Can't get enough of those basics

I think I'm quite lucky because I learned some very useful lessons withing my first year of training that have stayed with me. Unfortunately in most places I have worked since I left my home hospital, it seems that many people never learned the lessons I did. Confused? Well here's what I mean.

As a male I tend to be a touch on the messy and disorganized side. When I first started work my patients rooms were clean but not so tidy, with books/magazines left sitting on the cabinet or patients table. If a visitor had left a chair in the room, I would leave it there, thinking that they will use it tomorrow. Sometimes I would leave food/drinks on the bedside cabinet/table. Other times I would let the room become crowded with gifts that relatives had left behind, things like flowers, chocolates, wine etc. Then one day that all changed.

"You really need to keep things tidy" Jan explained to me one evening before I was due to go home. It had been a busy afternoon and I had done all the real big, important jobs, like take care of the blood transfusion, kept a close watch on my big post op patient, and felt quite confident that I was doing a good job. I was a touch offended by Jan's comment. "What's wrong?" I said a little too defensively. A comment like this from Jan, a nurse with nearly forty years experience hurt. "You can't leave the rooms cluttered at the end of a shift, especially the end of the afternoon shift" she began to explain, but I interrupted her "'I've been so busy, besides, it's only going to get untidy tomorrow. I've looked after my patients well." Jan made me sit down and told me an important lesson.

"It's not fair on the night staff, or the patient" she said. "It's a nightmare for the evening staff to have to wade through the room worrying about tripping over things and knocking things over" She had a point. I had not given any thought to the night staff. "And there is the safety issue as well" she explained "Imagine if something happens in the night and they have to rush in, with an arrest trolley and all. It makes it real difficult." It was a simple explanation and I promised to make an effort.

That night I had my rooms spotless. All chairs were removed. All food/drink put away, along with books/magazines. Extra things like vases of flowers etc were either placed in a safe part of the room, or removed for the night. The room looked spotless. I just wish I could make more effort on my own room.

It was as fate was watching me that night. When I turned up to work in the morning I found out that Mrs Jackson had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. She had been one of my patients whose room I had made spotless. Jan was there with me as I heard the news. "Did they have any trouble getting in the room" I asked my charge nurse. "No problem at all" the charge nurse said, "The night girls even mentioned that your rooms were particularly spotless." Jan gave me a sly smile.

That lesson has stayed with me ever since.