Inspired by the giving presents to teachers thread- giving presents to nurses

[lowie]

when my dd was 3 days old she got very ill and ended up in the local pediatic ward for almost 3 months. every chance we could my mother and I would bring in breakfast lunch or dinner for all the nurses. these women (there were no men) literally saved my daughters life, they certainly saved my sanity and they deserved far more then just cookies and bagel platters.

after my dd was home and healthy i wrote a 10 page letter to the administration with each nurses name and something special about that person. i'm sure that meant more then all the food combined.

 

[roseprincess]

when my dd was 3 days old she got very ill and ended up in the local pediatic ward for almost 3 months. every chance we could my mother and I would bring in breakfast lunch or dinner for all the nurses. these women (there were no men) literally saved my daughters life, they certainly saved my sanity and they deserved far more then just cookies and bagel platters.

after my dd was home and healthy i wrote a 10 page letter to the administration with each nurses name and something special about that person. i'm sure that meant more then all the food combined.

That is so neat!!
I'm sure those nurses were very thrilled and touched by your generosity!!
Thanks for sharing! Glad your dd is doing better

 

[MagicalMom]

after my dd was home and healthy i wrote a 10 page letter to the administration with each nurses name and something special about that person. i'm sure that meant more then all the food combined.

At my hosp. these type of notes are hung on a board for all to see. If your name is mentioned in the letter, well then..........It's like being chosen Prom Queen (I would guess anyways!) So kind of you to take the time to send the letter.

 

[Maryr1]

I stopped working about 10 years ago and over the years I recieved a few gifts from patients-all small little things-but each with its own amazing story. Once I took care of a man who needed bypass surgery. He was from my hometown and I knew of him and his family-He was an old man-very stoic-and was terrified of showing his emotions. I spent a lot of time with him and his wife. He had the surgery-did great and he and his wife bought me this lovely necklace(costume jewelry). I know there were of limited means and I was very touched. A few years later my father passed away(he was only 58) and they came to the wake-I was SO touched!!!! His wife told me then that I was the one that got them through there difficult time....and they wanted to be there for me. WOW. Another patient I had(I was doing research at the time) was a really nice woman-very interesting,she raised sheep. I always talked to her about her sheep 'cuz I'm a big animal lover. I saw her on and off over a couple of years. One Christmas she comes in with a big box-she had sheared her sheep and had enough to get it spun so she knitted me a sweater from her wool. It is the most magnificent sweater I have ever seen. It is more of a V-neck tunic. She never measured me and it fit like a glove. I still have it. I forgot to mention she had crippiling arthritus and it must of taken her months to make it. She passed away a year later. I still think of her and smile!My final story is one that I reflect on often-I had an elderly Jewish man that came in every week for blood work. He was always there first,rarely spoke and was always patient and kind when we had trouble getting a vein. I know he was lonely,I believe he was widowed. He always dressed in very old, but neat clean clothes. The week of Christmas,in he comes. I draw his blood and as he is leaving he shyly turns back to me and takes a little wrapped box out of his pocket. "For you" was all he said and then he left quickly. It was a Christmas pin that played a hymn. I wore that pin like it was diamonds. What a kind dear man. My thoughts on gift giving to professionals is this-I never expected a gift,or even a thank you. But the gifts I remember and treasure are gifts that came from the heart. I hope I was as generous to my patients as they have been to me.

 

[sugarpie]

when my dd was 3 days old she got very ill and ended up in the local pediatic ward for almost 3 months. every chance we could my mother and I would bring in breakfast lunch or dinner for all the nurses. these women (there were no men) literally saved my daughters life, they certainly saved my sanity and they deserved far more then just cookies and bagel platters.

after my dd was home and healthy i wrote a 10 page letter to the administration with each nurses name and something special about that person. i'm sure that meant more then all the food combined.

That is so wonderful. I'd take that over food any day.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I think everybody who likes their nurse should give them at least a million dollars. That only seems fair.

 

[Disney Doll]

My thoughts on gift giving to professionals is this-I never expected a gift,or even a thank you. But the gifts I remember and treasure are gifts that came from the heart. I hope I was as generous to my patients as they have been to me.

Well said!!!!!!

 

[Disney Doll]

Some thoughts on the comment that nurses "eat their young" from the other side...an older nurse who has probably been accused of this.

I am not trying to "eat our young", but you do need to be aware that the profession you have chosen is one that require dedication and a commitment to your patients and colleagues.

Nursing is not a job, it is a calling. You are priveleged to share in the most intimate moments of peoples' lives. You are priveleged to be able to be there at the beginning of life, and you are more priveleged to be able to be there at the end.

Work ethic is something that I am slowly seeing disappear. Many of the newer nurses I encounter want to be "administrative" nurses, which is fine, but that is not going to happen right out of nursing school. I work with ynew nurses who don't want to work weekends, holidays or evenings because "none of my friends do". I work with new nurses who will allow a patient to lie in their own excrement while waiting for a nurses aide to clean them up because "that's the aide's job".

