Angels in Scrubs

Physicians taught me how to treat diseases. Nurses taught me how to care for people.

It’s no secret that I feel more of a kinship to nurses than I ever felt to physicians. I was an orderly working eight-hour shifts with nurses long before I went to medical school. I saw what the nurses did, how hard they worked, and how the orders physicians gave, with little thought to implementation, affected them directly. They also treated me as part of a team, not as cheap labor to be abused and berated.

During my internship I quickly learned that nurses can make a physician’s life easy or a living hell. I threw myself on the mercy of the head nurse at the beginning of my ICU rotation and she guided me, suggesting drug dosages, ventilator settings and letting me know when to call for help.

Obstetric nurses taught me about the natural progression of labor: when a woman entered active labor, when she was in transition, when to intervene, and when to leave well enough alone. (Thanks, Marj B!). One threatened to teach me about labor: “We’ll shove a bowling ball up your butt and then tell you not to push.”

Clinic nurses taught me to treat Medicaid patients with kindness, respect and a little tough love. They also taught me I could not solve everyone’s problems.

Once in practice I realized I couldn’t do my job without nurses. They spent an eight or twelve hour shift with a labor patient while I was in the office or tending to someone else. Sometimes they would stay past shift change if the woman was close to delivery. They started IVs, ran Pitocin, magnesium sulfate, antibiotics, and blood. They comforted a woman while she got a spinal or an epidural anesthetic. And they were the first to resuscitate a baby in trouble.

Nurses watched over my patients after surgery, while they recovered from serious illnesses, and while they slept. One seasoned med/surg nurse told me what drug to order for a little old lady whose daily cocktail was a lot more than “mostly ice;” she went into “D.T.s (acute alcohol withdrawal, the night after her surgery.

Nurses are not afraid of anyone, including physicians, who sometimes do really stupid things. Chocolate and contrition goes a long way towards appeasing them. Not pissing them off in the first place goes even further.

Physicians live by “every man for himself,” with, until fairly recently, an emphasis on “man.” Nurses support each other, and physicians who stand up for them. They don’t have massive egos (for the most part); they just have to deal with those egos every day.

Nurses will cry with you after you’ve delivered a dead baby, or when someone with a terminal illness finally loses the battle. They’re eternally grateful when you have the foresight to buy everyone lunch because the day is going to hell and they will never make it to the cafeteria.

So Happy Nurses’ Week to all the nurses of various species I’ve known: registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, advanced practice nurses, nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and my favorite, certified nurse midwives and L&D nurses.

 

6 thoughts on “Angels in Scrubs

  1. Sue Truessel

    Thanks so much for your wonderful tribute to nurses. It means a lot even though I no longer am working. We always knew that we could count on you to back us up as we dealt with the craziness at Women and Children’s. It was truly a pleasure working as your primary nurse. You are a fine example to physicians who need to learn how to respect and work with their nursing staff.

    Reply
  2. Barbara Parker

    Thanks Dave, for a great tribute. You were a joy to work with every day–Love, from (hopefully) one of your favorite midwives~Barb

    Reply
  3. Suzan Corbett

    What a nice tribute to nurses. My experience with you was in the clinic at Saints and I found you to be an amazing resident filled with compassion and caring. I am glad to still have you as a dear friend all these years later.
    Love you bunches !

    Sue Corbett

    Reply
  4. Dorann

    The company I work for gave the nurses a cheap plastic water bottle printed with the company logo for a nurse’s week gift. I would rather have received a copy of this priceless tribute. THANK YOU!

    Reply
  5. Monica

    Thank you for such wonderful, thoughtful, and humerous reflections. It is so wonderful of you to think of us during Nurse’s Week. I always enjoy working with you.

    Reply

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