Inspiring Stories

Whether you’re an active professional, student, or job-seeker, the health care industry is certainly not for the faint of heart. From pushy patients to HOBET studying stress to looking for a job in the tough economy, it’s easy to get down in the dumps, regardless of what stage you’re in in your career.

That’s why we’ve put together the most inspiring stories straight from the trenches, just in time for bringing in the New Year. So make the resolution to be positive and hope for the best!

Get inspired as these real-life health care professionals share their special stories that’ll remind you of why you got into health care in the first place.

1) Those Thank Yous Go a Small Way

So there I was, having a tough night in the ER. Five PTs, couple of belly pains, acute pancreatitis, intractable pain (not drug seeker but the real thing d/t spinal stenosis) and yes, one actual drug seeker (great actor though). Orders coming in simultaneously, docs calling to give more orders, call bells going off, charting being done on scrap paper for later input into the computer, you know, the usual new grad time management spin and futz.

Actually get to d/c one of the belly pains. She’s developmentally and physically disabled, very pleasant, just has a full plate medically so to speak. Everything’s done and her aide is starting to wheelchair her out when the PT yells, “Wait, I forgot say goodbye to {insert my 1st name}!”

The aide wheels her over to me and the PT grabs my hand and tells me how nice I was, how well I treated her and that she was glad I had been her nurse. All I could say was “you’re welcome.” Anything else and I probably would’ve teared up. She then leaves. I turn around, and the medical director, charge nurse and other staff are standing there smiling at me.

And magically, everything fell into place after that. Got everybody else admitted or discharged, finished up my charting and left on time. As Travolta said in Broken Arrow, “Ain’t it cool?”

2) Starting to Actually Like Nursing!

I started out even wondering if I should get a RN degree. I came from being mostly a stay at home mom, and also had a degree in a non health-related field. Nursing school was VERY strange to me, as were clinicals, my preceptorship and the actual preceptorship on the floor. It was just all so new to me — the culture of nursing and the hospital.

Through so much of it I was nervous, SEVERELY anxious, would go home crying, etc, etc. — wondered if I’d made a mistake, HATED the job, HATED the coworkers, the patients, their nutty families, etc. I SO doubted myself so much of the time and had so much fear about things and my abilities.

And then, something just seemed to turn around. I can’t even pinpoint it. I’m about five months off orientation now and a lot of it I’ve done before now, a lot of it I CAN handle, a lot of it I keep in my head now. I seem to be gaining my confidence now and don’t really get riled about things as much. I mean — doctors don’t even bother me anymore — even if they ARE mean — I just realized they also are under a lot of stress and patients are making incredible demands on them as well.

I don’t know if I’ve trained my brain, or what — but for some reason, not much scares me anymore. Things just all seem to work out and I’ve come to realize that the entire WORLD does not rest on my shoulders. Nursing is a team effort and I am just a part of it.

I can’t say I absolutely LOVE my unit — there are crazy things about it. I will probably move on when the commitment is done, but I can now see myself surviving it for the next year and am excited to move on to the next specialty. I mean — I am STOKED about wherever it is I will go next!!

And I have even taken another nurse or two under my wing now, which was REALLY a confidence booster for me.

And I have had my challenges — a special needs son while in nursing school, a non-existent spouse, family demands, budget demands, NO HELP, fighting fatigue, etc.

I don’t know. All I can say is stick with it, wade through the pain, the suffering, the hurt, and the fear — and you CAN come through it and start to gain confidence. And believe me, I am the most self-doubting, unconfident, shy, anxious self-beater-upper you’ve ever seen!!

I had an acute patient the other day — albeit a very sick one. He was lethargic during most of the time I was caring for him. But after a couple days of taking care of him, I confidently asked if he would give me a smile — and he did. A toothy grin, right at me — he KNEW I enjoyed taking care of him — and his smile was the most heartwarming thing I’ve seen in a long time.

Stick with it – the confident YOU will emerge. It takes time — sometimes it takes dealing with that humiliation, or terror, or disappointment — but you CAN turn that corner. If I did, anyone CAN.

3) I LOVE NIGHT SHIFT!

I love being there for my patients at night. I had a patient the other night who had a bad cough that was preventing her from getting any sleep, so I called the doctor at midnight and got a cough suppressant ordered for her. I love how I can do something small like that that makes such a difference.

I had another patient on Sunday that I had Friday as well, and when I walked in her room she said, “Ooh yay, you were the best nurse I’ve had since I’ve been in here,” which meant SO much to me! I admitted this guy from the E.D. on Friday night and when I passed by his room Sunday he said, “Hey Stephanie!” I stopped by, got him some ice cream, and just saw how he was doing.

