I don't know if any of you are healthcare workers. I don't know if, as I write this, any of you are coming down after a 12 hour shift, or getting ready to go on one.
If you are a nurse I just want to say thank you. I was in having a conversation yesterday finding out that some surgery I was told 25 years ago might have to be done sooner or later - well I'm getting close to later. Doesn't matter what, no big deal, it's not that interesting to even me, but that whole thing was made better for me because of a nurse.
Doctors look at numbers and see you as a chart. Nurses look at your face and remember you are someone's mother.
Do you have any idea how important your work is? I hope so.
Listen.
When I take over I am putting twice as many nurses into hospitals and paying them all twice as much. Three times.
That's a promise.
Having worked in a nursing home I have the utmost respect for nurses. They are very special angels who do very special work. Over the years they have comforted me, helped me breath, helped my husband survive to see his grandchildren and much more.
ReplyDeleteThank you Barb! In my years as a nurse, I have surmised that doctors treat symptoms, nurses treat people. (*disclaimer...Not ALL doctors, mind you, just some of them I have had the displeasure of working with!) I'm glad you had a good experience with a nurse and I appreciate your thoughts...they started my day off with a smile!
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ReplyDeleteyou won't believe this, just prior to reading your blog I had a long telecon with my Dad. His wife (not my mother but a good friend to me) is in the hospital because the doc treated the symptoms and not the patient. It took a female PA to say "whoa you're just about septic and need paid meds too" after which DF's NuWife was admitted to the hospital. I know PA's are a whole level above nurses but all the ones I've known started as nurses and keep that great patient care attitude. Another WAHOO for nursing
Nurses can be fantastic. I am sorry you have had bad experience with a doctor, or maybe more than one doctor, but "Doctors look at numbers and see you as a chart" is rather rude, and a rash generalisation. Do you need to put down all doctors to make your point about your good experience with the nurse? There are compassionate doctors and nasty nurses too, probably even incompetent, uncaring university level teachers ;).
ReplyDeletekBenco, no intention to offend. Just a bit of writing on my life, not an op.ed. on a profession. Of course every profession has variety - just seemed to me that the nursing doesn't get the recognition it deserves sometimes, just wanted to say that.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Kbenco to have offended you. I'm speaking from my experience and truly, I've had mostly nurses that treated me as a person rather than a symptom. I've had way too many doctors, all men, who dismissed me without much thought. I have had a few exceptional male doctors who treated me and my family wonderfully well. I do hope my experience is a minority.
ReplyDeleteBarbara I am glad that you have added that comment in - puts it in a better perspective - there are good and bad in all professions. But doctors need nurses to function and nurses definitely need doctors as well - teamwork is important to the overall caring , expertise and health of patients.
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