Thursday, July 07, 2005

Lost Favorite Nurse Cartoon: Your Patient

I've been looking all over the web for a link to a two-panel nurse cartoon that I saw tacked up on the bulletin board of the break room in an ICU I used to do a little work in a few years ago, but I haven't found it again yet.

The first panel showed a hospital patient climbing over the siderails, IV's coming loose, foley catheter stretched to its submolecular physical limits, bodily fluids spraying... the caption underneath the frame read: "Your patient."

Don't you hate it when that happens?

In the second frame, the same patient was depicted sitting up in a chair, lines intact, linens neatly arranged, smiling peacefully and holding a balloon on a string. The caption under that read: "Your Patient On Drugs."

I just love that.

It's something of a motto for me.

Of course, there's a lot more to the profession of nursing than just the medical model. You know, a problem is identified, and a medication or procedure is applied. Rather mechanical. Doesn't really treat the whole person. Whatever. Right. Okay then.

Morphine is cheap, and there's a ton of it in the Pyxis.

1 comment:

may said...

it's funny. even when you just described it...so i guess you can stop looking for the cartoon :)