Thankful for Nurses at the Dermatologist

My dermatologists are great--truly they are. Standing behind them, though, quite literally, are the people who have the last word with me in my skin care. The nurses in my dermatologists’ office record every detail of my examinations and each change in my skin from one visit to the next. They are every bit as attentive to my care as my doctor, and I love them for it.

Constant support during tough times

Over the years, I have been greeted and tended by the same nurses in my doctor’s office; they feel like family. I have faced some nerve-racking situations in that office over the last 11 years since my melanoma diagnosis, and the nurses have been there to pat my shoulder and lend an ear. Sitting in the Mohs patient waiting room hoping to get the all-clear after a basal cell surgery is never easy. I am always amazed at how my nurses’ easygoing manners and compassionate words make those days more tolerable.

I am not sure they are aware of the difference they make to the patients who nervously fumble with their phones and stare blankly at the television serving as background noise. Their calming voices are a welcome break in the monotony of our stomach-churning anxiety. They can’t possibly know the impact they have on us when they sit beside us for just a few seconds and explain that the doctor “needs to have another go to clear those margins.” Their understanding tone is sometimes all we need to get us up and moving for one more round.

Soothing test anxiety nerves

Nurses actually have the last word--think about it. With each visit to the dermatologist, my nurse is the one who makes me feel at ease with my prescribed course of medication or the aftercare for a biopsy site or incision. Questions always arise when my doctor leaves, and the nurse never fails to provide answers. When I am sent on my way, instructions in hand and my mind already spinning with worry over the biopsy she is about to send to the lab, my nurse is the one who brings me back down to Earth with a warm smile topped off with sincere well wishes.

Nurses, here's to you!

I don’t recall ever properly thanking the nursing team at my dermatologists’ office. (It’s high time I do a better job.) Thank you, Jackson Clinic of Dermatology nursing staff! You are appreciated and respected more than you will ever realize. Your kind words do not go unnoticed, and those extra minutes you take to listen to me mean the world. On our worst days, you help us see the best possible outcomes. For that, we thank you!