Day 25: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget.
So, I've written a lot about what it's like to be a nurse. I've been brutally honest at times. I do love my job, but nursing is one of those careers that requires a lot of blood, sweat and tears...for very little thanks. I know people say they appreciate nurses, and trust me, we love the donuts, pizza and cookies (even if our waistlines don't!-hey, that's what scrubs are for)...but very few people remember to thank their nurses. Especially in my unit, where everyone is so focused on their newborn baby that they forget to express their appreciation.
One day, I had a patient who I was spending a LOT of time with. She was determined to exclusively breastfeed and I was really trying to help her achieve this goal, even though it was discharge day and this little nugget still had not latched. She was a stubborn babe, and the Mother was incredibly overwhelmed.
Because I had a light patient load that day, I was able to sit down with her and give her some support during her emotional breakdown. It felt good to have the time to offer something other than Motrin :)
Later, she said to me: "Thanks for your help today. You're an excellent nurse and I wouldn't have made it through this without you."
I needed that. It reminded me of the reason that I became a nurse. I won't forget those words.
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