HEALTHY LIVING

"Nurse! Nurse!"

The cry came from visitors in Mrs. Thompson's room. Mrs Thompson* was in liver failure, and she had new onset of siezure activity while these visitors were present.

The four nurses within earshot rushed to the room. They immediately went to work protecting her from injury, placing an IV line, and contacting her physician.

The fifth nurse on duty that night, Chris, had been on the other side of the hall, out of earshot. The unit secretary was answering call lights and writing down needs. Several of the needs involved IV pumps that were beeping because the IV's were either almost empty, occluded, or infiltrated. When Chris rounded the corner of the nurses station, the secretary asked, "Are you taking care of all the IV's?"

Twenty-five of the patients on our unit were receiving IV therapy at that time. "No I'm not doing all the IV's!" Chris exclaimed.

"Well, the rest of them are busy with Barbara's patient who is seizing down in room 495*," the secretary explained.

"Yes I'm doing all the IV's!" Chris corrected herself quickly. "Give me that request list," she demanded, grabbing the paper from the secretary's hand.

Funny how the perspective can change so quickly in this profession. Chris took one look at the patient in room 495 and the nurses attending to her, and said, "I knew right then I had the best job!"