I do not shortchange the Docs, but… they never wiped my ass.
Here here. Nurses are the BEST! I once spent about two months working as a temp in finance at Visiting Nurses Association. I was so impressed by the nursing staff there - universally smart, caring and motivated - that I looked into nursing school myself. I saw those people, and they were great people and I wanted to be one of them.
Also, a specific shout out to the nurses at Good Sam hospital in San Jose. Thank you!
As a nursing student - thank you! Not for the appreciation, because I haven’t earned it yet, but for the inspiration for when I kind of want to say screw it all, let’s go get margaritas and be done with the whole thing.
I freakin’ love nurses, particularly the ones who brought me my “I don’t give a shit” drugs, the sleeping drugs, water, food, snacks, anti-nausea drugs, helped me figure out how to get out of the hospital for some “fresh air” cough, laughed at my stupid jokes, didn’t make fun of me, DID make fun of me, made sure I didn’t fall over, always ignored the “Not right this second but when you get a chance” part of a request, protected me from annoying people with extra doses of the “I don’t give a shit” drugs, and didn’t talk to me like I was two years old.
The nurses who kept sticking me? Bah, I like them, too, but not as much.
But I swear to god, if I ever end up in there again I’m going to lie down on the floor on purpose and wait until they fill out all the paperwork before I stand up to point and laugh at them. 
110% agree!
Having had several times where we have had to go to a hospital, it is almost always the case that a nurse makes sense of what a doctor has said, and puts the spin on it that the doctor should have made. Not that we want candy-coated words, but sometimes it is nice to hear a nurse later say, “I have had lots of patients and they do just fine after this procedure…” I cannot begin to tell you how many times we have run into doctors with the tact and personality of a dial tone. Nurses, on the other hand, seem to be able to say just the right thing, at the right time, that makes all the difference!
Speaking of which, allow me to give a shout out to a current thread on this board from Mona Lisa Simpson! I know other nurses have done similar threads, but she is doing some mighty fine writing and helping lots of people right now.
Actually, I was so inspired by her thread that I started thinking maybe we should start an annual “Best Threads Of The Year Award!” In which case, I wish to put her thread on the short list of nominees.
May we add the nurse’s aids, and the custodians, and the people down in the offices who know that a patient’s wife is spending 24/7 at the hospital and move them to a room with two beds and no other patient as soon as they can?
What? No respect for us computer geeks?
I kid. Nurses rock.
-NurseCarmen.
(not an actual nurse, not an actual Carmen)