It’s time to be a Strong Nurse

I was about to ‘boost’ a patient up in the bed with a colleague and I noticed how strong she was. I hardly did anything! Later that night, a patient coded and she started CPR. I noticed that she could do it for such a long time with so much force. She’d take a break just for a few minutes before she took over again.

When I took over, I realized how little endurance I had. I was wiped out after a minute.

After the code, another colleague mentioned how she heard pumping noises right before the code was called. She knew that it was that strong nurse doing CPR.

After I went home for the day, I felt my abs hurting.

This made me think about all the strong nurses there are. Especially in the ICU. Especially her. So she’s my strong nurse idol. I want to be a strong nurse.

I bought new running shoes and workout clothes yesterday from Adidas. I haven’t had a sports bra since high school (I’ve been swimming instead). I have to build my endurance. Do free weights. Etc.

It’s time to be a strong nurse.

And I’m bringing my boyfriend along for the ride.

Strong nurse!

Listen! Let someone finish speaking.

Today, I saw how important it was to listen to someone. Yes, even if they are rambling on and on and you know a lot of information about it. When you don’t listen, you really don’t know what the question she really wants to ask is. What it comes back to is ‘assessment’.

You must assess the situation. What does this person know, and what does he want to know? Often times, a person doesn’t really understand what he knows and doesn’t know, so really listening to him will allow you to figure out what it is he is really trying to ask, for you to properly answer the question, and for him to feel a piece of mind that he was heard completely through and not interrupted.

This is even more important when time is short. Why? Because when you ‘think’ you know what they are asking and you answer it without feeling assessing his question, then you will give information that is not what he is seeking for and he will consume more time to ask the same question again. It’s really best to listen to the person the first time all the way through. Be patient.

And look at someone in the eye when you speak. It helps.