What can nurses do to better help you?

Kitchell
Kitchell Member Posts: 62
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I am an RN student and I would like to know what the nurses who care for you could do to better help you? I'm anxious to get your feedback! Please reply!

Comments

  • lynne40
    lynne40 Member Posts: 87
    #2
    Hi, From my point of view the nurses were very nice. The ones that bothered me were the insensitive ones. Don't tell someone facing baldness. "Oh big deal it will grow back!" It is a big deal to suddenly have no body hair, hair on your head or eyelashes. If your hair is just shoulder length think how long it will take to grow back. Don't trivialize, sudden menopause, either and infertility. Don't pretend to know how your patients feel, you can't imagine unless you've been through it yourself. Take patients questions seriously and don't deny information if the patient is asking for it. `Be pleasant and friendly. Most women were "someone " with a busy life before this illness came calling and they are afraid and unsure or just numb.Hope this helps you get an idea of how some patients feel. We are all scared, be genuine and you will go far in helping patients cope!
    Lynne
  • SweetSue
    SweetSue Member Posts: 217
    #3
    read and reread a patient's chart.....a nurse read my height as 52 inches, not 5'2".....my chemo dosage wasn't accurate. I know people make mistakes, but mistakes are rampant and it's scary.
    We're supposed to be responsible patients, but quite often we don't know what to look for or what to ask.
    I agree with the advice Lynne gave you,too.
    Thanks for asking,
    Sue
  • Kitchell
    Kitchell Member Posts: 62
    #4
    lynne40 said:

    Hi, From my point of view the nurses were very nice. The ones that bothered me were the insensitive ones. Don't tell someone facing baldness. "Oh big deal it will grow back!" It is a big deal to suddenly have no body hair, hair on your head or eyelashes. If your hair is just shoulder length think how long it will take to grow back. Don't trivialize, sudden menopause, either and infertility. Don't pretend to know how your patients feel, you can't imagine unless you've been through it yourself. Take patients questions seriously and don't deny information if the patient is asking for it. `Be pleasant and friendly. Most women were "someone " with a busy life before this illness came calling and they are afraid and unsure or just numb.Hope this helps you get an idea of how some patients feel. We are all scared, be genuine and you will go far in helping patients cope!
    Lynne

    Thank you very much for your insight. I wish you the best with everything. If you have any questions of me, please ask and I will do my best to answer them.
  • Kitchell
    Kitchell Member Posts: 62
    #5
    SweetSue said:

    read and reread a patient's chart.....a nurse read my height as 52 inches, not 5'2".....my chemo dosage wasn't accurate. I know people make mistakes, but mistakes are rampant and it's scary.
    We're supposed to be responsible patients, but quite often we don't know what to look for or what to ask.
    I agree with the advice Lynne gave you,too.
    Thanks for asking,
    Sue

    Thank you. Correct medication calculation is a BIG subject in nursing school. I will remember what you said. Thank you. If you have any questions of me, please ask them.
  • wingingit
    wingingit Member Posts: 48
    #6
    Make the patient feel like she matters to you as an individual. As Lynne and Sue have said, no question is too trivial nor attention paid to detail concerning our care too small. More specifically, a couple of comments regarding doctors nurses. If your voice mail says you will return a phone call within 24 hours, then do it. If you tell a patient you will get their test results to you, then do it in a timely manner. You may know that the problem we are questioning is nothing to be concerned about or the results we are awaiting are negative, but we do not! The waiting game can be agonizing as well as a waste of time when we have to put other things on hold to receive a phone call.