If we older nurses are eating our young, maybe it's because our young aren't too great and need a bit of a kick in the pants.

 

[DawnCt1]

If you read my original post, I'm not just talking about gifts(or no gifts) to nurses, the verbal respect that nurses don't get. Like I said, I've been back-stabbed many,many times from coworkers, screamed and sworn at from a patient's family. I'm sure other nurses have gone through this abuse as well. I can't be the only one

Would like to hear from other nurses, please. thanks.

I don't know if you are going to hear what you want to hear. When I worked in the hospital, on med surg anyway, I always felt that the supervisors were like guppies; they ate the young alive. I was very glad to escape to occupational health nursing where the employees appreciated everything I did for them. I had as much time as I needed for care, teaching, etc. I loved it. At Christmas time I always got tons of gifts, from people I never expected. When I left the employees gave me a party. I was stunned. I still miss my job and I didn't think I would ever say that about a nursing job. How did I lose my job? I was also stabbed in the back.

 

[sugarpie]

If we older nurses are eating our young, maybe it's because our young aren't too great and need a bit of a kick in the pants.

That's a very rude statement. I've worked with a lot of older nurses who are too lazy to get up off their butts to do their treatments or give a pain med. I don't make it my mission to make their job a living hell, though.

Maybe a little kindness to your co-workers will go farther than a nasty attitude.

 

[noodleknitter]

Disny Doll, my mom saw this so much in her career. Young people who have been coddled and fed lots of "self esteem" crap, and who believe that the aides are low life's. It is a sad state.

She was horrified during her last hospitalization re. some of the attitudes. 3 nurses came back to her to apologize for missed meds, forgotten treatment, harsh attitudes, and lack of care, when they found out she was a retired RN. Only because they thought she might nark on their negligence.

 

[Louise-Montreal]

I have been a teacher for more than 25 years, and I too see young teachers fresh out of university who want to be principals!! These are two different jobs- why anyone who loves to teach would want to be an administrator is beyond me. Like you, I feel my profession is a calling. I cannot imagine anything worse than spending your day with 30 people you do not like- yet there are people in my profession who do not like kids and do not like teaching. That said there are many young people who are wonderful teachers, and I am sure there are many young nurses who are genuine and caring-although I have met some in the emergency room who must work with DisneyDoll.
Just to say I have seen these ambitious ones in my profession, too!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

Some thoughts on the comment that nurses "eat their young" from the other side...an older nurse who has probably been accused of this.

I am not trying to "eat our young", but you do need to be aware that the profession you have chosen is one that require dedication and a commitment to your patients and colleagues.

Nursing is not a job, it is a calling. You are priveleged to share in the most intimate moments of peoples' lives. You are priveleged to be able to be there at the beginning of life, and you are more priveleged to be able to be there at the end.

Work ethic is something that I am slowly seeing disappear. Many of the newer nurses I encounter want to be "administrative" nurses, which is fine, but that is not going to happen right out of nursing school. I work with ynew nurses who don't want to work weekends, holidays or evenings because "none of my friends do". I work with new nurses who will allow a patient to lie in their own excrement while waiting for a nurses aide to clean them up because "that's the aide's job".

If we older nurses are eating our young, maybe it's because our young aren't too great and need a bit of a kick in the pants.

I'm fifty years old, one of the "older" nurses myself, and I have not seen that age has ANY relationship at all to work ethic. I've worked with plenty of nurses my age and older who would rather let a patient lay in their own excrement than do "aides work."

And after working in research, case management, and home care I can tell you that I've met many older, experienced nurses who hardly do 25 hours of work for the 40-hour paycheck they collect every week.

It is a huge mistake to make assumptions about people based on their age. It's a shame to justify lecturing, blaming, and accusing younger nurses based on these false and prejudicial assumptions.

 

[DawnCt1]

That's a very rude statement. I've worked with a lot of older nurses who are too lazy to get up off their butts to do their treatments or give a pain med. I don't make it my mission to make their job a living hell, though.

Maybe a little kindness to your co-workers will go farther than a nasty attitude.

When I worked part time, I would float to the OBS unit. I loved it. When the "babies were out" I saw it as my responsibility to help the new moms with their babies. Many found it difficult to handle such a tiny thing and get the mouth lined up to the nipple. That was when the nursing staff took their break. I also gave back rubs to my patients. I was "advised" NOT to give back rubs to my patients unless they were first day C-Section post ops because they would come to expect it. I have worked with older and younger nurses who are too lazy to get off of their butts. I was fortunate enough to work with wonderful Jamaican aids who would bend over backwards to help if you helped them. I am from the team nursing days when we actually, for the most part, worked together.

 

[DawnCt1]

Nurses really do eat their young. I always swear some people become nursing instructors just so they can have power & make others miserable.

