Nurse Stories
First-person accounts from nurses — about the moments that never make the incident report, and the help that should arrive before anyone gets hurt. Shared with respect, to make care safer.
It Worked Every Day but One
The test passed every year it was ever run. Nobody had ever unplugged the closet.
Forty-One Pounds
Security got there in three minutes. I needed somebody in one second.
Eating Our Young
Unsafe is unsafe. It does not check the badge of the person causing it.
The Call Bell to Nowhere
There was no quiet option in that room. There was a menu of loud ones.
The Only Way to Call for Help Was to Leave Them
The building had a system for fire. It had none for this.
The Incident That Never Happened
I have had a hundred shifts like this one. None of them are in the record.
The Story Didn’t Begin With the Punch
My incident report was two pages long. It covered about four seconds.
Ten Seconds
I knew I was in danger at second one. I pressed for help at second ten.