Just when you get comfortable

It's funny how life works. You think you have something figured out and then "BAM", something happens and you realize that you weren't as fabulous or knowledgeable as you thought you were.

I worked Sunday night because Monday was labor day and Troy would be home so I could take a nap in the morning after work. Plus it is nice to do the same amount of work and get paid holiday pay.

As I was walking into the hospital, I thought to myself "I am actually not nervous about going to work. I think I have been doing a good job lately". We got our assignments and I had two familiar patients and two of my other ladies were sweet. The night was going so well. We even wondered if one of the nurses would have to go home since we didn't have that many patients.

One of my patients had been sleeping for a while and requested something for pain, so I medicated her. About 25 minutes later, she calls me to the room and says that she is feeling weird and nauseous and her blood pressure had dropped a lot. She also had a difficult time talking and complained of not being able to breath. Obviously not a great situation. I got bunch of help and she ended up being just fine. However, it was a great reminder to not get too relaxed and how there is always so much to learn.

After the whole thing was settled and she was resting in bed, I talked to her and she said "I'm so glad you were my nurse during this and not the other nurse". I am one of the newest nurses on the floor and there was no way she was talking about my nursing skills, though I do think I am a good nurse. The other nurse has so much experience and is one of most competent nurses we have. Since I had taken care of her few nights before, we had established a trusting relationship. She had shared her life story with me. She had cried and I had held her hand. We had talked about my family a little bit and I had ensured that she would be emotionally and physically as comfortable and stable as possible.

I would have chosen the other nurse to be my nurse if this happened to me because that nurse knows more; however, for this patient and I think for many others, they want someone who they feel they can trust and someone who shows compassion and kindness toward them.

The event was a great learning experience for me and I will be studying more about the medications and hypotension, which is a drop in blood pressure. However, I am grateful that I don't have to practice caring and compassion and I am grateful that my presence was able to comfort her while some of the more experienced staff was able to help me to get her status improved.

Also this experience reinforced the fact that I love the human part of nursing. I enjoy doing skills such as dressing changes and I love figuring things out. But the most amazing thing for me is comforting a wife of a man who is terminally ill, or sitting with a patient and just listening because they are scared and alone. Or gaining the trust of a grumpy patient by giving them options and information about everything I do. However, I do not enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes from patient's status declining and having 10 people in the room to treat the patient.

This might make me a "softie" in the medical world, but I'm OK with that.