I was in a military hospital. My aunt would send me magazines and candy from Germany. One day the head nurse came to me (I liked her and wanted to make a good impression). I had received a box of filled chocolates and offered her one. I told her they had liquid inside so she had to eat the whole thing. She put it into her mouth and got a look on her face and covered her mouth and ran out of the room. How was I to know she was Mormon (the candy was filled with liquor). Too bad for me she had to give me a shot that evening. The really odd thing is that I moved to Germany. She got a posting in Belgium. We met up in Munich and saw the city together. No hard feelings.

I had the most amazing nurse when I was in labor and delivery with my oldest. Nurse Judy was older and grandmotherly. She was absolutely amazing!!

I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago, they put me under for the operation and the first thing I saw was perhaps the ugliest woman I have ever seen calling my name. It was the post opp nurse, scared the f@#k outta me. Thought there was a hell for a few seconds. One could not believe the various scenarios that goes through a persons head after coming out of anesthesia. She was also rude and noncommunicative, wouldn't give me water or ice.

I was a labor nurse for 15 years, and a nurse midwife for 20 years. There was so much that was wonderful, so much that was incredibly sad. One of the sweetest memories was when I cared for a Muslim woman, who had come from the refugee camps, was raped, beaten, and had to fight for her life every day. She met and married her husband, who protected her, and they came here. She was in labor with their baby, and was crying for her children who died in the camps. I sat with her, holding her hand, supporting her and her husband. When she delivered, I handed her the baby and told how strong and brave she was. They asked me how to spell my name, and I spelled it for them. I thought they just wanted to remember my name, but they named the baby after me. They were both crying and told me I would always be their sister.
Saddest: a young woman came in late in her pregnancy, was a drug user, homeless, a prostitute, malnourished, covered in bruises, from her pimp beating her up. When I did her exam, I found a mass that was very suspicious for a cancerous lesion. I arranged for her to go to an oncologist, as soon as she left the appointment, had an ultrasoind as soon as she left the oncologist. I begged to keep the appointments, but when she left a guy was waiting by a care, grabbed her and they left. I ran out to confront him, but they wefe gone. She didnt keep her alpointments, she used cocaine that night and delivered a drug addicted premie, in the WE, and left the hospital. I never saw her again. We tried to find her, even going to the homeless camp, under the bridge, but never found her. She is always in my thoughts.

I once caught my finger in an industrial metal chop saw..it was horrendous..finger broken in 2 places and partially severed at the top. Left index..hurt like a bastard..but was trying to look brave in front of the nurses.
After they had reset the bone they began trying to stitch the top ...
One of the nurses attending asked me if I was ok, and if I wanted to take a break for awhile before continuing..as I looked very pale etc

I don't remember what happened next..but my brother who worked in the hospital and was in A&E with me, told me that I said no way do what you need to do I'm fine...apparently moments later when they restarted..I stood up from the chair and table..and collapsed into a cabinet full of various aluminium bowls pans and medical bits and bobs.

I remember waking up ..thats it. My brothers still laugh about it..but they are both in medicine and are used to seeing this carry on.

Last time I was in hospital the nurses were fantastic. Caring, kind and could not do enough for me, even though they were understaffed.

Happy International Nurses' Day! I worked my way through college (university) as a hospital orderly. Since then I have had a great deal of respect for nurses. About the funniest/weirdest thing to happen to me was when a woman in her forties asked me to take her temperature rectally, forget the thermometer, and insert something else. I was 20 and embarrassed easily.

I worked as a nurse aide when I was in university and was often assigned to sit overnight with patients in comas. Because I often read that people in comas could benefit from being talked to, I would sing to them. One woman came out of her coma while I was there. Her first words were, "My dear, could you possibly try singing a different note?" Turns out she was a music professor. I've often suspected my tone deaf crooning created enough of an irritant that she struggled back to consciousness in order to make it stop

My mother was an Army nurse during WWII. Her stories, which I had to pry from her, were pretty amazing. I'm always astounded at what "The Greatest Generation" did for the world.
She told me:
She graduated with a B.S. in nursing from Chapel Hill (North Carolina). She and her "nurse sisters" walked up on the stage, received their diplomas, and walked down to busses which took them to New York, where they boarded the Queen Mary. The Captain announced; "We're not waiting a convoy escort. You are desperately needed in Europe. We are faster than any U-Boat. We will outrun the Nazis." They learned how to wear their uniforms in-route.

As an AML survivor I spent two years in and out of hospital. Had some awesome caring nurses who deal with survival every day

I had my second baby at a military hospital in Woolwich London I was scared because I thought that it was all going to be horribly regimented - It turned out to be great and so relaxed, the nurse who was looking after me in Labour - woke me up - as I had napped for a bit and said "Come on! I want this baby born before the end of my shift!" she was really lovely and my son was born and she was really pleased -

In contrast the Hospital I had my daughter in, was supposedly the best teaching hospital in England and it was awful, really regimented . And a 15 year old cadet nurse delivered my baby as everybody else had left us to it.

A great deal of thanks to the nurses and medics in the world for all the service they provide and under difficult circumstances many times.