I saw this pop up on my Facebook recently, in between my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day shifts and before my New Year's Eve shift tomorrow.
The note is sweet but I am saddened by some of the reactions I saw to the original post. People commented about how this nurse must have meant for the flight crew to know that their job was important, but only because it was enabling her to do her significantly more important job.
If you're desperate for acknowledgment of how great your job performance is, you don't become a nurse. Today alone, one of my patients tried to claw at me while I was cleaning her up. I went to help another nurse with a patient of hers who needed to be calmed down and restrained. To be fair, I don't think anyone has ever been thrilled to be restrained. But, and this is also to be fair, it's not very nice to dig your nails into another person to try and break the skin and then kick her in the face.
Everything I have to do for each of my patients is somehow a part of a larger plan of care that includes not just myself but the patient's family, doctors and any number of specialists addressing that patient's specific needs. The things I have to do for and to my patients are not necessarily fun, for them OR for me. The hours in which I do them aren't necessarily fun for them OR for me. It can be incredibly difficult to fall asleep in the hospital, whether it because it's loud or you're in pain or just because you're not in your own bed. When I get into your room at 0730, I don't want to wake you up when I know it may have taken forever for you to fall asleep because you are hurting so much. I don't want to draw your blood, especially when I see you have bruises up and down your arms because your veins roll or collapse and each time they need labs, it might mean two or three needle sticks.
Because I know what it's like not to be appreciated, I try to make it a habit to thank everyone, even when what they may have done for me seems like such a trivial thing. I know what long hours are like. I know what missing holidays is like. I can't speak for every nurse out there but if I (and I would probably suggest most other nurses as well) should ever write you a note like that, know that it's because I actually appreciate you. I would never try to tell someone that my life is more valuable because this is what I do with it and imply that any other occupation is easy and selfish.
I have an idea. How about when people thank us, we all feel warm and fuzzy inside for being acknowledged and just appreciate it? And if it's not in the form of an anonymous note, maybe even a "you're welcome" could be thrown in there for good measure.
Happy New Year!
...but please, don't visit me at work.
