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.
Of course, most of the time, it was “just a phase". And looking back, those phases are regrettable, to say the least. Here are some prime examples of that.
SirGergoyFriendman asked:
What was your biggest/most regrettable "It's not a phase, mom. It's my life." that, in fact, turned out to be just a phase and not your life?
The enthusiasm of a young person can lead to some unexpected changes that parents are just not ready for.
Hi, Wheeljack!
I was VERY into The Transformers when I was a wee lad in the 1980s. One day, I decided to change my name to the name of my favorite Autobot. My name was lame, and I wanted an awesome Transformer name. And I was VERY insistent that my parents only call me by my new name. Calling me by my 'old' name would cause a big fat tantrum on my part.
So for the better part of a week, my poor parents had to call me Wheeljack.
Very 2008.
Ariana Grande Shrug GIFGiphyMy cat-ear phase. I wore cat ears every single day. Everywhere. I had like 20 pairs of them. Now everyone thinks I'm a furry.
I find that very cute and wouldn't have thought you'd be furry. Even if you'd had cat mittens. I think my suspicions would have started if you moved a bit like a cat, displayed catlike grooming habits or got a cat mask.
Not gonna lie, that car sounds cool.
I went to a car show once as a teen, and the only newer car there was some chick's PT cruiser. It was hot glittery pink, and at the time I was obsessed. I insisted that one day I would have a hot pink car, with pink seats, pink dash, pink carpets, etc. I was pretty heavily goth at the time, so my parents just rolled their eyes.
These phases can often lead to some very strange fashion choices.
That’s commitment.
When I was a teenager (early 00s), I was waiting for my mother to pick me up and was wearing one of those sh!tty sports wristwatches. It was itching me so I took it off for a second, but then she arrived and because I was struggling to get it back on my wrist, I looped it around the equally sh!tty chain I had around my neck in a rush to get out the door.
My mom asked me about it in the car, and I told her this was my new style and I planned to wear it like that every day. She rolled her eyes.
I wore that watch on a chain around my neck every single day for 3 years or so. There are even professional family photos where I'm wearing it because I refused to take it off.
One day, the chain broke and I lost the watch. I was in high school at that point anyway and it was a major lady repellent, so... phase over.
Not everyone can be Eminem.
slim shady eminem GIFGiphyBaggy pants, being a rapper someday and being a professional skater.
When I was about 14 and Eminem was starting to blow up I bought myself a keyboard with a synthesizer. It cost like $200 which was all the money I had saved up. It finally came (this was way before amazon prime and such) and I tried rapping.
My sister told me "you're effing horrible" and I gave up right then and there.
This should be a sin.
I used to button the top buttons of polo shirts.
I must say, this is probably the worst one I've read.
Looking back at our regrettable choices, all we can do is cringe.
An optimistic look at bad tattoos.
check me out season 3 GIF by PortlandiaGiphyBeing a tattooer. Regrettable because of those poor people who have my awful doodles on their bodies.
Take heart! My favorite tattoo is the one I drunkenly got my buddy to do in his living room one year during March Madness! It's dumb and frankly mediocre? But such a good story and has such good associations I smile every time I see it.
RIP Fredro’s.
My friend and I decided we were going to open a bar in Jamaica with exotic snakes in glass cages in the walls at each booth. We convinced ourselves it would be amazing for at least two years in college. It was going to be called Fredro's.
My entire family made fun of me for it. Once we got out of college, we realized it was not feasible and joined the office grind. We're also two white guys with no ties to Jamaica.
Talk about cringey.
I wore a top hat with an anime pin on it for around a year. Met one of my current best friends while wearing it, idk how he could bear to speak to me after that.
My weirdest phase was probably when I insisted on wearing knee-high rainbow socks to school every day. But honestly, I don't regret it. I rocked those socks, and I wish I still have a pair.
To all the people out there cringing over their past selves, remember that you were just a kid, and to be easy on yourselves. After all, we've all been there
Yet, too often, manufacturers who oversell their products fail to deliver what is promised and are inevitably left with angry customers who want their money back.
