When I was a practicing nurse, I always disliked taking care of other nurses. As nurses, we dislike losing control. Nurses project overt confidence that says, "I'm a nurse and I can do it myself". Because nurses do things themselves, asking for help can be difficult.
Nurses are natural-born caregivers. We tend to minimize our own symptoms and pain because we are too busy taking care of others. One of the biggest things that can make nurses difficult patients is the fact that there is such a thing as too much knowledge. This can lead us down the path of not truly trusting those who are assigned to take care of us. Some nurses even go so far as to pick their treating nursing and medical providers because we just know there are some people that we are not going to let touch us. It helps us think we are still in control in a situation where we are truly needing to depend on someone else.
I have not been a floor nurse now for almost thirty years, but despite the passage of time, I remain very much the person who does not want to lose control. I have all the qualities described above, and a few extra. I was dreading my hospitalization for my total knee replacement because I knew it would mean some loss of control creating the need for me to depend on others.
After my knee replacement, I was in the PACU for an extended period of time and came under the care of Rose Riashi, RN. All I say about Rose is that I am so glad that she went into nursing. Since I was just waiting for a room assignment, it would have been very easy for Rose to do the basic monitoring and transport me to my room when it was ready. But, Rose went beyond what was required and I am so very grateful. She treated my sister and best friend with great respect all while being very attentive to me. She walked me through everything that I was experiencing from a physical perspective and made me feel very comfortable while in the PACU.
When my sister and best friend left for the evening, I really got to see Rose's talent and skill. She had picked up on my concerns and reservations about needing to ask others for help. While Rose could have said something to me when I was initially expressing my frustrations over being temporarily dependent on others, she waited until my company left for the evening. At that point in time, Rose realized that I needed more emotional support than I did physical care. She took the time to talk with me about reaching out to others for assistance. Rose reinforced that asking for help is not losing control, but rather being in control enough to know that I need to reach out to others for safety reasons while I recover. She also worked to get this hardheaded former nurse to understand that I would need some pain medication during the initial stages of my recovery so that I could get back to taking care of myself more quickly. She gently let me know that my plan to push through my recovery with no to minimal pain medications was absolutely not realistic if I wanted to get back on my feet and quickly regain my independence.
As I got ready to leave the PACU, I asked to hug Rose and asked her to come to see me while I was in the hospital. It was nearing 11:00 pm and I knew she had to be back to work early in the morning so I figured I would not see Rose again. I was so thrilled when she came to my room the next morning to see how my night had gone and to make sure I was comfortable. I was seriously blown away and so grateful for her follow-up. Rose is just so incredibly caring.
When Rose walked in to care for me in the PACU, I did not realize just how lucky I was to get such a great nurse. She treated me like I was as important as a family member. Rose cares for her patients and it shows. While I had terrific care from all of the nurses at OSU East, Rose stands out because she treated me from every aspect, physically and emotionally. Rose performed many roles that night. She was a teacher, part motivational speaker, and part therapist. I am sure that Rose could have chosen many career paths, but I am so grateful that she chose nursing. She is one of the best nurses that I have ever met and she is a true DAISY Nurse!