Tales from the Nuthouse: Lest You Think I have a Really Suck Job

wolf · 08-22-2010, 12:30 PM

You never know what kind of impact you're going to have on someone.

There's this guy, I'll call him Dave.

Dave is a classically crazy guy. Hears voices, has difficulty understanding and participating in interpersonal interactions, all that, but he's a nice guy.

As I went into work last Wednesday, who do I walk past in the lobby, but Dave.

After I was on the clock, I sat out on the couch to chat with him for a little while, catch up on how things where going, and all. I wasn't working with him, just chatting.

He remarked, as a lot of our frequent flyers do, on how long I'd been working at the nuthouse, and started talking about the first time we met. He remembered a lot of details about that day on the unit, which for me, honestly, was just one of a bunch of days on the unit. I mean, I remembered Dave and all, but no real specifics. He mentioned that I had been wearing a hat from a concert that I had gone to ... I remember the concert, and I had remembered the hat. What I didn't remember was this ...

He remarked that it was common in those days (about 16 years ago) for nursing staff members to spend their time on the unit talking to nursing staff members, except for the time that they were supposed to spend interviewing their caseload of patients. What Dave said was that I didn't do that. I spent my time talking to the patients ... and when he asked me about that, I told him that I wasn't there to talk to my cow orkers, I was there for the patients, who came to the nuthouse because a lot of the time they didn't have anyone else. He said that was very important for him ... that he knew that I really cared.

So, you never know how you're going to touch people. Be mindful of that.

limey · 08-22-2010, 12:48 PM

I'll bet that felt good, Wolf. I'm proud to know you.

xoxoxoBruce · 08-22-2010, 01:25 PM

So it's your fault, they keep coming back to see you.

08-22-2010, 12:30 PM	#1
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	You never know what kind of impact you're going to have on someone. There's this guy, I'll call him Dave. Dave is a classically crazy guy. Hears voices, has difficulty understanding and participating in interpersonal interactions, all that, but he's a nice guy. As I went into work last Wednesday, who do I walk past in the lobby, but Dave. After I was on the clock, I sat out on the couch to chat with him for a little while, catch up on how things where going, and all. I wasn't working with him, just chatting. He remarked, as a lot of our frequent flyers do, on how long I'd been working at the nuthouse, and started talking about the first time we met. He remembered a lot of details about that day on the unit, which for me, honestly, was just one of a bunch of days on the unit. I mean, I remembered Dave and all, but no real specifics. He mentioned that I had been wearing a hat from a concert that I had gone to ... I remember the concert, and I had remembered the hat. What I didn't remember was this ... He remarked that it was common in those days (about 16 years ago) for nursing staff members to spend their time on the unit talking to nursing staff members, except for the time that they were supposed to spend interviewing their caseload of patients. What Dave said was that I didn't do that. I spent my time talking to the patients ... and when he asked me about that, I told him that I wasn't there to talk to my cow orkers, I was there for the patients, who came to the nuthouse because a lot of the time they didn't have anyone else. He said that was very important for him ... that he knew that I really cared. So, you never know how you're going to touch people. Be mindful of that. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

08-22-2010, 12:48 PM	#2
limey Encroaching on your decrees Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland Posts: 7,016	I'll bet that felt good, Wolf. I'm proud to know you. __________________ Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of

08-22-2010, 01:25 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	So it's your fault, they keep coming back to see you. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)