I love my patients, I love my coworkers, and I love my job!! Yes, I have some bad nights where I can’t wait for the shift to end, but it’s always a challenge and I’m always learning and taking care of people. I can’t ask for anything more.

4) LVN Just Passed Her RN Test!

My mother who had been a RN in Taiwan came to the United States to give us a better life. With her degree in Taiwan, she was able to take the RN test in the US; however, due to language barriers, she was not able to obtain her RN license. Instead, she became a LVN. For the past twenty or so years, she has been working as a dedicated graveyard shift LVN. But her mindset was always at becoming a RN.

She studied whenever she had time and took the NCLEX many times but never passed. But her failures did not stop her from achieving high. She said to us that she will keep trying ‘til the day she dies. The moment has finally come. She just passed her RN test!!! Even though she is 57 years old now, she has taught us something important in life. Don’t give up! Reach high and someday your dream can come true.

Two years ago, I decided to follow in my mother’s footsteps of becoming a nurse. After having completed my prerequisites and sending in my applications, I am just crossing my fingers now and hoping I will get accepted somewhere soon.

For those people who doubt themselves, all I can say is that the fear of failing and constant doubting yourself will not help you in reaching your goal. It is the risk that we never took in life that we regret the most. Good luck to all of you!!

5) A Great Feeling

It’s a great day when you hear a “thank you,” but it’s a wonderful day when you hear “There’s the nurse that saved my life.” Lately, I have heard that a lot from people at work. I work in a prison staffed with 158 officers and 42 ancillary staff. Approximately three months ago, an officer came to the medical department with chest pain, elevated b/p, and classic symptoms of a heart attack. I insisted on calling an ambulance to send him out for evaluation at the ER. He declined. I went to the captain and was told I couldn’t force him to go by ambulance.

They called a Code 3 in the lobby of the jail. I responded with the crash cart and two other staff to find the officer on the floor. He collapsed before he got to the front door. I, along with another LPN and a medical assistant, obtained vital signs and an EKG, and sure enough, he showed a block. When the paramedics got to the scene, they shipped him to the cardiac unit in the ICU. He received three stents and returned to work two months later. About eight days after his return, he came to medical and had similar symptoms but more fatigue, weakness and some odd findings, like a mild rash around the arms and chest area, and a congested feeling in his chest.

I informed him that since his stent placement was only eight weeks old, we had to ship him by ambulance to the ER to find out if his stents were blocked or if he was allergic to something (medications) that they had put him on post-op. He again declined my ambulance ride to the ER. Code 3 to the lobby, and again, he was on the floor. This time he was completely out of it, confused. His respiratory rate was odd, first minute it was 24, second minute it was 6-8. The medics came, and I gave them the vitals and the EKG strip which showed an infarct. ICU for him once again.

Yesterday- three months after this second collapse – the officer returned. He stopped me in the hallway, gave me a big hug and said, "Thank you for saving my life. Sorry I was such a bullheaded man.”

There are many rewarding days in nursing but to hear those words “thank you for saving my life” makes your skin get goose bumps and brings a smile to my face! Every day is a great day to be a nurse. You can make a difference. It’s a rewarding Job. I wouldn’t want to be anything else!

 

 

6) Think Outside the Box; It Can Really Pay Off!

When I was 19, my mother decided to quit her job as a CNA, and open a boarding home where she would provide 24-hour care for up to four live-in residents. Before long, my extended family included an old man who had memory loss issues, an old lady with MS, and a 26-year-old guy who had suffered TBI in a car accident when he was a teenager. And, (to my surprise), I really enjoyed having those strangers around!

A year later, I was accepted into the Nursing program at the local community college, but by the time I graduated and became an LPN, my mother had closed up shop and returned to working at a local nursing home. So I moved from our small town to a nearby city and went to work as a live-in caregiver for a small agency that paid twice as much as I could get back home. After a year of that, I started working at an extended care facility, where I met a pretty, young CNA that I would soon marry.

A few months later, I convinced my new wife that we could make a better living and have a better life by renting a place big enough to take care of a couple of patients in our own home. She had serious doubts about it but trusted me enough to give it a shot.

Within two months, we had rented a place with two bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs, borrowed enough money to get two used hospital beds and all the supplies we’d need, and ran advertising in the local paper that brought us our first clients— two elderly ladies who had previously been wasting away in a nursing home.

We promptly quit our jobs and really enjoyed being able to spend all day, every day, together with our new clients and our newborn baby boy. Before long, we took out a big loan and rented a huge seven-bedroom home that quickly filled up with four more clients, and our business became our way of life.

My wife and I have now been married for almost 20 years, and we STILL provide 24/7 care in our own home! Our marriage is stronger than ever, our son has grown up and moved out, and our humble little business now provides us with a gross income of more than $140,000 a year.

