My Difficult Patient

My first patient that I started as student nurse on one of the long Rehab Center was a seventy two year old man who had Clostridium difficile (C.diff), Dementia, Hip replacement, and Obesity. Due to the above sickness he had many complications. I can still remember his face suffering from pain. Because of his lack of ambulation and incontinence, he had developed a very serious pressure ulcer under his sacral area. I went through to the room with my instructor and the instructor introduces me for the patient as his student nurse from Towson University and will taking care of him. However the patient was not happy and he becomes a challenging patient in my first experience day. But I may learned more from that challenging patient for my future experience.

Certainly, I began with the goal getting of his vital sign and giving him a bed bath. Fortunately I had practice how to take a vital sign and giving a bed bath before my first clinical at the university skill lab and I had developed this confidence before my clinical tour. That day will be mastering the skill which I had just learned in manikins, and applying in real human with huge safety precaution. In between morning my instructor was giving me a brief before I getting to the patients room. From her experience she knew what kind of challenges and a patient behavior can be I face. As I proceeded to my own patient, I hit a roadblock that would give me a flat tire for the rest of the shift.

However, after my instructor left from the room, I reintroduced myself, and started a conversation, stating my objectives for the day. As I began to speak my actions while I administer vital sign, I was promptly damped by an expectedly attitude from my patient. Whenever I attempt speaking, I...

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..." he said looking at me in question. I smile to myself, and replied, "Hopefully, we will meet next time and things will getting better. Good luck, and hope you get better," I said in grand finale, and our time together ended.

Upon my exit from the Rehab Center, I consider my interaction with the patient who had spin my new world upside down. Thrown completely off guard, I realized two things: sickness can change people into something you, or even they, might not expect, and the second, I don't take things personal. No one wants to be sick or in the hospital by any means, and as a nurse student it is part of my education and professional obligation to hold my anxiety and disappointments of my patient’s odd behavior. Finally I promised to myself to deal with people at their worst, and always have positive attitude toward them and try to heal them back to their best.