There are two specific rules regarding patients that I remember well from nursing school. The first is never date a patient. You can read about that fiasco here. The second was to never keep in touch with patients because they felt you wouldn’t follow through. Remember I was in nursing school before the internet, social media, cell phones etc. All of these have just added another layer of rules. I usually follow rules but I have broken this one twice.
It was 1988 and I was in my OB/GYN clinical’s at Deaconess. We had to pick a patient who would be delivering during the rotation, make a home visit before delivery, attend the delivery if possible, do a home visit after and most likely write a paper on a type writer. I can’t remember exactly. I did all of this and I saw the baby be born. I then went to SIUE for my bachelors degree and I had to do a home visit for one of those classes (it may have been nutrition, I seriously have no idea) so J agreed to let me come again.
J and I kept in touch all these years. Hers is always the first Christmas card I receive every year. Sometimes there would be pictures of N and her older brothers and then all of a sudden the brothers were married (like a nine-year age gap) and then N was married but did not seem possible.
A couple of weeks ago I received an invitation to N’s baby shower. I was so excited even though there was no possible way she is thirty-one this month. They were having it at the rec center where I run when it’s too cold or too hot outside. And then I looked again at the date and realized it was at the same time my husband and I had tickets to the hockey game.
In true crazy Rachel self I jumped into action and made a granny square baby blanket. I then mailed a box full of baby shower gifts with a note to both J and N. Some time passed and then I received a Facebook message from N and since have become Facebook friends with both of them.
N started having issues with the pregnancy. Issues I’m familiar with since we have all the moms whose babies go to NICU on our floor. Our floor connects to it so it makes more sense than having them on the floor three floors above us. She ended up having the baby this past week and the shower was cancelled. She and baby are doing good so sometime in the future they are planning a meet and greet. I maybe work two weekend shifts a month but with my shleprock luck, it will be then.
I would have never imagined that this is how things would turn out thirty-one years ago when I picked a random name for my assignment. What a truly wonderful blessing J has been to me and I’m glad I didn’t follow the rules. I’ll save the other patient for another blog.
Mole moral~ Breaking the rules can sometimes be wonderful!
LifeWithMoles 