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I suppose there are many different reasons why people become
nurses. Some do it for the money. Others do it for the prestige
that is associated with it. But I think it is pretty safe to
say that most people become nurses to ‘help patients get
better.’ The irony of the situation is that most patients in
turn ‘help nurses get better.’ Let me explain.
I was working 7pm to 7am in The Birthplace at Telfair-Post
Partum Unit. As I approached my unit on this certain night, I
heard the day shift nurses discussing patient assignments and
expressing the need for someone with medical-surgical
experience to care for the patient in room 347. For the purpose
of sharing this story, I will refer to this patient as Jane.
Jane had endured an emergency C-section the day before because
of complications associated with pulmonary edema. Her new baby
boy was healthy and settled into the newborn nursery until the
time came when Jane would be well enough to care for him.
Having had some experience with patients with pulmonary edema,
I agreed to take care of Jane for the night.
Halfway through report, a family member came out and said that
Jane needed to see her nurse. I explained to her that I would
be Jane’s nurse throughout the night, and just as soon as we
finished report I would come in and see her. Satisfied with my
response, the family member smiled, nodded her head and
returned to Jane’s room.
At the end of report, I had a much clearer picture of exactly
how sick Jane was. There were a wide variety of things
hindering her recovery. The following is a brief account of the
most obvious problems. As a result of the pulmonary edema, she
was having a hard time breathing. She was in a great deal of
pain from having had a c-section only 24 hours earlier. She was
nauseated and vomiting, rendering her unable to keep down pain
pills. She was unable to receive medications through an IV
because she had accidentally pulled it out earlier in the day.
And the last complicating factor was that she had voided almost
4 liters of urine over the last 12 hours without the
convenience of a Foley catheter.
Before I stepped into Jane’s room, I knew I had my work cut out
for me. But more importantly, she had her work cut out for her.
I went into her room to do a quick assessment and introduce
myself, only to find Jane’s situation worse than I had
imagined. She was slouched down in her bed, struggling to
breathe and had just vomited all over herself and her bed.
I began by quickly introducing myself and telling her what I
planned to do to help her. I explained that I would help her
sit on the side of the bed first. Once she felt ready, I would
assist her into a chair, because sitting up straight would help
her breathe easier. Once she was situated, I planned to call
her doctor and get a few orders that would, in my judgment,
allow me to give her the best nursing care; for example, an
order to reinsert her Foley catheter if needed, and an order
for an injection of Demerol and Phenergan if needed. From there
I would see how her condition changed.
Cont'd
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