Nurses Would Like You To Know...

During this Nurses Week, it's a great time to say thanks to the men and women who take care of patients in Ocean County. It's a tough job that I could NEVER do! Nurses have to know so many different things and handle so many different types of situations and personalities under some very trying circumstances.

I told my nurse friends that I would use today's blog post to relay to my listeners "What Nurses Wish You Knew." Several commented on how the heavy caseload is often a struggle. Because of cutbacks, they're stretched thin and can't give the amount of time and personal attention they'd like to give each and every patient. One nurse wants you to know that, "We're doing our best." Another says, "We're constantly reassessing and reprioritizing. Just because we make it look easy doesn't mean it is."

They hope you realize that the "hospital is not a hotel." And while they do their best to keep you comfortable, their MAIN job is to keep you healthy and safe.

And speaking of safety, another nurse friend encourages patients to "ask for help when getting out of bed. So many people don't want to bother the staff and they end up falling and getting seriously injured."

How about you nurses who are reading this, what is one thing you wish patients knew? And what message do you have for patient family members?

Happy Nurses Week to all of New Jersey's nurses!