Nurses work closely with doctors. In fact, some of these nurses have been around longer than their resident physicians. Nurses are the ones who even assist trainee doctors while they’re still familiarizing themselves with hospital work.
And to show appreciation in all you do, I’d like to state a few reasons on why as a doctor, I’m thankful of nurses.
You are our eyes and ears, our hands and mouth, even!
Let’s be honest here, we aren’t around to care for our patients 24/7. It’s generally you, nurses, who sticks around the patient’s bedside to assess, intervene, and assist. During such instances, I ask my nurses to assess and interpret patients for me.
Because of how much time you spend around patients, we doctors heavily rely on your assessment and management, particularly those who are critically ill. I consider them my eyes and ears, and you are significant and reliable members of the healthcare team.
You often soak in the negative reactions from patients.
It’s an occupational hazard but it doesn’t mean that nurses should bear with it.
Oftentimes, it’s the nurses who receive the wrath of a patient or most especially the family when things don’t go their way. It’s you who have to endure a lot of verbal and most of the time, physical abuse, from patients. Nurses get kicked and yelled at by these aggressive patients. It’s an occupational hazard that often times nurses bear with and swept under the rug.
But on the opposite site, nurses are often the shoulder to cry on for the weeping patient or family. It’s always a beautiful thing to see how you connect with patients like that. You truly are angels here on earth.
You do the dirty work.
Nurses may wear white but it doesn’t mean that their uniforms can stay white throughout the shift.
Nursing is not the most lucrative job and when it’s time to clean a patient’s vomitus, blood, or other undesirable body fluids, it’s you who do the dirty work. When a doctor needs a specimen, whether it’s sputum, urine, blood, or stool, nurses have no option but do the dirty work. Aside from specimen collection, nurses also need to clean up after their patients, particularly those who deficient self-care. Being exposed to dirty works means a greater risk of exposure to various health hazards.
“I admire nurses for their intelligence because no matter how difficult it is to get a specimen from a patient, they always seem to find a way to do it,” an internist said.
You nurses don’t always get the credit you deserve. You are always overworked and understaffed but you always seem to deliver quality nursing care every time! With that, you should be appreciated more!
Special thanks to Dr. James K. for his words and the interview!