I am a Psych nurse working in the community. The population of people I primarily work with are what we call SPMI or Serious and Persistant Mentally Ill. We have criteria that we go through in order to determine if someone is SPMI. As "THE" nurse in the office, I also float between two teams; the intake team and the ongoing case management team. I hear some funny things. And I share them because they tickled my funny bone and because I believe that humor is an excellent coping mechanism and helps me not to take life to seriously. Sometimes, my job does become very serious and I am part of some very difficult decisions about a client staying out in the community or needing to go in to the hospital. So some levity, and sometimes a bit off-collar humor, helps me cope and keeps me grounded.
So, here are some of the funniest things I have heard at work:
1. "What is his/her diagnosis?"
"Well, he's crazy."
"Aren't they all? Its called Job Security."
2. "He didn't make the cut." while discussing the eligibility of a potential client.
3. "so I congratulated him on his status and eligibility"
"Oh, I bet he was excited to know that he is officially and certifiably mentally ill."
4. "He's pleasantly delusional."
Like I said, a bit off color, but laughter is how we cope and continue to do what we do. It's a tough job. Our clients are not always the easiest people to work with but in many ways, are some of the neediest people around. So, it does help to laugh and not get in too deep, or we burn out.
No comments:
Post a Comment