Hello fellow Nurse, this is your weekly handoff. Some quick and dirty nursing news that’s worth sharing. Enjoy!

Something to absolutely not believe

Last May, a trauma nurse in the Jackson Memorial Hospital ER was punched and knocked to the floor by a patient who had been chasing and striking staff. Her attorney says she suffered head, neck, spine, and back injuries that needed CT scans. Prosecutors later dropped the battery charge against the patient, citing problems with the victims' contact information, though they have since said they expect to reopen it. Now the nurse has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $5 million, alleging inadequate security and retaliation after she filed a complaint. The hospital says it staffs the ER with public safety specialists around the clock and disputes her claims. Surveillance video only came out after her attorney had to sue to get it.

Something to make you furious

About 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital have set an open-ended strike for November 12, which would be the largest nurse strike in Massachusetts history. This is the same group that held a one-day strike in July and was answered with a four-day lockout. Nurses then rejected what the hospital called its "last, best and final" offer, and the sticking points are pay, limits on temp staffing, and affordable health insurance. Mass General Brigham says it hopes to avoid a walkout, but negotiators don't return to the table until November 9, just three days before the deadline.

Something to make us nurses proud

At Advocate Health children's hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin, NICU nurses and parents team up every year to run a Halloween costume contest for babies in the unit. The costumes are creative and safe for fragile infants, and this year's entries included a Slinky Dog, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, a rabbit, a football player, and a lion. Nurses design them to fit around IV lines, monitor leads, and respiratory support, so even the sickest babies get to dress up. One NICU nurse calls it the unit's most anticipated event of the year, and one mom said it gave her a short break from worrying about her son's health. Tiny costumes, big hearts, and nurses doing the extra mile for families on the hardest days.

Something from a Subscriber

"Last month I had a gentleman on my unit, late 80s, who refused to let anyone but me do his morning routine. Every shift around 0300 he'd ask me what the weather was like outside, like he was planning a golf outing. He hadn't been outdoors in weeks. So one night when things were quiet, I wheeled him to the window at the end of the hall, cracked the blinds, and described the parking lot like it was the Grand Canyon. He told me it was the best view he'd had all year.

He went home on hospice a few days later. His daughter came back to our unit with coffee for the entire night shift and a note saying the window story was all he talked about at home. I've been a nurse for 11 years. I've been cursed at, bled on, and called 'sweetie' by people who definitely did not mean it nicely. That note is staying in my badge holder, right next to my IV drip rate cheat sheet."

— Dana, Med-Surg RN, Ohio

We want to hear more from you! Submit your funniest or strangest or most heart warming nursing stories and we will pick one to share every week! This will be shared anonymously- so don’t be afraid to add some humor and flare and cursing, just like we love here!

Please submit all stories to: [email protected]

Please be conscious of HIPAA and omit any PPI or detail that may give hints to the people, hospital, and nurses involved in your story. We may slightly alter your story or change names for this reason. Your story may also be shortened and slightly altered to fit the size of the blog. Happy writing!!

If you liked this newsletter please share with your friends. Which bullet is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Email me and let me know. 1f6