Fear, Children and ER Nursing
I watched him pace the back wall of the emergency room, cry, kick and scream while he watched my every move. “What is behind your back?” he half screamed and asked. The left side of his flushed face was swollen, more swollen than it was […]
Gone But Not Forgotten
The room was dark and quiet as I finished up my nursing note. My patient was tucked into her own bed and finally asleep as her daughter slowly ran her fingers through her mother’s white curls. I nodded goodbye and stepped out. Once in the […]
Human Connectedness
I sat in the back row of the large Catholic Church and watched the young people and their families file in. Most heads were bowed but some were looking around with sad eyes. My heart was racing and I physically felt uncomfortable as I fought […]
Releasing Some Pain
Her tiny, delicate face haunts me Perfect round structure Purple bruises line her cheeks Closed eyes, left one black Wild dark brown hair Fine and Full Flat in the back Long, wispy and straight out Red lips in a perfect pout Closed mouth What truth […]
Prayer, Patients and Presence
“Yes Ma’am” he says over and over during my triage of him. His accent is thick and Southern. He tells me he is “here in beautiful Maine with a Christian group doing some work at China Lake Christian Camp and that he has a little problem with some chest pain.” This young man—early 20’s—is a big burly kid with a smile that lights up the room. He is jovial and kind, but nervous about his pain. He tells me about an irregular heartbeat that usually doesn’t cause pain. As I talk to him he continues to call me “Ma’am” and just smiles every time he says it… He calls the doctor, “Sir” and the lab tech “Sir”…he is so polite I can barely stand it. (He is not our usual patient.)
Hand Massage and the Migraine Patient
I went to retrieve the 13 year old patient from the busy ER waiting room. I took her chart and looked around the waiting area. Amongst the noisy crowd; I saw a young girl, head in hands, lying in her mother’s lap. I called her […]
Rape, Fear and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner | Love Your Nursing Life | Bobbi McCarthy
Fear has crawled into my heart and its talons are gripping tighter…As I sit on my stool, hands in my lap, I silently scream to God to help me. I know that what this young woman is going to tell me is going to haunt […]
Behavioral Health Teen and the ER Setting | Love Your Nursing Life | RN Bobbi McCarthy
I stood in the doorway and watched my 15 y.o. behavioral psych. patient. She sat cross legged on the stretcher, hands tightly clenched in her lap, head down and eyes closed…rocking back and forth. A loud,continuous hum escaped through her throat…not a song kind of […]
Reiki and the Dementia Patient | Love Your Nursing Life | Bobbi McCarthy
She kept calling out repeatedly for help, with a loud, shrill, shaky voice. “HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP….” I could not comfort her or reassure her that she was okay, nor could I get her to stop yelling for help. The staff was getting weary and […]