A Therapeutic Environment

Scene: Shift report, Nurses' Office, 2:30 pm.

Nurse: It's been rough today. The patients are all agitated, and that got the staff agitated and on edge, and for a while it was hard to tell who was the patient and who was the staff.

Scene: Outside the Nurses' Station, 45 min. later.

Patient: H-h-h-h-h-h-hey Andy! Do-doin' alright?
Andy: Well, not really.
Patient: Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh what's wrong?
Andy: [Patient A] was yelling at me, then [Patient B] started yelling at me, and then [Patient C] started yelling at me. Everybody's yelling at me today.
Patient: Nnn-nn-nn-n-n-nn no, I'm not gonna yell at you.
Andy: Well, I appreciate that.
Patient: I llllike you. You're n-n-n-nice.
Andy: Thanks, [patient].
Patient: Y-y-y-you're w-w-welcome, welcome. I like you.