Blog #6 Termination Phase

I can only imagine that this phase gets easier if you haven't allowed yourself to develop an affection for your patient, if you haven't been working with your patient for a long time, or if you don't really know your patient. It was hard to do yesterday.
Working in long-term care we get to see many of the same faces over and over again and get to be a part of the care given to residents over time. I can honestly say that I'm going to miss some of the "regulars" at Cascade Vista. There were a few that shared so much of themselves with us. We all got to witness stage four pressure ulcers getting dressing changes, removal of staples and sutures, eating/feeding habits, some of us even got to watch as suppositories were inserted. I mean these people shared so much more than I expected them to so openly.
My whole point is that I don't expect to have this same dilemma in acute care settings. At this next setting we'll go in every week to find a patient for that week with no expectation of seeing them again the following week. The phases from preinteraction to termination will happen so much faster and with greater frequency we'll get tons of practice in those transitions. And I'm not sure that I like that. I think I'd rather be in a setting, not necessarily a convalescent home, where I can see some patients on a more regular basis.
I think that this year's experiences will definitely help to guide me into a specific field. Even in the last week I've thought about the time spent with patients, the duration of the relationship and the frequency of discharge and getting new patients. As of right now I want the time to build a rapport with a patient that will give some more influence and an audience with them and their families. I don't know that God ever does anything out of relationship, but He definitely works in relationship to bring things about. Maybe that's the pattern I want to follow in giving care as a nurse.
Hmmmmm... things to think about.