If you've spent any time in hospitals you understand that when it comes to one on one time with the patients, it's the nurses who do the bulk of the work - and it can absolutely be a thankless job. Working in the medical community can be draining, physically, emotionally and mentally.
That being said, a little bit of appreciation goes a long way. But how, exactly, do you thank your nurses when their shifts rotate so quickly and you never really know who is going to be on staff when?
Reddit user PossibleDogNapping asked:
Nurses of Reddit, what's something a patient can do for you to show how much they appreciate you?
Turns out there are quite a few ways, but it pretty much boils down to snacks and a thank you note. If that's all it takes, then nurses really must not get thanked anywhere near enough. So allow us to take this moment to say THANK YOU - from anyone who has ever been a patient to anyone who has ever provided treatment.
We appreciate you.
Thriving
Most places have comment cards or a mechanism for feedback - i'd do that as well as flowers/candy/donuts/etc. Those compliments go up to the managers and are considered in decisions about promotions and funding. At least for my place of work, compliments go in your 'permanent file'. Also be sure to visit later! The work can get you really down, but seeing someone who's thriving is just the best.
- emr2193
Notes
I am not a nurse, but I used to work in a hospital with 18 nurses as my coworkers. I can tell you the one thing that made people cry was handwritten notes of thanks. I saw at least 3 people (one of them a big, burly, heterosexual, father of 2) cry because of notes patients or their families sent because they were so heartfelt.
You can also send donuts or pastries or whatever, those are always a hit. As long as the gift/food is addressed to the whole office, there's no ethical qualms about accepting it as a gift. The note can be addressed to just one person if you want.
- tbitim
The Manager
Giphy
Tell their manager, please, please tell their manager. Or write a letter. Someone doing their job well can often go unnoticed by management and in my experience, nurses suck at giving positive feedback. Our job is hard and it would be nice to be professionally recognized now and then.
Patience From The Patients
As a tech and a nursing student, a big thing to show appreciation is just show understanding that they have other patients. If you need something (Tylenol or Dilaudid) it may take awhile. We also hear your complaints but they can't always be taken care of (ex. Clear liquid diets).
Ice Cream
When my daughter's were born, I brought a gallon of ice cream for the nursing staff from an amazing ice cream stand.
Walked off the elevator to the nurses station... May I help you? Yes, could you help me eat this, pulling out 2 half gallons. Eyes grew WIDE as did the smile. I'm going to see (wife's name) down the hall.
Wife and baby basically wanted for nothing while they were there.
Taking Names
I took names. The woman who raced me into ER, the nurse, every technician, even those folks dressed in red (yes, the phlebotomists actually wore red). It was exactly 27 people in all. But I was scared and they were actually helping me and I wanted to know their names.
For 3 days they worked to save my life. And when I got home I wrote a 2-page, single space, 11-size-font-Calibri letter. I itemized every single person and what each did for me, addressed it to the ER and the 6th floor of the hospital and mailed it.
When I returned again, this time for life-saving surgery, I again took names - I intend to send the floor some donuts at shift changes and some personal cards. While I was post-op, someone from admin came to check on me and see if there was anything she could do. Some sort of case manager. I told her I was great (relative to being dead that is!), but I had written a letter and really wanted to be sure it went to the right place, that someone had read it.
She returned the next day to tell me that she'd 'found' the letter - it had moved through the hospital and into the Leadership's Hands and was read aloud at a meeting; and they intended on blowing up the letter and placing it in the break rooms for nurses, doctors, etc. Sometimes, I think just stopping and taking the time to write it out, to really be specific about what their care meant, might be the most meaningful. I'll never forget them, and I told them that.
- w0rdg1rl
Standing Up To The Family
Just be nice to me, I know you might feel like crap or are going through a lot but I'm working hard to help you get better. Stand up to those family members of yours who are awful because they feel they need to look like they are doing something for you. A smile from my patient is worth more than anything else.
Notes & Snacks
As a nurse, I love notes! I put them in my portfolio and pull them out after a long day. And hugs! But gift wise, we love being able to share candies/snacks with our unit or pods.
But truly, nothing beats a handwritten or personal note ♥️
Trust
Basic manners. Saying please and thank you. Also, trust your healthcare team over WebMD or your mom's group on Facebook.
- sososjov
Ticky-Box Worshipping Sniglets
Chocolates, pizza, cookies are all lovely and we (at least my coworkers and I) appreciate them greatly. But this is a massively difficult job that is frequently supervised by petty, ticky-box worshipping, sniglets who care much more about the paperwork.
SO please, if we did a good job, made you or a loved ones life better, more comfortable, or maybe even saved a life - tell our bosses.
- jsm1031
From An ER RN
From an ER RN:
Be kind. The ER is busy, yet a lot of waiting (for results, orders and meds to cross over, for an eval) happens. We're not ignoring you.
Not getting angry when you're discharged without a clear diagnosis. The ER evaluates and treats life-threatening conditions and ensures stable patients can receive outpatient treatment; if you're one of the stable patients, be thankful and follow up as recommended.
