Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Sensational Week

For the second time in less than a month my patient was shackled to their bed and under 24-hour police guard (awkward!). Meanwhile, several other patients were also headliners and/or awaiting arrest. Watching the local news in the breakroom over lunch, I witnessed each patients' 15 seconds of fame then promptly returned to the floor to wipe their butts. 

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

What to do, what to do...

Does work, life, the weather, ever make you feel like this?
Well, at least we can say we're not handcuffed to a hospital bed (I hope you're not, reader) or getting slapped by a patient (true story). At least not today. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Night of the Living Nurse

It's been far too long since I've been awake during the day. Today, coming off almost two weeks of nights I feel like my skin just might set fire from the light of the sun.

Sometimes I can't believe how hard this job is and I catch myself wondering, "Why in the world did I sign up for this?" But the good usually outweighs the bad from day to day. Looking into someone's eyes in the middle of the night, knowing they probably won't be around much longer (not that most of my patients are that acute), and trying to give them a little comfort from their physical pain and the pain and loneliness that comes from being in the hospital is heart wrenching. It's weird to share such intimate moments with "strangers."