Monday, March 7, 2011

Why I Am a Nurse...

Becoming a nurse is something that was a long time coming for me. Sometimes I think about going to med school, or becoming something higher up the clinical chain, but then realize I need to be a Nurse. Yes, I have rough nights...rough moments. The job is physically demanding, as I expected, yet I never realized I'd be so sick while starting out my career.

But something happened Saturday morning that put everything in perspective for a moment...all my nausea, aching shoulder...vomit soaked scrubs I had changed earlier (from a patient)...the infuriating patients & the ones who are golden...

I ran into the daughter of a former patient in the lobby. She saw me, called my name. Her mother is dying in our ICU. I knew, from taking care of her a month ago, that she was on a downhill course, but to hear about her code in the hospital (on a different floor) & transfer to ICU was still sad.

The daughter had accepted that it was just a matter of time before her mother slipped away. It was good to see her accept that. She talked about how scary the code was, what happened, about the Nurses on that floor before the code.

Then she said that she just couldn't let me walk by without telling me that she appreciated my care for her Mom...& her family...previously. She said I was the only Nurse who had taken time out to explain the whys of what was being done, not to mention listen to the family.

I was holding back tears. I said, "No, thank you for letting me take care of your Mother. I can tell she's a special lady." With that, we hugged & parted ways. In the elevator I let a few of those tears go.

Yes, I love the technical stuff. I enjoy wound care, complicated pathophysiology, seeing the body & medicine in action.

But, truth be told...the connection I make with patients & their families & my desire to help in the darkest hour is why I do this.

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