- moxious9
Notes v. Food
If there is a nurse or two who has made an extra impression on you, go ahead and write an individual note. I have received three of those in ten years of nursing and you better believe I saved them. It means a lot to know you make that much of a difference, especially when you are feeling stressed and frustrated at times.
Food is nice but it's gone in 5 minutes and people who aren't on shift won't get to share.
Pizza Buys Our Love
Giphy
Food. Many floors/units are so busy and chronically understaffed (by design because profits are more important than patients regardless of what bullshit a CEO spouts about patient safety being the #1 priority) that the staff typically have just minutes to grab food or drink in a 12 hours day. Pizza buys our love.
Be Advocates
Tell them. Tell them how much you appreciate them. Nurses go through so much more than what people assume. Expressing your appreciation in words may seem minor, but to them it means the world. In a cruel world, it's gratefulness like that, that reminds them why they chose that profession and makes their job a bit easier to do.
Also, this does not apply to everybody. This is more a personal opinion. Violence against nurses (and health care workers in general) is a growing problem in many parts of the world. If you really want to show appreciation, advocate for them when they are being pushed around. A coworker of mine died from an attack from a patients family member. No one batted an eye when we spoke up about this growing problem. Violence is not part of our job.
I can't definitively say I've come face to face with the spirits. But I have had some unsettling feelings in the dark. Shadows are just shadows sometimes, but who can be sure.
I hear it...
Nbc Wings GIF by HULUGiphy"I was helping my dad clean my grandma's house after she passed and I went in and was trying to find a song in my phone and before I could I heard a cough plain as day come from down the hallway where her room was. She died of lung and throat cancer it was pretty crazy."
Running Past...
"When I was 5 I remember getting home from my grandpa's birthday party. For context my mom was pregnant with my brother at the time, so my parents had already bought his crib. I woke up in the middle of the night to find a women in a white dress and long black hair standing over my brother's crib. I managed to wake up my dad so he could take me to the bathroom. When I got back it was still there. It was only until morning when it disappeared. Every now and then I see a glance of what I assume is that thing running past the backyard."
The Cat
"My best friend and his wife had moved to a new apartment. I came over to visit a few times, and each time I'd see the motion of a cat in my peripheral vision. Not the image of a cat, but a sense of how a cat moves. Anyway, one day I finally cracked some joke about the ghost cat in the place and his wife was instantly saying "See! See! I told you we had a ghost cat!"
"excuse me"
"I worked graveyard shift in a dementia ward for 4 years and it was anything but quiet. I was working with a nurse one night when we both heard a resident say "excuse me." We looked around and no-one was there. I checked on the resident in question and she was fast asleep in her own room. Many of us also experienced someone whistling in the ward late at night and one nurse even managed to catch a video of it happening. It was unnerving to say the least."
Clueless
Skeleton GIFGiphy"I once saw someone short walk by me in my house. They walked into the laundry room which only has one way in. I walked into it behind them and they where gone. I thought it was my little brother but I went to his room and he was asleep. I still have no clue what that was."
- ImBolio
Now was everyone here positive they were sober? Just asking. Those are certainly spooky moments. I'd like some video footage please. Continue...
Reflections
ghost library GIFGiphy"I was up at 3am when I was maybe 7 or 8. I looked out the window and saw a woman in a white dress run across my yard. I could see through her. She was transparent like the reflections on the window."
"you alright?"
"So, my work place is haunted. I was having a really crap day, and as a cleaner, it's normal that me and my co worker will be the only ones left at night. So I was standing on the second floor, leaning on the banister for the stair case, when I heard this male voice say in my ear "you alright?" Clear as day. I turned around so fast and nobody was there and it scared the hell out of me."
- Rex-the-
Watching Me
"I remember as a young kid I usually use to sit in my bed and watch tv with my room door open while the adjacent guest bedroom next to mine would always have the door shut. I always remember seeing that door fully open and close by itself multiple times a day very slowly and gently. Never really bothered me much now that I think about it… but there were other creepier experiences I had in the same house that made me feel uncomfortable like I was being watched."
Betsy
"I went to the Betsy Ross House as a really little kid in the early 90s. Normal house but I was confused why the tour guide never talked about the woman on the chair crying at the edge of the bed in Betsy Ross's bedroom. So I asked about it. No one else saw the woman at the edge of the bed. I figured it was just a wax museum since there was a wax statue of a man in uniform rolling bullets in the basement."
"Years later, I was looking at haunted Philadelphia tours to go on with a friend and the Betsy Ross House was on it. I was like "woah! I was there!" and looked into it some more. Turns out there is a woman at the end of the bed crying and a uniformed man in the basement that people have reported seeing. There is no way that 8 year old me would have known about either of these things."
hello kitty...
hello kitty lol GIF by Animation Domination High-DefGiphy"I had this hello kitty Balloon In my bed room, it had a string and weight on it. So it was late, I had the lights on just Sitting on my bed. The Balloon turns, faces my door, slowly floats into my hallway and turns and floats into my sister's room. To this day I am scared of balloons."
They are among us and they like Hello Kitty. I'm probably rattling the paranormal cages and they'll come for me next, but I'm ready. I feel like this thread has prepared me.
Boo!
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.