🏥Day in a Day or Night Shift as a Nurse. Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

🕙 Hour 4 - Time to attempt to sit, gather my thoughts to chart assessment details and call the family member back from the third hour of shift.

Before I can finish dialing, anothercall comes through on my work phone - though I've checked on all my patients before taking a moment to breathe. A patient is ringing out for more pudding, though Ijust got them some and left the room less than ten minutes ago.

🩺 Hour 5 - Time to administer medication and do some wound care.

One patient calls out for help with using the bathroom right as I pull medication.
One patient states that they need their nurse (me) desperately, but is on their device the entire time I make it to the room. Only to find out they want a bottled water, when there is one unfinished right beside them.

🩸 Hour 6 - Time to reassess my sickest patients vital signs. It's also start to do AM bloodwork.
I'm the bad guy with the needle to poke and draw blood, but remind my patients it's to see what their bodies are up to.
I let them know how strong they are, that it'll be a quick poke - but be so helpful to hopefully getting them better or seeing if they are better.

🩼 Hour 7 – [Time to keep up the smile in my voice, though I feel like I've had enough at this point].

Reminding myself that we're halfway through the shift, [ but the end seems so far away].

I've already been yelled at, belittled by someone I'm doing my best to care for. It's just not on their terms - so I try to not allow it to frustrate me.
As I sit down to continue with documenting my findings, another call is in. Another patient is headed my way from the emergency department and it's time for report.
At the same time, my phone buzzes again - I learn a patient I was just in to see vomited everywhere.

🩻 Hour 8 - Time has come for that super upset patient to leave against medical advice. Nothing I did in speaking with the spouse or patient helped, so I step out of their way. Do they know that majority of hospitals are packed and dealing with diversion? People are sick everyone, beyond the pandemic - I can only wonder if they'll get a bed somewhere else.

Maybe waiting another 15 hours in an emergency department will work out better for them. I was going to bring antibiotics, but they want the IV taken out quickly. I contact the doctor sharing that I and the lead RN on shift haveattempted to diffuse the situation, already had an administrator come talk to the patient.

I scramble to get legal documentation for the patient and doctor to sign, after they attempted to talk the patient down. I think to myself, another bed opens up for someone in need who may or may not appreciate receiving the medical care and energy I poured in.