A calling that is unique on its own. Nurses are a different breed. We don’t gross out easily, inappropriate humor at times, but for the majority there is a caring heart and compassion. Nurses are there to care for you or your loved one. They may have, as my dad would say ‘book smarts’ but a really good nurse sees you as a person and not just a patient. They aren’t there just to give you medicine, they are there to give that hug. They aren’t there just to chart non stop, but they are there to touch your heart. Now we all know each person and nurse is different and not all are touchy feely, but the true heart of a nurse should be caring for another person. Putting that patient’s needs before their own, being an advocate for that patient. Nurses represent the patient and the doctor, and juggle that dynamic. There are so many facets to a nurse, just like each of us as people.
Well we have all heard about these people called nurses. They seem to be the salt of the earth and carry work loads unimaginable especially in our world right now. Nurses are dear to my heart as I am one.
I have been a nurse now for 32 years, more than half my life. I have had the privelege in working in a field I enjoy and have learned so much. I started in orthopedics where I watched how amazing the human body can be. From a horrific accident with broken bones and overwhelmed hearts, to healing bones and walking with a smile out the door. I was a young nurse of 20, I was given much responsibility, I was taught how to be a first assistant in the saw and hammer world of surgery, how to plaster cast club feet and talk to the moms and soothe them as I had to cast those little feet. Remove a full leg cast from a toddler who thought I was going to cut his leg off. And so much more. I was around nurses who taught me, a doctor who taught me alot not only medically but how to find my voice. He used his voice to yell, he used his voice to let me know how the padding on my cast was to my retracting and not always in guiding tones if you get my drift. So many people I met in that time of life, and so much it taught me about the patients that I saw, the nurses I met, the doctors I worked for and with. I saw the hard side of medicine as well– chronic pain, drug dependency, financial disparity, abuse and sadness. A true lesson for a young nurse.
The rest of my career has been OB/GYN…29 years. Wow, that is wild to say! I have learned so much and have been very blessed. I have worked with nurses who have made me want to be a better person and a better nurse–her name is Carol. I have worked with nurses that have taught me who I do not want to be. I have had the privilege to be a part of the major, most intimate parts of women’s lives, been there to celebrate and mourn. I have met some amazing women and have become a better nurse because of what these patients have taught me and honestly a better person. I have worked for amazing doctors that have learned to trust me and that is a very good feeling. I have learned how truly amazing the human spirit is, I have witneesed the devastation of marriages and relationships, the outcomes of domestic violence, the struggle of infertility and the joy of birth. I have worked with different doctors who have taught me so much and at times have listened to me. I have represented the patients in my care and the doctors I have worked for. I have tried hard to represent the people I work with and pass along what I have learned.
When I graduated from nursing school in my white hose and white nursing shoes and my nurse’s starched white cap, I felt a sense of awe. Yes, I am that old we wore all that and actually wore white nurse dresses on my first job. I didn’t know at that time that I wouldn’t be back to school to further my career. I married, had kids, divorced and I have worked. My job has kept a roof over our heads but I still have a passion for what I do. This is where I get on my soap box a bit……
Everyone thinks of a nurse as an RN working shifts at the hospital and messy buns and scrubs. There are other nurses out there. There are LPNs. Then ther are medical assistants– CMA, RMA’s, CNA’s and on the job training medical assistants. We all don’t have to work in a hospital to be a nurse. We each have different degrees and schooling, we each have different areas of employment. Those that work in a doctor’s office are no less important than those in the hospital as we both have a part in the care of our patients. I may not be able to do what they do and they may not be able to do my job either. My granny used to always ask me when I was going to be a Real Nurse— that was pretty hurtful. I have been told I am just an LPN and I just work in a doctor’s office so how can that be a real nurse, I am really just an office assistant. To those people, you are a sad individual. Back when I went to nursing school, we LPNs had more clinical training than 4 year RNs, we were at the bedside while 4 years were writing papers about catherizing and we were doing it. Licensed Practical Nurse. Guess that has fit me as I am a simple, practical person. I am practical in alot of areas in my life. I chose my family over going back to school, I chose to continue to work after having babies as we couldn’t afford anything else. I raised my kids on my own after my ex left. Yes, I would have loved to become a Real Nurse as my granny would say, but I am the nurse I am because of the road I traveled. I have learned over the years that a title is a title, earned and not discounting that, but there is more than just the book smarts. It is more than just one person. We each have different gifts, talents and abilities that we bring to the table no matter the title. If we each can’t learn from each other, if we think we have made it and have nothing else to learn, if we can’t stop and listen to the wisdom and example from others– in my opinion, we need to find a different career. I have been accused by a fellow employee that I didn’t care about others as this was my career. She was angry and said this in anger as she knew it would wound. But how wrong she was. My job has provided financially for my family, but my job has made my heart fuller. Now granted it has caused gray hair and wrinkles and stress, but it has brought me experiences and knowledge and a chance to walk beside our patients and see life through their eyes.
We all are called to a different profession. We are all called to a different path in life. We each are placed where we need to be. Sometimes for a brief moment and sometimes for 22 years in one place. A nurse is a nurse, be it in the hospital, hospice, school, doctor’s office. Each one is caring for that patient to hand off to the next area. Really think about that. I help participate in the care of that pregnant mom so the L&D nurses help delivery that baby. The peds nurse helps with well checks so that baby grows up to go to school. That school nurse cares for the scraped knee or more. That kid grows up and while they grow up their parents age. The mom comes to our office and needs a hysterectomy and goes back to the OR nurses and the circle keeps going to the very end. Hands that are entertwined beyond a building, beyond a degree. Hands that lovingly care for that person through all stages of health and care. Nursing isn’t just a job but should be a passion.
So today we celebrate nurses, ALL nurses. There are so many nurses who are carrying a heavy load right now, who are risking their luves on the front line in our hospitals for the care of patients. Thank you!! So many roles that nurses fill right now.We may all be behind a mask right now and you may not see our faces. But our smile will touch our eyes and your well being is on our hearts. We as nurses are called to stand in the gap and know we try our hardest to let you know that you matter. So love on the nurses in your life not only today but everyday. Better yet, love on each other while you are at it!! (Responsibly please as there are other viruses other than Corona right now, made you giggle)!!
