As nurses, we work in serious, stressful, sometimes heart-breaking situations every day. And the impact of dealing with this daily emotional turmoil can take its toll on one’s well-being if you don’t take the time to enjoy life.  It is important to have fun and enjoy what you do, and the people you work with. Otherwise work becomes “work “and no longer a “passion.”

I think medical people have great senses of humor. Without,  it we would never survive. Over the years I have found that nurses are practical jokers.  Below are some of my stories; I’m, sure you have your own to tell.     

I once worked night shift in a small ICU. A respiratory therapist would round in our unit every two hours. Between ventilator rounds they were allowed to sleep. One quiet night, I snuck down to the room where a respiratory therapist bunked, with a can of shaving cream. While he was making ventilator rounds in my unit, I carefully spread shaving cream between the sheets of his bed. A surprise awaited his return to bed!

My friend Nancy had her ‘favorite pencil’ kidnapped. The pencil was metallic green with a dragon eraser on the top of it. She coveted her pencil and showed it to everyone. One day someone absconded with her cherished pencil. She was heartbroken. The following day, in the pneumatic tube system came an envelope addressed to . The envelope contained a ransom note threatening the pencil’s demise and demanding delivery of a six-pack of diet soda for the pencil’s safe return. In the bottom of the envelope were metallic green pencil shavings.

I  conspired with a charge nurse to give a phony patient assignment to a nurse. We made up a terrible report, giving this patient every nasty physiological and psychological disorder we could think of. Her reaction of dread and horror was priceless. Distraught over her patient assignment, the nurse reluctantly entered the “dreaded patient’s” room only to find a Resusi-Annie lying in the bed with a note on her chest reading, “April Fools.”       

And with this blog comes a disclaimer.  We of course need to be careful to take joking and fun to an appropriate place (staff lounge or conference room) because to be seen laughing and “horsing around” at the nurses station may appear inappropriate and uncaring to families and visitors of gravely ill patients-despite our innocent intentions.