    Just be compassionate, empathetic, and considerate of our needs. Our attitude about treatment and its success is largely dependent on your own attitude. I think that nurses have just as an important role in the healing process as the doctors and have counted them among the angels God sent to watch over me while on this journey. I wish you a happy and rewarding career in nursing. . . Krista
  • DJC
    DJC Member Posts: 52
    #7
    K - for my part I would like to say that I encountered only very compassionate nurses during my surgeries and treatment(s)-they could not have been kinder or more helpful and personable - more so than even my own family members. The fact that I was able to endure so much of the discomfort and trauma associated with being treated for this disease was due largely to these angels on Earth. They were incredibly giving of themselves where my comfort and peace of mind was concerned. I'm sure patient care can always be improved upon, but from my perspective you Ladies and Gentlemen made my experience far and again much more tolerable. My best to you as you move ahead in your career and thank you for asking for our feedback. Donna
  • rizzo15
    rizzo15 Member Posts: 153 Member
    #8
    I know that the nurses are way understaffed at most places, but the thing that would have helped me and my Mother out the most was NOT to have them overlook scheduled pain medication times. My Mom was a little different case because she was in a hospice at the end dealing with pancreatic cancer. But I don't think the nurses understand just how physically and mentally painful it is to be "forgotten" for a half hour or so. A half hour is a long time to wait under those circumstances. Speaking for myself, the last time I was hospitalized, I was supposed to receive 1/2 Vikodin and 2 extra strength Tylenol every 6 hours for a shoulder condition. Some health professionals think this is a "trivial" amount of pain reliever and didn't think I would miss it over a 12-hour period. I finally had to threaten to discharge myself from the hospital to get my prescription drugs from home, they finally read my chart and gave me my Vikodin and Tylenol. It's amazing what a charge nurse can get done, as opposed to a regular nurse! You have to raise issues to the right people, I guess.
  • tlmac
    tlmac Member Posts: 272 Member
    #9
    My experience with nurses was a great one, overall. They were attentive to my needs and seemed genuinely concerned with my comfort. Medications were correct and always on time. My only suggestion is that you limit personal experiences with cancer to those with a positive outcome. If that's not possible, I'd rather you not discuss it with me. One young nurse, attending to me when I spent a weekend in isolation following my last cycle of AC (bald and too weak to lift my head off the pillow), spent almost 30 minutes telling me the story of her mother's battle with breast cancer. A battle she lost after 6 years of fighting. I'm certain she meant to let me know she understood my situation but I was already fearful of the future and the details of her mother's experience frightened me more. It's been over a year now and my hair is back. All tests and quarterly checks come back negative for cancer. I feel great and am ready to volunteer with my local Reach to Recovery organization. The young nurse did teach me a valuable lesson: keep conversations upbeat and positive. We all know this disease kills. What we need reminded of, regardless of stage or grade or even metasteses, is that more and more of us are beating it every day.
  • livin
    livin Member Posts: 318 Member
    #10
    Hi Kitchell I have had good and bad experiences with Nurses especially when it comes to pain medication. Some think they know when you should recieve the pain med and make you wait even if its do time for it. I remember my last time in the hospital for a intestional stricture caused by radiation I had 2 years ago for Colon Cancer. I had to go to the head Nurse to report a nurse who made me wait until she followed her routine of giving each person their meds according to room number so she wouldn't make a mistake passing out meds even though I had asked for something for pain a half hour ago. Then I had another incident where I was told by a nurse that I should stop acting the way I acted( In Pain) because I was a Nurse. I told that Nurse don't you every forget that first I am a human being 2nd Iam a patient and 3rd Iam sick and dont you ever forget. We nurses even though we know what is expected meaning some signs and symptoms of illnesses should never expect everyone to react the same to things. Believe me being a Nurse is helpful when you are a patient in the hospital because at times you catch people doing things wrong, some of them. Just try to treat people the way you would want to be treated as a patient.
  • geral
    geral Member Posts: 130
    #11
    Hello! You are off to a good start in your nursing career by asking what you can do for us. I'm sure many nurses start off caring; then, are overworked/underpaid and 'forget' why they got into the medical field to begin with! If you can maintain your caring attitude throughout your career, realize that YOU will help save many lives and make others alot easier.

