for those who have been sick,does it make a difference to have a nurse who really cares?

as I massage my aching feet,does it really matter,to have someone take the extra time to sit and talk,to wash your face,to make sure you are comfortable?Sometimes,it feels like people just want you to do your thing and get lost.Maybe I'm just old school.

There are still some of those out there, but today's nurses are overworked and underpaid and it shows.

When I broke my ankle last February and had my surgery there were some incredibly attentive and genuinely caring nurses taking care of me. Sure, there are some who would rather be elsewhere, but I think there are a lot of nurses out there who are not cut out to be nurses ( they are in it for the money...and good money it is ). I don't blame them....but I am grateful for the ones I had that were genuinely interested in their field of work:thumbsup:

was wrong I wouldn't say anything ( I'm not a complainer ) I just let it slide. The only thing I didn't like was they didn't give me the shot of morphine I wanted ( at 11:00 p.m ) I got it every seven hours or so, but when the late shift nurse came in, she refused to give it to me. They were also giving me Percocet ( it was a pretty serious ankle injury....torn ligaments and broken tibia ) The morphine helped more than the Percocet....and the Percocet just made my stomach turn.

that when I've been in the hospital, I've pretty much had wonderful nurses. I've had a couple who had all the warmth of a frozen mackerel, but overall, they were great, and I did feel it made a difference.

and i remember a couple months ago you posted about prayer beads you make for your patients and ended up taking a little flack from some people..

I hope you still do that, a little compassion is a wonderful thing...

and when the nurse came in to change my IV, she saw that I was having a bout of night sweats. Without me saying a word, she got a moist, cool rag and mopped up my face and head. Nurses are wonderful.

P.S. CNAs are wonderful too!!!!!

I'm a nurse. I come in at 7am, and people are vomiting, need pain meds fast, and the physicians are calling me about results of procedures I haven't begun to have a chance to do. I try to make patients comfortable, but doing foot massages would probably mean someone else had to sit there in pain waiting for their pain medication or nausea medication. I have obstetrical and post-surgical patients, so when things slow down, I have to monitor the pregnant moms for 30-60 minutes every shift. I don't really have a choice except to do my best to get my post-surg patients as comfy as possible, but a lot of extras would be my other patients wouldn't even get minimum care. I'm kind, gentle and make sure needs are met, but for most personal care stuff we have to delegate to CNAs just to have time to get our responsibilities done. I'm lucky. We never have more than 5 patients on my floor usually, but five people with individual needs keep you hopping nonstop.

They may not just want to get out of your room, they probably have another patient who's tachycardic and short of breath because their hematocrit is 22 and they're awaiting blood for a transfusion. Or they have someone else who's pain is 10 out of 10. Or someone else who can't pee and they have to cath them, so their bladder doesn't burst. Life-threating things happen all the time and nurses are paid well because they have to have the knowledge base to handle these tough problems without screwing up.

my worst hospital stays always involved either a nurse who was apathetic or a nursing staff that was short some nurses.

I don't need them spending time but it makes a big difference for them to have the helpful nice attitude. When you're in a hospital room, especially if you can't get up and almost all your contact is with nurses and doctors, it makes a huge difference. I guess there're people who make tougher patients than I do and maybe this is no big deal, but having a helpful & caring manner is part of what doctors and nurses should do. I think being very sick or injured can make people so vulnerable, whoever they deal with then is important, like to their health.

a gentle caring attitude from a caregiver is very important to sick people.

When you are very ill, you can feel diminished and less than human. A soft voice and some attention and empathy can help you through this.

I have had times in the hospital where I have had nurses that, while great clinically, had no "bedside manner".

I have also had wonderful nurses who were great in both aspects. Maybe surprisingly (or maybe not), I have had many male nurses who were great in this regard.

A good caring nurse is a godsend.

They make the difference between thinking you're alone, and knowing you're being cared for.

That kind of emotional difference can cause/prevent depression and can influence how well you recover.

From my experience with my daughter's asthma, you reach a point where you value competency more than anything. The compassion part is good and needed, but after a point you just want someone who gets the IV started the first time, doesn't make a med error, responds to needs in a timely manner, who gets tests scheduled and done on time. These are not the same things as the caring/compassion.

When I started in health care 30 years ago, before the lean staffing times, there were staff to provide that kind of hands on support. I worked in a small hospital in rural Kansas and each evening the aides gave backrubs. One of the PT techs would soak feet and take care of toenails on the elderly. That has all gone away with the staffing models used today and the general high acuity of patients.

I'd rather have a nurse who cares enough to do her job really, really well. I have a sister that I don't particularly care for. She's a nurse. If I was ever sick, she's the one I'd want taking care of me because I know she'd be doing everything in her power to make sure everything was done properly to help me get well.

She was cold. But she was very good.

A caring nurse makes all the difference. :hug:

I for one needed a hard ass nurse. One that told me like it was without any sugar coating. The same nurse that filled this role ended up being my favorite and in the end most compassionate really. But -- if she would have started out that way I may not have ever given her the chance.

That's just me I guess. I'd druther give compassion and sympathy than receive it. I guess I'm a hardhead.

:hi:

Since they saw you several times a day, for vitals, meds, and general fluffing and "how are yous?" they were the first ones to notice if things changed for you. If you had fevers, hurt more (even after a new pain med), showed different symptoms, or conversely were doing better than expected, and then promptly relayed this info the doctor.

They can no longer do it alone. You pretty much have to have close friends or family members with you when you stay in the hospital so they can keep up with you.

And I think "really cares" is kinda misleading. Yeah, who doesn't want someone who cares when they are sick? But caring comes in many forms: I'll take the crusty sort who knows what they are doing over a sickly sweet fluffball any day.

was in overnight because they I couldn't stop vomiting after a minor operation. The late shift nurse came in around 3am, dumped my little bucket, and gave me a cool washcloth for my face. It was better than all the anti-emetics and pain pills combined.

I almost cried just to have someone being kind.

There's an AIDS organization in NY called "God's Love We Deliver", and I've always thought that sums up the work of nurses.

always

nurses are a bit part of the healing of sick people in hospitals and elsewhere

I've got way too much experience with hospital situations both personally and with my family. It's rare to find a nurse that clearly doesn't give a shit and most of them are very caring but very busy and then there are a few who really try to see the patient as a person. We were fortunate enough to have a few of the latter caring for my dad when he was dying. It made a difference.

The loving care my mother received from nurse's aids and
visiting nurses and family, extended her life considerably.

She lasted 17 years with Alzheimers disease.

Well past what was predicted.