I'm a nursing student who frequents (and often enjoys) the r/ nursing sub, but tonight there's a thread over there that kind of has me down, concerning people whose life choices put them in the hospital.
Patients after making poor life choices their entire lives: Fix me now! No no, not that way!!!! from nursing
Ok, on one hand I get it. I spent, many, many years working in customer service prior to nursing school. I know full well how awful some (ok, MANY) people can be. But can we just remember for a minute that change is HARD, and that some people have things going on (economic issues, lack of support network issues, mental health issues) that we aren't necessarily privy to at the hospital? Some like to say patients "don't care about themselves" and even if that's true, isn't that in and of itself a potential mental health problem that needs to be addressed?
Sometimes even if you know what to do, even if you've been told over and over, it can steal feel impossible to do what you need to do. I have struggled with weight my entire life. And while I'm sure one day I'll be on the other end of this after (fingers crossed) I finish school, I dunno…can we not allow that humans are deeply flawed and if you work in medicine, that is something you have to reckon with?
Nurses can't do everything. Doctors can't everything. People DO need to take some responsibility for their own health. But even those who don't for whatever reason still kinda need a tiny bit of compassion.
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