So trust me when I tell you that you don’t have to work for a hospital, nursing home, or agency if you would prefer to be your own boss. Bet on yourself, and there’s a good chance you’ll eventually strike it rich. Plus you can share in, and add tremendously to the lives of some really nice people in the process. Yes, there will be many challenges and sacrifices along the way, but the security and satisfaction will make them all worthwhile.

 

 

7) Another Good Day!

One thing that keeps happening every time I work is that the patients tell me what a good nurse I am, or I’m the best nurse they’ve ever had. Those compliments really keep me charged.

This convinces me that nursing is not about the medications you give or the procedures you perform. It’s about listening to your patients and making them smile. I never leave a patient room without making them laugh or smile, even when I’m in a hurry. Patients WANT to know and NEED to know that you care about them.

I’ve been complimented that every time I enter my patients’ room I have a smile on my face and that I made the patient feel at ease. I also engage the family. They’re stressed and worried. I’ve been told by patients’ families that they go home with peace because they know their loved one is well cared for.

Although I do not enjoy medical surgery — it’s not my dream job — I know it’s the beginning. I leave every shift feeling like I did my best and that I made a difference. It’s been another good day!

 

 

8) CNA Rags to CNA Riches

I’m a CNA, bottom of the nursing profession’s “totem pole.” My last assignment was as a 24/7 live-in. My client died of natural causes on 12/31/2007. Three months into the assignment my client and I got into a discussion regarding my career path. I told him I wanted to continue my nursing career and become an LVN, with a long-term goal of having my own small residential group home here in Dallas. But alas I feared it would be cost prohibitive coupled with the fact that I was 56 years old.

He told me to research the cost and school of choice. On a daily basis he would ask me of the progress in the assignment. Out of respect and because of my dream I conceded. I told him I had found a fast track school, but it was very expensive. “How much?” he asked. Embarrassed at my audacity I advised it was a 17-month program at a cost of $18,500. “No problem” he replied, "consider it paid for and you WILL go. You are very good at what you do— the best — and you will go far.”

I was in awe and full of self-doubt. When he died, he left provision for me to attend the Dallas Nursing Institute. In addition, I would like to add that I started out at $10.00 p/h working through an agency. During my employment he bought out my contract paying the agency $5000 so that I could work for him privately and provide medical care. I couldn’t do that working for a non-medical agency. My income was increased to $25.00 p/h ($600.00 p/d), and would have been almost 1/4 of a million for the year 2008, had he lived.

So to all the CNAs out there, realize that your dedication and giving your client your all and then some can lead to a “Silver Lining”. I was so blessed because I went way above “Beyond and Above” from the get go for this and all my past senior home-care clients.

I am in the throws of getting my GED, yes, my GED so that I can start my LVN program. God bless those clients who fully realize a good nurse when they have one.

 

 

9) This Patient Made My Day

About a month ago, I had this little Spanish speaking girl as one of my patients. She had just gotten admitted before my shift started, she was scared, crying, her mother was a mess. She had been attackied by two rottweilers and by the grace of God a neighbor shot a gun in the air and they released. She had bite marks all over her legs, scraps and bruises everywhere and five penrose drains in her leg.

I had to put her in the tub once on my shift per orders and soak her legs. She did okay for me, but subsequent baths didnt go so well. I made sure her pain was well controlled, her Mom got a chance to get in the shower, and I stroked her hair every chance I got. She cried alot during my shift, sometimes she spoke small words to me and sometimes not. I went home that night, hoping she would learn not to cringe at the sight of a dog.

The next shift I worked, I stopped by her room to check on her. As I pulled back the curtain and approached her bed, she had the biggest smile on her face and she put her arms out to me for me to give her a hug. I was floored and tears immediately came to my eyes. THAT is the reason I am a pediatric nurse.

 

 

10) A Patient’s Peace of Mind

Years ago, while still in nursing school, I worked the overnight shift at a nursing home. More often than not I was the only Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for the fifty residents in one wing of the facility. Some nights I was the only CNA for all 150 residents. As you can imagine, I spent the entire night going from soiled bed to soiled bed, changing sheets, and changing and re-positioning patients.

One of the women living there had night terrors. She was never able to name that which she feared, but woke every few hours screaming in panic. Her confusion and fear touched my heart as I tried to imagine experiencing her quality of life. I immediately discovered that she would calm down and return to sleep if I spent 10-15 minutes talking to her.

Soon thereafter, I discovered that if I came to work 20 minutes before my shift started, held her hand, and talked with her she slept peacefully the entire night through. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week out of the life of a student nurse was a small price to pay for her peace of mind.