The obituaries

One of the hard things about hospital nursing is not having closure with your patients. You never really know if they do well and live normal lives or if they do poorly and live short lives. Sometimes our patients come back in to see us and we always take pictures of them to post on the board, sort of like a reminder of why we work so hard.

We had a patient last year that we had all signed off on, she wasn't going to make it no matter what we did. Thankfully the family didn't give up and today she is home taking care of her 3 children. She is our miracle and she is the person we measure everyone else against. Anytime we start feeling like the situation is hopeless we always remember her, miracles do happen.

The only way for us to get closure, if the patient doesn't make a return visit, is to read the obituaries. It is a morbid thing to do but hardly a week goes by that I don't see a name in the paper I recognize and remember. Today was one of those days. I knew the patient was going to die, there was no way to save this patient but still, seeing the name on that page is so sad. I feel for the family and his friends. Life can be so cruel sometimes.

So I read the obituaries on a daily basis to check for the names of people I have cared for, hoping I don't see anyone I recognize. Hoping that I have done some good in their lives whether I see their name or not.