Nurse Blogs

Last time I wrote, I was being quite a baby about getting a Td and a flu vaccine. Well, the soreness did indeed last a few days but I got over it.

However, I still hate vaccinating kids, those squirmy, crying kids who look at me with such fear which later turns to mistrust and hatred. Will they hate all women after this experience with me coming at them with all of those needles? 

I once had a 25-year-old woman faint as I prepared to give her a tetanus shot. She truly fainted. Down on the floor. Over and out. It was quite a scene. She hit her head, was bleeding from a small laceration from where her head hit the corner of the desk. It wasn't pretty, and the doc wouldn't let me give her the Td while she was down! Darn! (And why not? She was unconscious anyway!)

But seriously, we nurses sure have to do a lot of things that are invasive and sure don't feel good to us or to the patients. It's a wonder anyone trusts us at all. 

Still, I love being a nurse, and can't quite see giving it up. Or can I?

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I've been giving vaccinations since nursing school, and I've probably given thousands by now. MMR, HiB, Td, pneumovax, flu, DTaP, varicella, testosterone, Depo Provera---you name it, I've given it.

So, why do I feel like such a baby after receiving my flu shot and a tetanus booster on Wednesday?  Both of my arms ache, especiallymy left arm where the Td was given. It feels like a dead weight just accidentally attached to my torso. Is this how I've been making people feel for so many years? 

Signed, 

Nurse Achey Arm

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Sorry I haven't been around during all the hubbub here on NLU. I went away for a few days and look what happens when I'm off-line!

Anyway, a few days not working, relaxing by the sea, bicycling and reading books----these are the things that keep me sane (not to mention red wine, dark chocolate, and a few other indulgences which shall remain nameless.)

I've been working hard at the health center, giving beaucoup flu shots day in and day out. And when flu season rolls around, many providers decide to look at patients' health maintenance profiles and update ppd's and Td's and Pneumovax's at the same time, so you can just imagine how the needles fly! Well, they don't actually fly, but they sure move fast!

Plus, even though I often work per diem in CCU, I was actually floated to the psych unit right when I got back from being away, and I found that I really liked it. The staff are all very supportive of one another, the patients are treated well, and I found myself quite happy and relaxed. Hmmm. Not that I'm not happy at work on most days, but the change of pace was nice. Does this mean something for my future? 

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Yesterday, a patient looked at me and said, "You're so smart. Why aren't you a doctor instead of a nurse?"

"So," I replied,  "do smart people always have to be doctors? Isn't it good to also have smart nurses?" 

"Well, I guess you're right, but aren't doctors usually smarter than nurses?"

I guess I was feeling impatient but tried to still be kind. "But what does that really mean? Does it mean that as a smart nurse I'm wasting my time not being a doctor?" 

She looked at me. "Well, as a doctor, you could help so many more people than as a nurse. You could make people well." 

"Don't I help people now in my role as a nurse? Don't I help you a lot?"

"Yeah, I guess you do. And Dr. __________ is away so often, I usually come to you with questions and you answer them for me. You always seem to be around and willing to talk." 

"Exactly. If every smart nurse became a doctor, there'd be too many doctors and almost no nurses. Nurses don't just do what doctors tell them to do. A lot of nurses work on their own and think on their own. When we talk about your problems, I don't ask the doctor for her opinion. I tell you what I think from my own knowledge and understanding. Don't you think that that's important for me to be able to do?" 

"Yeah. You're right. If you were a doctor, then you'd be busy like Dr. __________and I'd never be able to see you anymore. Then I'd need another nurse to answer my questions. Wow. I never thought of it that way before." 

"So, do you still think I should be a doctor?" I asked. 

"No, no, no---I want you to always be a nurse, because then you'll have time to talk to me! I hope I didn't offend you with what I said about you being a doctor." 

"No. Don't worry about it. People need to realize that nurses can be smart too, and just because they're smart doesn't mean they need to be doctors. Smart nurses are important, too, y'know?" 

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Ok, so there are almost 400 people who are members of Nurse LinkUp? Where are they? It's time for people to post on the forums, write some blog posts, and connect with each other! 

The other nurse networking sites have lots and lots of members, but there are also lots and lots of advertisements and other commercialism that turns me off.

I appreciate NurseKeith's articles, and I can see that he's trying hard to provide us with fresh interesting content every day. Yes, the site is not as jam-packed as the other nursing sites, but there's still a lot here. 

So, where is everyone, anyway? 

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