Another day in the JUNGLE

My day started out quick. I had a patient who is a nurse, whose 2 daughters are nurses and whose daughters' daughters are also nurses. 3 generations of nurses has the key to making my life wonderful or just miserable. Nurses, believe it or not, can be the most annoying patients. They think they know what needed to be done, they think they know what they want done. They are not afraid to verbalize their wants, their needs, their preferences. They do not want special attention, they demand it, they expect it. Nurses also have the tendency to be vigilant and observant about your every move. Are you washing you hands as long as you should? Are you using the right size needle for an IM injection? Did you explain what the procedures are for? Did you count the RR for a full minute? Do you know the side effects of the meds you're giving? I can name them all, but you get the picture.

I was hoping this was going to be the exception but having a family of nurses does not paint a very promising picture. I was right, however. SHE was the exception to the stereotype. She actually understood when it took time for me to answer her calls, or when I sent someone else on my behalf. She sent me out to do my "thing" while she's in the bathroom because she knew I "had a lot of stuff going on." She thanked me immensely for finding an extra tray for her daughter so that she need not go out anymore in the nasty weather we were experiencing. She understood what t was like to be a nurse. She was a nurse.