Trust me, I'm a nurse

For the seventh consecutive year, US citizens participating in a Gallup poll have voted nurses the most trustworthy of all professions, based on nurses' honesty and ethical standards (as reported in the New York Queens-Courier, January 9, 2009). Really, that is a good choice.

Nurses are notoriously protective of our patients.  We learn early on that a major charter of registered nurses is to teach.  We teach patients how to cope, how to take their meds, how to change dressings, what to ask their doctors.  We also are primarily patient advocates.  That means against everyone else.  Doctors, administrators, family, anyone who does not have the patient's interest in mind.  It is our job.  And, man, I am telling you, it puts us at odds sometimes.
Often, in the intimate moments that pass between a nurse and her patient, when the body is laid bare and the most fundamental processes are shared, so is the soul.  The fears, the doubts, the mistrust of family, friends, or other healthcare workers all come out. Haltingly, at first, then the patient often pours out the feelings that concern him and distract him from his recovery.  
Often, when the nurse acts on the information, involving social services or informing the doctor of the situation, the family or close friends react with hostility.  We are seen as interlopers, new additions to the mix, with no understanding of the true situation. But, the patient has spoken, and from that moment on, we caretakers need answers and reassurances that the patient's concerns will be addressed.  It is our job, and, usually, our passion.  We want the best for our patient.
I was 'fired' from the care of  patient once, when I was a brand new nurse.  The patient had told me repeatedly of the squabbling of his children, the passivity and vulnerability of his wife, and his concerns about his care should he be released to home.  He called his middle aged children 'selfish sons of  bitches'.  I spoke with the charge nurse, the social service worker on duty, and spiritual care workers, as I am required to do. Ultimately, small town politics factored more greatly than the patient's needs.  The ICU nurse manager, very new to her job, not only listened to the family, but revealed to them that I had expressed concerns, and then she found their demands more compelling than the patient's fears.  As I exited the room near tears, in misplaced shame, and in concern for my patient, the smug family members exchanged glances of triumph.  I met my patient's eyes, and they reflected the fear and dismay we both felt.

He had trusted me, and I had failed him.  But, I would do it all over again, even knowing the outcome. Because it's my job.  I'm a nurse.
Image from Google images