The Nurse’s First Day on Duty
A young woman graduated at the top of her class from nursing school and was having her very first day on duty in the orthopedic ward of a major hospital. Eager to prove her competence and dedication, she decided to inspect every single patient room the moment her shift started.
She walked into Room 10 and saw a man lying in bed with both of his legs encased in stark white plaster casts, suspended high in the air by a complex pulley system. The young nurse stepped forward, smiled warmly, and asked in a gentle voice:
“Hello, sir! How are you feeling today? After your surgery yesterday, are you experiencing any pain or discomfort anywhere?”
The man whispered weakly, “Well… my legs still ache a bit, but overall, everything is fine. Thank you for checking on me, nurse.”
The nurse nodded approvingly and then looked up at the pulley system for a moment. With her brilliant textbook knowledge swirling in her head, she frowned in dissatisfaction. She immediately walked over to the control frame and personally unhooked two heavy sandbags that were tied to the ends of the suspension ropes.
The man gasped in utter panic and screamed, “Hey! Nurse! What on earth are you doing?!”
The young nurse proudly patted her chest and explained, “Don’t worry, sir! I studied the curriculum very thoroughly. The doctor who set up this system for you yesterday was clearly inexperienced. Who throws two incredibly heavy sandbags up there to stretch your leg muscles like that? I just removed them to help your legs relax so you can recover much faster!”
The man burst into a frantic, agonizing wail, “Oh my god! I beg of you, put them back!!! This bed has broken wheels, so it keeps sliding downhill! The doctor had to hang those two sandbags just to… keep me from sliding completely off onto the floor! There is absolutely nothing wrong with my legs, I only came in here to get stitches on my arm!!!”
