Intuition is something that everyone has, but not
everyone recognizes. Many people base their theories on science and facts, and
do not consider intuition or gut instincts to be factual. However, scientific
data would prove this wrong. In multiple experiments among volunteers, gut
instincts and intuitions proved to be accurate, and essential. When you hear
someone say, “I just knew that was going to happen”, they may very well be
right. That may have felt something was not going to work and it would fail,
but they may not feel comfortable speaking up and sounding like a know-it-all.
Intuition and Nursing
Bethany was a nurse and had been working five years in
hospital. She had a patient that was admitted and was extremely sick. Doctors
tried to determine the origin of her illness, however were unable to. The
patient had been hospitalized for five weeks with no apparent answers. Family
members were pressuring doctors and nurses to make a determination, to let them
know what was wrong. The patient herself constantly complained that an accurate
diagnosis and not been made. It was understandable that after this length of
time some answers could not be provided, as one doctor put it this is a very
unusual case. Multiple tests were being run scans were being ordered and
outside physicians were being consulted, yet to no avail.
Bethany worked with this patient day after day, and
begins to notice a slight pattern. Bethany started to wonder if there was any
way the patient could be inducing medical problems to herself. Although the
patient did not fit the criteria for the average Munchausen patient, there was
just something that made Bethany question the legitimacy of her illness and
injuries. Bethany shared her concerns with Dr. who immediately discounted her
theory. Betsy let her idea go and could continue to treat the patient and
provide the best care possible. Then one day is Bethany entered the patient’s
room, she saw the patient taking a drink, actually a sip from a small vial of
medicine.
Knowing nothing of this type should be accessible to
the patient, Bethany approached the patient questioning what she was doing. The
patient claimed she kept a small amount of sugar water in the vial for when she
really wanted something sweet but did not want to add the calories of an actual
desert. Bethany wanted to believe the patient, however, her intuition told her
otherwise. So the next day on doctors' rounds Bethany advised the Doctor in
private what she had observed. Although the doctor hesitated doing so he ran
additional tests and ordered more labs. It turned out that once again the
patient’s insulin levels were skyrocketing with no apparent reason.
In light of what Bethany reported the doctor ordered
more extensive lab work and it was in fact determined that there was synthetic
insulin in the patient’s body. A psychiatric evaluation was ordered, and the
patient finally admitted that in fact she was self-medicating in order to
induce an illness. Her bag revealed a stash of insulin vials that she obtained
from a pharmacy in another country. There were other items and other
medications that she also obtained illegally and was using whatever she felt
necessary to induce illness. Although the patient needed medical help it was of
the psychiatric nature and not physical. The patient was stabilized and
received proper psychiatric treatment and was released with no more
complications. This was Bethany’s gut instinct that told her things were not as
they seemed. She followed through with her gut instinct, and in this case it
paid off.
Using your intuition and gut instinct with patients
must be balanced with facts, data, and reality. No doctor, coworker, or patient
for that matter wants to hear that you just have a feeling about something.
There needs to be some backing for your theory. It's fine to share an opinion or thought,
however it does need to have some validity to it.
Related: Should
You Change Jobs?
Intuition and gut instincts can play a
huge part in your own safety. Say you are leaving work at midnight, and due to
parking limitations, you park down the street instead of in the parking lot. So
as you get ready to leave work, a strong feeling comes over you that you may
not feel safe walking to your vehicle. In this case, that feeling has facts and
data backing it. Walking alone at midnight in an isolated area is simply not
safe in many instances. Request security to escort you to your vehicle. Intuition and the ability to have those
instincts are actually part of our genetic makeup and should not be ignored,
but rather appreciated. So the next time someone says trust your gut instincts,
you can answer, “I do”.
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