In defense of nurses...

[Guest guest]

I'm now four weeks post-op, feeling great and doing very well. I'm

also an RPN. That is Registered Practical Nurse in Canada. I've

worked in a busy unit for 15 years, and many of my patients are

critically ill. I have the skills required to assess and care for

these patients and the competency to know if and when my patients

require further care. I have the word " registered " after my name

because I am registered with The College of Nurses in my province and

I am accountable to them for all of my actions. I experienced poor

care while in hospital too, but, us " less educated nurses " are your

primary care givers. If you are looking for the nurse who gave you

your medication because you require assistance to the bathroom,

chances are she is busy giving someone else thier meds. (This was the

case when I had my surgery, the med nurse was the nurse who also

provided all my care) Understandibly this nurse may be busy. I on

the other hand can assist you to the bathroom, evaluate your

progress, check your incision, change your dressing, do a spinal cord

assesment to check for weakness, empty you drains, insert and take

out your catheters,assist in feeding you and provide an acurate,

factual report to the RN or doctor on your condition and progress. I

go home many times feeling that my patients have recieved the minimum

care, because there just aren't enough of us. But I know the care I

did give was done correctly and in a timely fashion. I work with

wonderful RN's but I also work with some that aren't as wonderful. I

feel I'm educated enough to provide any of you with the best nursing

care, the kind of care that I would want, not only because of my

education, but because I CARE! I care about my patient, I care that

they are feeling stressed because thier away from home,from thier

kids, I care about thier families, I care that they may have

recieved grim news about thier illness, I care that they and thier

loved ones are having difficulty dealing with a diagnosis, I CARE.

This is what maked a nurse, all the education in the world can not

teach compassion.

RPN

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much, ! I'm sure your patients appreciate the care!

I think in most cases, when we are complaining here, we are referring to

the nurses aides and other non-medical staff, the people who are NOT

registered, not very well educated, trained, or well-paid, etc. I

Thanks for caring!!!!

NB

At 05:05 AM 12/30/2001 +0000, have5kidsca wrote:

I care about my patient, I care that

>they are feeling stressed because thier away from home,from thier

>kids, I care about thier families, I care that they may have

>recieved grim news about thier illness, I care that they and thier

>loved ones are having difficulty dealing with a diagnosis, I CARE.

>This is what maked a nurse, all the education in the world can not

>teach compassion.

> RPN

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[Guest guest]

Hi Everybody,

I, too, really appreciated 's post, and like everybody on the

list, really envy her patients. In my long (unfortunatley) scoli

experience, I have been for the most part very lucky with nurses. Of

courses our memories play tricks on us, in that we tend to remember the

meanies and take for granted the serious, kind nurses. The vast majority of

the nursing care I have had in both Italy and France has been compassionate

and professional. There is always the jerk who slaps a bedpan under your

bottom and hurts you, but that is more than made up for the nurse who sat

by my bed all night, (knitting a sweater for the baby she was carrying),

because I was afraid to be alone. is right that we shouldn't dwell on

this - but I simply wanted to say that there are a lot of good people out

there who do their job well and we sometimes tend to forget it because of

the one lousy person who leaves a bad memory. As I write this, the New Year

is coming in with lots of firecrackers (the dog has crawled under the bed).

We're cooking traditional Italian food and I am thinking of all of you on

the list, wishing you a serene, happy and pain-free (both physically and

psychologically) 2002. All the best from Italy.