part of life. I have taken care of numerous patients at bedside whose loved ones have... well... selfishly kept them alive in the name of love/"i'm not ready."

No one is ready.

They keep the patient alive beyond what their body can sustain. Instead of passing peacefully, they are kept alive practically suffocating for days. I can promise you those last few days of struggling to live are not worth it. Quality of Life is gone- let them sleep in peace.

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and then at 8AM you’re cleaning someone’s grandma whose afraid of you because she doesn’t know what’s real and what’s fake

and then at 9AM you’re getting someone’s grandpa a heated blanket and a little cup of ice cream

and then at 10AM you’re congratulating someone’s wife on their pregnancy and asking when they’re due

and then at 11AM you’re coding someone’s only living son and hearing their family scream and wail

and then at 12PM you’re eating a half-made sandwich and drinking an ensure while staring at the wall

and then at 1PM you’re being verbally assaulted for being on break and somebody’s aunt is mad because you didn’t bring their dilaudid fast enough

and then at 2PM you’re being told by someone’s daughter that you’re the only person whose listened to her in years

and then at 3PM you’re calling a rapid on someone’s brother who blood pressure is so low he’s not getting blood flow to the brain

and then at 4PM you’re cleaning someone’s grandma again because her bowel management system didn’t work

and then at 5PM you’re helping feed someone’s son who survived a MVC with a TBI and multiple fractures because the family won’t do it

and then at 6PM you’re scrambling to get written report for night shift while just now getting to sit down

I had a patient who was doodling and it was a pretty decent drawing, so I complemented him on it, he then showed me a drawing he’d done the night before and I almost cried!

It was 4 nurses with the biggest grins on their faces all hanging onto and riding on an IV pole down a hallway.

My heart took me back to a time when nursing and working with patients brought me and my fellow nurses that kind of energy and joy. Something I haven’t experienced in over 2 years now.

I remembered what it was like to actually enjoy the people I work with and doing my job.

I yearned for that joy, the urge to ride an IV pole down the hallway or to even skip.

I almost cried out of sheer longing for the co-workers who I could count on to make even a rough shift light.

I almost cried for the me I have lost, the me who used to love being a nurse to the point she would have done the job for free.

I almost cried.

He offered me the picture, I almost took it, but I respectfully declined. I wish I would have taken it.

I would have cherished that picture.

But now, I just keep thinking about it and keep tattooing it deeper and deeper into my mind and heart.

Have you ever seen a picture that you keep remembering and know you will cherish in your heart for a long time?

Compassion is a powerful force that has the ability to transform lives, and in the field of nursing, it is an essential component of providing high-quality care to patients. As a nurse, showing compassion towards your patients is not just a nice thing to do, it’s a fundamental aspect of your job. In this blog post, we’ll explore the power of compassion in nursing practice and why it is so…