Pat Veitenthal BSN RN: You Wanna Know What I Think?

11/09/2025

I was an LPN for years first, so I loved this!

11/06/2025

10/20/2025

I have seen pregnant women feel ashamed in the maternity ward because of their lack of hygiene.
And I have seen nurses wash them gently, trim their nails, comb their hair.
I have heard, in simple but profound words, their gratitude:
“My baby will be born clean, thanks to you.”
I have seen a nurse pretend to be the mother of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease.
On her worst days, the patient would ask forgiveness from that mother she no longer recognized — the mother who was no longer alive.
The nurse told her she forgave her. That she loved her.
And in that suspended moment, I saw an embrace that healed — a deep relief before the final goodbye.
I have seen nursing assistants covered in vomit while holding a child’s head during a seizure, just so he wouldn’t feel alone.
I have seen nurses lift patients twice their size, with strong hands and the gentlest care — to wash them, refresh them, restore a fragment of dignity.
I have seen a nurse cradle a stillborn baby.
She bathed her in warm water, washed her tenderly, arranged her hair, dressed her —
so that the mother, who had asked — with pain and with right — to see her daughter, could say goodbye in peace, in beauty, as if she were only sleeping.
I have seen nurses search for a pastor, a priest, a healer — anything that could bring comfort to a patient according to their faith.
I have seen nurses, in emergency rooms where fear lives daily, run toward danger — rushing to the side of a fainting, infected patient to keep them from hitting their head — even at the risk of their own lives.
And I have seen nurses work double shifts, without rest.
Leaving behind their children, partners, families — because care cannot wait.
Because ethics, duty, love… come first.
If there exists a profession more human, more noble, more sacred than nursing,
forgive my ignorance.
But I do not know it.
Let us honor our nurses.
If you believe in the invaluable contributions of nurses, share this article to honor their hard work and dedication. Let’s raise awareness about the crucial role they play in our society and show them the recognition they so richly deserve:

The Unsung Heroes of Healthcare: A Deep Dive into the Noble Profession of Nursing Characters Duyen Elaine Tháng Mười 19, 2025 In the world of healthcare, doctors often receive the lion’s share of recognition for their efforts. However, it is the nurses who stand as the backbone of the healthca...

10/17/2025

Saw this and thought of you all!

10/10/2025

The Things I Never Charted

There’s no section in the chart
for the tear that slipped under my mask,
for the pulse I held a second longer
hoping it might return.

No checkbox for the way I whispered,
“I’m sorry,”
to the one who didn’t make it.
No code for the prayer
I mumbled between compressions.

The documentation asks for vitals,
not the shaking in my own hands.
It wants times, doses, signatures—
not the silence after a last breath.

I’ve charted pain scores,
but never the ache that lingers in me.
I’ve noted “patient stable,”
but never wrote, “so am I, for now.”

There’s no field for mercy.
No place to record hope.
No line for the moment I almost broke
but didn’t.

So I keep those notes somewhere else—
in the space between my ribs,
in the rhythm of my steps,
in the quiet knowing
that healing has never fit neatly
on any form.

Because the truest parts of nursing
are never documented.
They are felt.
And carried.
Forever.