Day Five

23/5/14

Was a bit of a dud today, being the day of angry preceptor who decided the best way to deal with me was by ignoring my existence. I followed her around for a good wee while but soon tired of her cold shoulder. I went about the duties which I knew needed to be done and then asked the other nurse for jobs. Happily (for my modest student nursing ego) I wasn't the only person nurse ratched ignored. She failed to take the time to even properly introduce herself to her patients and inquire about their day/pain/bowels/sleep/wound/comfort and so forth. Here, I told myself, I could come into my own. Most of the patients I knew from previous days and I was content to spend the time hearing about their lives and validating their concerns. Such rapport! I congratulated myself on what a genteel and pretty little nurse I was becoming.
That all changed when the incontinence began.
Suddenly nurse ratched became my most ardent admirer. How fabulous I was there. How helpful I was. Oh by the way, I almost forgot (wink wink, nudge nudge), could you please clean up the volcanic faecal incontinence which is spreading across the floor as we speak if its not terribly too much trouble?
And it wasn't of course.
Despite being literally left in the shit, I was more than happy to help the patient shower, mop and disinfect the floor, and change the bed four times in a row. Because I can only imagine the shame and embarrassment that anyone must feel when faced with public incontinence. And if I'm ranting like a fool it's only because the nurse, who'd had years of experience to know better, scrunched up her nose in disgust.
So I cleaned and chatted and found yet again that humour is the best comfort for difficult situations, so we cracked jokes as I scrubbed the walls (yes, the walls).