Saturday was my first day off after four strait shifts. So I came into work last night in a great mood, well rested and rejuvenated. Last night's shift was pretty uneventful; the kind of night you pray for. I was on top of everything and ahead of schedule (a huge rarity). The only issue with nights like that is you have too much time to think.
Since Christmas, I've watched two people pass and had to send two more back out to the Emergency Department. In the quiet last night I started thinking about those four patients. Instantly, my mood went down hill. I remembered the tears "Mrs. Jones" cried over her husband of 65 years after he was pronounced. I thought of the crack in her voice when I had to call "Mr. Smith's" daughter, who is in NY for school, and tell her he was unresponsive and sent back to the ER. This train of thought led me to one conclusion. I can't be the only one this effects in this way. It is a common fact that nursing is not a career you can do for money. You have to do it because you love it. If this is true, then everyone else MUST be effected by this. Right?
I came home at midnight and immediately went to google. The results shocked me. I was so certain there had to be tons of articles and studies discussing the emotional and psychological impact of being a nurse. Apparently, I was wrong. I did find a few, so they are out there, but none to the extent I expected. Here is a link to a study performed by the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) discussing Work Stress and Burnout Among Nurses. It's 22 pages so I know most people won't read all of it, but even if you were to just skim through the pages there's a lot to learn.
The lack of results baffles me. I'm on a mission to prove I'm not the only one. All nurses have one thing in common, we are human. I am a pretty well composed person. After receiving the news my own father, whom I was VERY close to, passed it took me days to cry and I refused to do it in front of anyone. So, if my new career has such an exponential impact on me, it has to do the same to others. I am starting research of my own. I will interview each one of my coworkers, all with different years of experience and different fields of nursing under their belts, and see how they are impacted. I can't wait to share the results with all of you.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
What This Means to Me
I am a new Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) rounding out my first year in this profession. Nursing school is a wonderful, challenging experience that pushes you beyond your limits and forces you to grow and learn. With that said, no amount of school or clinicals can truly prepare you for stepping out on the floor.
I am a veteran so my ultimate goal is to work with the VA; however, since I am a full time student working toward becoming a Registered Nurse, I took a part time job with a retirement community for military officers. Now, I know what you're thinking but this is not a nursing home. This really is a "retirement community." The residents live in either assisted living or independent living condos. There are tons of amenities on site from a bank branch, a putting green, tennis courts, restaurants, etc. As far as the healthcare aspect, the community provides primary care, urgent care, therapy and skilled nursing/ rehab services onsite.
I work on the skilled nursing/ rehab floor. We take patients as they are discharged from the hospital but not well enough to return to independent living. Our job is to get them to the point they are stable enough to return to their condos and continue happily living out their golden years.
Unfortunately, the first lesson I learned is, they don't always get better. So the ones that do are the ones that keep you going. The impact each person you care for has on you is amazing. I take great pride and derive much happiness from the small victories my patient's achieve and choke back silent tears while standing at the bedside with family members of the ones that aren't so lucky.
This blog is my place to record some of the many lessons I learn day to day. I'm focusing on the impact it has on me, mostly from psychological aspect. I hope it can be helpful and informative especially for those of you who wish to become nurses or care givers in the future. Thanks, in advance, for accompanying me on wonderfully scary journey.
I am a veteran so my ultimate goal is to work with the VA; however, since I am a full time student working toward becoming a Registered Nurse, I took a part time job with a retirement community for military officers. Now, I know what you're thinking but this is not a nursing home. This really is a "retirement community." The residents live in either assisted living or independent living condos. There are tons of amenities on site from a bank branch, a putting green, tennis courts, restaurants, etc. As far as the healthcare aspect, the community provides primary care, urgent care, therapy and skilled nursing/ rehab services onsite.
I work on the skilled nursing/ rehab floor. We take patients as they are discharged from the hospital but not well enough to return to independent living. Our job is to get them to the point they are stable enough to return to their condos and continue happily living out their golden years.
Unfortunately, the first lesson I learned is, they don't always get better. So the ones that do are the ones that keep you going. The impact each person you care for has on you is amazing. I take great pride and derive much happiness from the small victories my patient's achieve and choke back silent tears while standing at the bedside with family members of the ones that aren't so lucky.
This blog is my place to record some of the many lessons I learn day to day. I'm focusing on the impact it has on me, mostly from psychological aspect. I hope it can be helpful and informative especially for those of you who wish to become nurses or care givers in the future. Thanks, in advance, for accompanying me on wonderfully scary journey.
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