Ignorance of Nutrition Is No Longer Defensible

 During the few minutes it took to replace the IV catheter, the patient let me know that whatever pride I held in my phlebotomy skills was unjustified and that my needle sticks only added to the misery of hospital life. Each time I was called to replace the IV during the patient’s hospital stay, I found myself thinking, “Why not just get the amputation over with?” It seemed that the patient was only delaying the inevitable. But I was wrong. The patient eventually left the hospital, foot still attached.