Help
Me get Better
The Birthplace at Telfair
by Pamela J. Rahn, RN
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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