    I've suffered from chronic pain since my lumpectomy 6/00. This, along with multiple other health problems, prevents me from being able to work and lowers my quality of life. As I am writing you, I am using 2 ice packs and 2 heating pads. Makes it really hard to type!

    Throughout it all, I have not been able to establish a good, permanent relationship with any of my healthcare providers, and it's not for lack of trying on my part. I am a kind, professional person who respects others and their time. If I could find one person who will stick with me and coordinate my care, I think I could be helped. I've only found a few over the last almost 4 yrs. who seemed like they wanted to help upon our first meeting, then, they 'disappear'.

    As far as my personal experiences with RN's...

    When I went for pre-surgery tests, the nurse complained that I was so nervous! (Wonder why?!?) In fact, I spoke to her in the hospital hallway about a year later, and she made the same comment.

    Immediately before my lumpectomy, the nursing staff could not have been any nicer. They treated me with compassion, talked to me, and tried to help me relax.

    For my lumpectomy, I was in the hospital from Fri.-Mon. One of the nurses told me in a very hateful voice that I had been in the hospital too long for a lumpectomy. She reminded me that most women are out the next day. When I went thru chemo & rads, I felt like 'another number'. Everything, was so 'clinical'.

    During chemo, my mother passed away, so you can imagine how depressed I was. Even with that, I didn't receive the compassionate treatment I so needed from doctors and nurses. Oh, they DID suggest that I see a counselor! If THEY had shown me compassion, I would not have needed to see a counselor. My mother died; I had cancer..I 'deserved' to be depressed!

    Without expanding anymore on my personal experiences, I think what would be helpful is for a RN to 1)Listen carefully 2)Repeat the patient's questions 3)Honestly answer those you can 4)Offer to and do 'get back to' us with answers on the other questions within 'x' amount of days 5)If your answer is to refer us to another medical provider, please don't make us feel like you're just 'shoving us off to pacify us and get us out of your hair'. Follow up with us on that particular complaint/question and make sure we ARE receiving help.

    Personally, I have been in a infinite cycle of 'brush offs' and am still suffering from chronic pain.

    Thank you so very much for asking and caring! Good luck to you!

    Take care...
    Geral
  • Kitchell
    Kitchell Member Posts: 62
    #12
    wingingit said:

    Make the patient feel like she matters to you as an individual. As Lynne and Sue have said, no question is too trivial nor attention paid to detail concerning our care too small. More specifically, a couple of comments regarding doctors nurses. If your voice mail says you will return a phone call within 24 hours, then do it. If you tell a patient you will get their test results to you, then do it in a timely manner. You may know that the problem we are questioning is nothing to be concerned about or the results we are awaiting are negative, but we do not! The waiting game can be agonizing as well as a waste of time when we have to put other things on hold to receive a phone call.

    Just be compassionate, empathetic, and considerate of our needs. Our attitude about treatment and its success is largely dependent on your own attitude. I think that nurses have just as an important role in the healing process as the doctors and have counted them among the angels God sent to watch over me while on this journey. I wish you a happy and rewarding career in nursing. . . Krista

    Thank you for replying. You gave some very valuable insights. I plan on passing all of the replies to my fellow nursing students. Thank you! Best wishes to you!
  • Kitchell
    Kitchell Member Posts: 62
    #13
    DJC said:

    K - for my part I would like to say that I encountered only very compassionate nurses during my surgeries and treatment(s)-they could not have been kinder or more helpful and personable - more so than even my own family members. The fact that I was able to endure so much of the discomfort and trauma associated with being treated for this disease was due largely to these angels on Earth. They were incredibly giving of themselves where my comfort and peace of mind was concerned. I'm sure patient care can always be improved upon, but from my perspective you Ladies and Gentlemen made my experience far and again much more tolerable. My best to you as you move ahead in your career and thank you for asking for our feedback. Donna

    Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope that I may never cause anyone to remember their experience in the hospital or other setting to be bad because of me. Best wishes for your furure!
  • Kitchell
    Kitchell Member Posts: 62
    #14
    rizzo15 said:

    I know that the nurses are way understaffed at most places, but the thing that would have helped me and my Mother out the most was NOT to have them overlook scheduled pain medication times. My Mom was a little different case because she was in a hospice at the end dealing with pancreatic cancer. But I don't think the nurses understand just how physically and mentally painful it is to be "forgotten" for a half hour or so. A half hour is a long time to wait under those circumstances. Speaking for myself, the last time I was hospitalized, I was supposed to receive 1/2 Vikodin and 2 extra strength Tylenol every 6 hours for a shoulder condition. Some health professionals think this is a "trivial" amount of pain reliever and didn't think I would miss it over a 12-hour period. I finally had to threaten to discharge myself from the hospital to get my prescription drugs from home, they finally read my chart and gave me my Vikodin and Tylenol. It's amazing what a charge nurse can get done, as opposed to a regular nurse! You have to raise issues to the right people, I guess.

    Thank you for sharing your frustrations because it helps me know what to watch out for. I work in a small hospital that is not understaffed, but I have done some clinical school experience in a larger hospital. Thankfully I had good, attentive nurses to follow but we had mor patients than I have ever had at my small hospital and both of us ran all day. I am grateful to work in my small hospital because I have more time to get to know my patients and develop a better relationship. When nurses are given too many patients, the attentiveness and caring can suffer. It almost becomes a triage situation. I would like to know how to help the nursing shortage. Maybe more patients need to cry out to the government more for programs and funding that will enable more people to get their nursing education. I am only one more nurse. This country needs alot more. Thank you for your insight. Best wishes!
  • Kitchell
    Kitchell Member Posts: 62
    #15
    tlmac said:

    My experience with nurses was a great one, overall. They were attentive to my needs and seemed genuinely concerned with my comfort. Medications were correct and always on time. My only suggestion is that you limit personal experiences with cancer to those with a positive outcome. If that's not possible, I'd rather you not discuss it with me. One young nurse, attending to me when I spent a weekend in isolation following my last cycle of AC (bald and too weak to lift my head off the pillow), spent almost 30 minutes telling me the story of her mother's battle with breast cancer. A battle she lost after 6 years of fighting. I'm certain she meant to let me know she understood my situation but I was already fearful of the future and the details of her mother's experience frightened me more. It's been over a year now and my hair is back. All tests and quarterly checks come back negative for cancer. I feel great and am ready to volunteer with my local Reach to Recovery organization. The young nurse did teach me a valuable lesson: keep conversations upbeat and positive. We all know this disease kills. What we need reminded of, regardless of stage or grade or even metasteses, is that more and more of us are beating it every day.

    Thank you! You are right about sharing experiences with bad endings! This nurse should have saved her experience to share with someone else who had lost someone through cancer, not a cancer patient who is grasping for any hope she can find. Best wishes!
  • Kitchell
    Kitchell Member Posts: 62
    #16
    livin said:

    Hi Kitchell I have had good and bad experiences with Nurses especially when it comes to pain medication. Some think they know when you should recieve the pain med and make you wait even if its do time for it. I remember my last time in the hospital for a intestional stricture caused by radiation I had 2 years ago for Colon Cancer. I had to go to the head Nurse to report a nurse who made me wait until she followed her routine of giving each person their meds according to room number so she wouldn't make a mistake passing out meds even though I had asked for something for pain a half hour ago. Then I had another incident where I was told by a nurse that I should stop acting the way I acted( In Pain) because I was a Nurse. I told that Nurse don't you every forget that first I am a human being 2nd Iam a patient and 3rd Iam sick and dont you ever forget. We nurses even though we know what is expected meaning some signs and symptoms of illnesses should never expect everyone to react the same to things. Believe me being a Nurse is helpful when you are a patient in the hospital because at times you catch people doing things wrong, some of them. Just try to treat people the way you would want to be treated as a patient.

