Life Experiences(Nursing)

I've been a nurse since 2002, in that time I have worked in trauma,ICU,ER,Med-Surg,and my current post as an Acute dialysis nurse. I have seen things that would make most people cringe and possible never return. I have worked with great nurses that taught me so many things about the practice and some nurses that for the life of me,can't figure out why they got into nursing in the first place. Health care is ever changing and in order keep up I have to keep an open mind and continue to learn. Given with my experiences, I had the privilege of giving a talk/presentation to soon graduating LVN's. I of course talked about Dialysis,and I also talked about my other experiences. I was told not to say anything negative or other experiences that didn't have a happy ending. I had a problem with that, How can you give a talk to soon graduating nurses without telling them the truth about nursing? With nursing you have to take the good and the bad. It's not an easy profession to get into. You have to be able to handle anything that comes at you,wether it's a gun shot victim  or a crying child you have to do everything in your power to keep a level head. Why cuddle the students and shield them from the truth?  The nursing instructors, that taught me didn't hold anything back, they gave me the experiences I needed in order to survive this profession. Without them being completely honest with me about nursing I don't think I could survive my first year. I wanted to instill some type of wisdom to them, to let know its okay to make mistakes. We are human. The difference is you need to own up to it and learned from it. Don't deny it and blame someone else because you don't want to look like your incompetent. Learn from experience. Thats true nursing. There isn't such a thing as text book nursing. Team work is really the only way to go. Its easier to get the job done when you have someone there to help. Always try to help when you can. Never say this isn't my job or part of your job description(with in reason), nothings impossible when you put your mind to it. Always remember the people that helped you get where are today. There's always going to be a grumpy,over worked nurse that nobody can stand and it might be tempting to go along the crowd and join in the ridicule of that nurse DON'T DO IT,offer them some candy sugar free if there diabetic, be nice. You might make a difference in their life,you might even change their mood for the better. Even if it doesn't work and they continue to be grumpy maybe when they finally do snap and go on a rampage they'll spare you because you where the one who took the time to be nice and you gave them candy. Try to leave your home baggage at home and your work baggage at work. I know it's easier said then done but try anyway. If you work in the Emergency Department realize you will have frequent flyers that come there for different things,most of the time its for drugs and they will make up just about anything to get them. Don't turn your back on them or give them what ever they need for the time without doing a real work up. Because one day they will show with different symptoms than before and not do what is required and you missed it they leave and dropped dead. You missed a chance to save a life. A true story just see were I'm coming from. I was working in a small town hospital in the ER. This town was so small everyone knows each other. I wasn't there for maybe a few weeks when I got introduced to the towns pill head as they put it. She came in complaining of heartburn,nausea, and vomiting. I being a prudent nurse was prepared to do a work up when the senior nurse comes up and just gives her a shot of morphine and told she could leave. She smiled got up and walked out without saying a word. I was dumbfounded I couldn't believe what I just experienced and asked the nurse why he didn't do a cardiac panel or at least an EKG,vital signs, something ? He said she comes her every time this doctor is covering because he will give her what she wants without questions. As this woman was walking out of the ER she dropped dead of a massive MI. We worked on her for over an hour to try to bring her back but couldn't. It might of not made a difference if we did the cardiac work up but we will never know because it wasn't done. My last words of wisdom: Continue with your education you can never know to much,and if you don't know something look it up, ask questions, do research. Never pretend that you know all the answers to everything nursing. When the time comes and you find yourself start hating the job and you start becoming lazy and don't want to do the job or if you start to take out your aggression out on patients, co-workers, and love ones. GET OUT OF THIS PROFESSION !!!!!!!!!!! retire,take a break,get counseling.