The sheep and the goats

It is the nature of oncology nursing that some patients will return to the ward time and again, whether it is for their chemotherapy, radiation treatment or just because there are other complications or progression of their disease process. While some are in and out within a couple of days, others stay on the ward for longer periods.

It's rather strange. Patients can be sorted into two categories- I like to think of them as the sheep and the goats. First, there are some patients who just get under your skin, you develop a good relationship with them and their family members and they become "your" patients - or sheep! Others don't have the same effect - while they are usually nice people and appreciate the nursing care, they come and go and you don't feel anything special emotionally except a genuine interest in their well-being, thus they fall into the second category of the goats.

During the past five months, there have been a few patients that I have nursed that fall into the sheep category. With these patients, it doesn't seem to matter whether you have nursed them for a week or a month, the relationship is there from the start and something just 'clicks'.