    Thank you for your insight. Getting pain medication on time is important. Nurses are people, too. They should be treated with as much dignity as the next patient. I'm sorry you had such a degrading experience. I will use your bad experience to remind me of how NOT to be. Thank you and best wishes!
  • lynne40
    lynne40 Member Posts: 87
    #17
    geral said:

    Hello! You are off to a good start in your nursing career by asking what you can do for us. I'm sure many nurses start off caring; then, are overworked/underpaid and 'forget' why they got into the medical field to begin with! If you can maintain your caring attitude throughout your career, realize that YOU will help save many lives and make others alot easier.

    I've suffered from chronic pain since my lumpectomy 6/00. This, along with multiple other health problems, prevents me from being able to work and lowers my quality of life. As I am writing you, I am using 2 ice packs and 2 heating pads. Makes it really hard to type!

    Throughout it all, I have not been able to establish a good, permanent relationship with any of my healthcare providers, and it's not for lack of trying on my part. I am a kind, professional person who respects others and their time. If I could find one person who will stick with me and coordinate my care, I think I could be helped. I've only found a few over the last almost 4 yrs. who seemed like they wanted to help upon our first meeting, then, they 'disappear'.

    As far as my personal experiences with RN's...

    When I went for pre-surgery tests, the nurse complained that I was so nervous! (Wonder why?!?) In fact, I spoke to her in the hospital hallway about a year later, and she made the same comment.

    Immediately before my lumpectomy, the nursing staff could not have been any nicer. They treated me with compassion, talked to me, and tried to help me relax.

    For my lumpectomy, I was in the hospital from Fri.-Mon. One of the nurses told me in a very hateful voice that I had been in the hospital too long for a lumpectomy. She reminded me that most women are out the next day. When I went thru chemo & rads, I felt like 'another number'. Everything, was so 'clinical'.

    During chemo, my mother passed away, so you can imagine how depressed I was. Even with that, I didn't receive the compassionate treatment I so needed from doctors and nurses. Oh, they DID suggest that I see a counselor! If THEY had shown me compassion, I would not have needed to see a counselor. My mother died; I had cancer..I 'deserved' to be depressed!

    Without expanding anymore on my personal experiences, I think what would be helpful is for a RN to 1)Listen carefully 2)Repeat the patient's questions 3)Honestly answer those you can 4)Offer to and do 'get back to' us with answers on the other questions within 'x' amount of days 5)If your answer is to refer us to another medical provider, please don't make us feel like you're just 'shoving us off to pacify us and get us out of your hair'. Follow up with us on that particular complaint/question and make sure we ARE receiving help.

    Personally, I have been in a infinite cycle of 'brush offs' and am still suffering from chronic pain.

    Thank you so very much for asking and caring! Good luck to you!

    Take care...
    Geral

    Hi Geral,
    Sounds like you've had some really bad luck. Withy this day and age of healthcare the way it is if you were in the hospital F-M obviously you needed to be. No 2 bodies react the same way to any surgery, meds, or invasive procedure. All health care providers can do is give you average statistics. Don't beat yourself up. I had a lumpectomy and sentinal node biopsy last June and I was at the hospital about 5-6 hours. So there are ranges in care depending on the patient, patient's insurance, and standard of care practices where you live. If you keep talking with friends on these boards you will gain support for your feelings. Have you brought a friend or family member with you to your doc. visits? Sometimes having another person on your side makes healthcare providers more interested and caring. Educate yourself as much as you can concerning procedures and what's to be expected, it can ease the fear about what might happen. It sounds silly but a positive attitude goes along way. Docs are short on time, nurses are overworked. Sorry about the loss of your Mother, and at a very bad time. But you have to realize that maybe the docs and nurses also have bad things going on in their lives too. Hope this helps E me anytime,Hugs
    Lynne

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