By Remember, it’s me who chooses what size catheter you need!
It may be the doctors that are idolized for their vast knowledge and skills, but nurses know that they are really the ones in charge of a patient’s comfort and care. While good nurses won’t use that power to purposely inflict pain, it is nice to know that with a rude patient, you could if you wanted to. But please, don’t do it. Just put on your beautiful smile for those difficult patients and keep on working.
So you are allergic to Vicodin, Morphine and Norco… Let me guess, the only pain med that works for you is Dilaudid.
Some nurses know all too well the struggle of dealing with pain med-seeking addicts. New nurses may fall for the ruse of unexplained pains that only dissipate with a certain type of medication, but the seasoned nurse recognizes the signs and quickly sends the drug seeker elsewhere with a whopping sting of sarcasm.
The problem is not that obesity runs in her family, the problem is that no one runs in her family!
Another harsh truth that nurses must keep to themselves. Not all patient problems are the result of accidents, genes, or bad luck. Some patients bring the problems on themselves, a fact that nurses can only joke about when no one else is listening.
Code brown? That’s what my nursing student is for.
Every nurse has had to suffer through the grunt work as they made their way through practical nursing study. Now it is your turn to sit back and sip on your latte while your nursing student takes care of that not too pleasant patient problem down the hall.
These small doses of humor injected throughout the workday are therapeutic for nurses, helping to relieve the stress that comes with working in a medical environment. Don’t be afraid to show your own brand of humor as you work, keeping the jokes strictly between your fellow nurses.
