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I started with Florence Nightingale, the "Lady With the Lamp" during the Crimean War. Wounded soldiers would kiss her shadow when she passed by their bunks as they lay wounded, some dying. It was not a noble profession back then.
I work in the Emergency Dept and never know if the next person through the door will be drunk, victim of a wreck, a battered spouse or a child whose parent tried to stop them from crying by slamming them against a wall. Perhaps it will be someone who was on the wrong end of a gunfight. Maybe just a two-year old with an earache that hurts really badly at 2 AM.
I hold that little miracle that has just slipped from the warmth of the womb and takes its first breath to begin a new life. I hold that withered hand and watch the miracle of the end of the life span as that dear person takes their last breath and completes their life's journey.
I fill out forms and sign my name about a thousand times in a 12 hour shift. I keep a doctor's busy schedule in order and somehow we know what the doc is thinking even before they do! We are the backbone of the office.
I pass out pills, pass out cups of liquid medicine and often just want to pass out.
I give shots, start IV's and put tubes in places you would not believe.
I hear stories that would curl your hair or break your heart. I find objects that get stuck in the most unusual places. "Honest, I don't know how that got up there!". Yeah, right! Then I go to the nurse's lounge and laugh.
I work in Cardiac Care and know how to stop or start your heart. Believe it or not sometimes we have to stop the heart and give it a jolt to get it back in sync. I know how to use the drugs to keep that muscle pumping oxygen rich blood so you can live a while longer. I can juggle 12 IV drop medications as easily as making a glass of tea (sweet and iced as God intended!).
I hold the hand of your loved one as we tell them we did all we could do...but it was not enough. We cry with you.
We are called Angel or bitch...and a lot in between! Mostly it is just "Hey, Nurse..." and that is OK, too.
I walk the halls at night and watch over you as you sleep while recovering from surgery, illness or some other thing that has knocked your life off track. I fluff a pillow or bring an extra blanket.
My fingernails are not sculpted and painted but are often broken and sore from the constant washing. My feet hurt and my stomach has become cast iron. I forgot that pizza is hot and salads are cold. Most of my food is room temperature and eaten with one hand while doing come charting with the other.
I am overworked, underpaid and tired.
I cannot imagine doing anything else. I get to wear scrubs which are the next best thing to pajamas. I wear ugly shoes and support hose. I can multi-task like it is a second nature.
I say to a 96 year old man with silver hair and saggy skin "Hi, Handsome! I'm your nurse today" and watch the sparkle return to his tired eyes.
I tell the smart mouthed kid "I'm not your Mama and I don't have to listen to your crap" and watch as they cross their arms and sulk for a while before saying "thanks" as they leave my office with a couple of Tylenol and know I'm there to listen.
To all the nurses who read this: Thank You!
If you know a nurse, tell them "Thank You".
It is not a glamorous profession, but it is one that brings personal satisfaction, instills self-worth and can be more fun than a barrel of monkeys!
Choose a higher paying corporate America job that makes me toil from 9-5 five days a week? Nah...I'll just stick to my 12 hour shifts and continue to appreciate a hot shower and soft sheets on a comfy bed.
Mz Scarlett, RN I love my job profession, I love the people who entrust me with their care. May I never give less than 110% of myself to them.