Shew, now I've got all that off my chest . I feel much better. Thank you. BTW, even if it doesn't sound like it, I love nursing!!!!!

When I was in nursing school in the late 60's early 70's, the feminist movement was front and center. I really believed that women respected each other, treated each other fairly and were "sisters". Even after I entered the world of work, I tried to hold on to that belief. After years of working in nursing, and then after years of working as an occ health nurse where I was a crying shoulder for sad employees, it has become apparent to me that WOMEN ARE NOT NICE TO EACH OTHER!. It truly saddens me. I lived in denial of that for a long time, yet employee issues from supervisor down to worker bee often centered around a difficult female boss and an unhappy female worker. I had so few employees that had trouble with their male bosses that I can hardly recall them. Men are not sensitive, either way. Not that issues don't emerge but they seem to roll off of their backs, but women just seem not to be nice. My best friend is an executive secretary and she would rather work for a man any day.

 

[Krisu]

Lazy nurses can be any age! As for "nurses eat their young", it is true, but mostly by insecure people. I've been a nurse for over 25 years and take pride in helping new grads learn the ropes and become more confident in their own skills. Nursing is very demanding. I once took a quiz in a magazine about finding your true career!! I thought maybe there was some big bucks career that I was missing out on . The results of my quiz??? Nurse or Social Worker So much for the big bucks, but made me realize this is what I am supposed to be doing

 

[sugarpie]

When I worked part time, I would float to the OBS unit. I loved it. When the "babies were out" I saw it as my responsibility to help the new moms with their babies. Many found it difficult to handle such a tiny thing and get the mouth lined up to the nipple. That was when the nursing staff took their break. I also gave back rubs to my patients. I was "advised" NOT to give back rubs to my patients unless they were first day C-Section post ops because they would come to expect it. I have worked with older and younger nurses who are too lazy to get off of their butts. I was fortunate enough to work with wonderful Jamaican aids who would bend over backwards to help if you helped them. I am from the team nursing days when we actually, for the most part, worked together.

I didn't mean for my earlier post to come across as an attack on older nurses. I just don't understand why someone would lump older nurses into one category and younger nurses into another. It's kind of ridiculous.

I was one of those new mothers who had a difficult time nursing. I learned a lot from the good & bad nurses I encountered during my stay. Thank you for being one of the helpful ones.

 

[DawnCt1]

I didn't mean for my earlier post to come across as an attack on older nurses. I just don't understand why someone would lump older nurses into one category and younger nurses into another. It's kind of ridiculous.

I was one of those new mothers who had a difficult time nursing. I learned a lot from the good & bad nurses I encountered during my stay. Thank you for being one of the helpful ones.

I would LOVE to float to OBS, I thought it was the "funnest". Unfortunately its where I found the laziest nurses of any age. I can recall eating supper in the cafeteria and sitting with them. Nurses who were pregnant, delivered and returned from maternity leave would walk into the cafeteria and I would hear how "horrible they behaved and what babies they were" when they delivered. I was terrified when I became pregnant. I didn't want to deliver in my own hospital. I promised myself that no matter how uncomfortable I was during labor I wouldn't say a peep, and I didn't. No way was I going to be part of anyone's dinner conversation.

 

[sugarpie]

I would LOVE to float to OBS, I thought it was the "funnest". Unfortunately its where I found the laziest nurses of any age. I can recall eating supper in the cafeteria and sitting with them. Nurses who were pregnant, delivered and returned from maternity leave would walk into the cafeteria and I would hear how "horrible they behaved and what babies they were" when they delivered. I was terrified when I became pregnant. I didn't want to deliver in my own hospital. I promised myself that no matter how uncomfortable I was during labor I wouldn't say a peep, and I didn't. No way was I going to be part of anyone's dinner conversation.

That's hilarious!

I so did not want to deliver in my own hospital, either. But I did & it seemed like everybody I'd ever worked with, or gone to nursing school with, came out of the woodwork & ended up in my room. What a nightmare! Needless to say I switched doctors & went to a different hospital with my second pregnancy.

 

[Divamomto3]

I'm a nurse. I would never want a present. I am a professional and think nurses should be held in the same regard as your accountant, physician, or attorney. I don't give them presents and I don't want one either. I prefer my patients to see me as in the same league as the professionals I stated above and not as someone on the same par as their hairdresser or waitress. If the American Public realized that I had a 4 year college degree and the large percentage of my personal colleagues have at least their BS, if not their MS as well, and that often we are the first eyes that recognize something is wrong (or right) and alert the doctor to it, perhaps they wouldn't be so quick to treat me the same as a housekeeper or handmaiden.

When this country finally requires RN's to all have equal education standards as all of the other professions do, then you will see greater respect from the public. For now, as long as the RN's that graduated magna cum laude from Boston College and the LPN's who went to a technical school for a year and a half are unable to be told apart by the public, you will not be seen in the same light as other professionals. I prefer to be lumped in with the untipped white color professional and not the nail salon girl.