Whether the merchandise was defective or ridiculously overpriced, strangers online shared some of their worst purchases when Redditor BooksMcGee asked:
"What is the worst product you ever paid money for?"
Short Life Span
"This NERF gun that's supposed to shoot tennis balls for your dog. I bought it cause I thought you could load 3 at a time and shoot them far, but it's just one and it's super loud and the gun broke after like 4 shots (reading reviews later, this was a common issue)."
Lame Pets
"There were these toys called squiggles when I was a kid and the commercials made it seem like the toy was alive. It looked like you would get this crazy little fuzzy worms as pets that would follow you around an so sick tricks and listen to your every command. It was really just a piece of fluffy string tied to another piece of string with googly eyes on it. People may say that it was supposed to be a magic trick but they should also explain that to a 5 year old who really wanted a pet."
Card Value
"Not their fault, but I paid $70 for a Yugioh card hours before it was limited to one copy. Probably dropped to $20 by the end of the day."
These purchases were bad for your bum.
"A bicycle that literally fell apart before I made it out of the parking lot."
Not Worth Sitting On
"Joybird brand couch. Was so terrible, we returned it. Still hard to believe, we returned a freaking couch."
Going Nowhere Fast
"A 2000 VW Beetle (used)."
"Biggest piece of sh*t that literally had to have just about everything replaced before 100k miles and would still break down every time you left the driveway to the point where the tow-truck driver knew us on a first-name basis."
Expensive Lemon
"An Oldsmobile Achieva from one of those buy here pay here places. I should have known better, but I was young and thought I was getting a good deal. I had the thing for about 5 months, I drove it for maybe 3 weeks. The rest of the time it was either in the shop, or in my driveway waiting until pay day so I could afford to fix whatever broke on it this week. Eventually told the dealer just take it, I'm not paying for it any more. He said nope, and I will make sure your credit is ruined. I said well you sold me a lemon, do you really want to go this route? He came and took it. Never reported anything to credit. I heard he got sued by several other people who sold sh**ty cars too and eventually went out of business."
"Always amazes me when I see them driving around still, I can only assume there's enthusiasts who just love repairing horribly designed cars."
– zerbey
These Redditors were not convinced what they ingested was edible.
Bad Cereal
"A box of plain Cheerios. Thought they were honey nut, poured a bowl, was very disappointed."
"If I wanted to taste cardboard, I'd just eat the box."
– gor8884
Space Pizza
"A burnt frozen pizza at the air and space museum cafe in DC. I Don't wish that experience on anyone. There are some amazing restaurants in DC, don't settle."
– Alseids
The following electronics just gave off a bad charge.
"Asus Transformer Pad TF700"
"This was one of those early 'high end' Android tablets that was grossly underpowered, and it showed. Thing was slow as sh!t in no time flat. Rookie mistake investing into shiny new tech while they were still working all the bugs out. Think I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $350-400 for it..."
– Luke5119
Bad Apple
"macbook pro 2018 13" touchbar. 2 years old and dead (battery). they're asking $300-$400 to change the battery. malfunctioning keyboard with double presses and missing presses. that's a lot of money for bad design."
Chilly Reception
"Past winter my old room heater broke down and I had to buy a new one. Went to a store nearby and somehow got convinced to buy a very costly heating device.. It's also my fault, since there were some sligthly cheaper options around, but nope. I wanted the expensive one thinking it will make my small room a volcano with little to no effort/cost (that's also what the seller told me). Long story short the device wasn't doing ANYTHING. No significant temperature changes, too much space, a weird noise, and was doubling my previous device in utility cost. I still gloom over those 80 euros.."
Some of my disappointing purchases was clothing, but only because I purchased them online. Unless they are a brand I'm familiar with, I'm usually fine with buying new jeans off of their websites.
But when it comes to graphic tees only available on specialty shops, an M-size shirt is not necessarily the same size as those found in other reputable stores.
I bought a medium sized T-shirt from a boutique store online because I loved the look of the design. But when it arrived, the supposed medium fit me like an XL.
At least I gained a fierce cleaning rag from this impulsive purchase.