I walked the dogs today at one of our local beaches and after a busy couple of weeks full of illness in the family,I had space to think. I got to contemplating the blog and why I felt the need to write one. I think it stemmed from a love of being a nurse.
I know lots of nurses(obviously) and I know lots of nurses that hate being a nurse. I know lots of nurses that cant wait to do something else. I know nursing is not for everyone. Its challenging and hard work. The hours are sometimes terrible and to be totally honest,sometimes its just down right messy.
The thing is, I know all of this and I still love it. I have worked in really hard positions,with some very challenging patients and families.I have worked night duty and late/earlies. I've missed lunch breaks and I've been too busy to pee for a whole 12 hour shift(my poor bladder !). I've also been so tired I've had to pull over the car to get a coffee so I could actually make it home without falling asleep at the wheel. I know all of my nursing colleagues absolutely have been through the same thing.
The reason I love it, I think,is the utterly privileged position we get to have with people at often the most hardest time of their lives. A patient asked me yesterday how anyone could bear to work with kids with cancer. How could you remain happy and sane? The answer is, we can make a terrible experience better. We can be excellent nurses to our patients.We can be compassionate and patient,we can be considerate and respectful. We can make patients feel valued and that we have time.
I once knew a nurse that seemed to take great pleasure in turning on all the lights in the bays at 6 am on the kids cancer ward. Regardless of the families sleeping or not. Regardless of the type of night the kids had had. All because she needed to 'read the drips'. I have seen nurses bathe elderly, frail ladies in their bed with absolutely no regard to dignity. Talking over them, leaving them exposed. I have seen nurses barely acknowledge their patients,never making eye contact. Eye rolling if asked for anything.
We've all seen these nurses. These are not great nurses. These nurses give nursing a terrible name. We can make bad situations better.
I don't work shifts now. I looked for a '9-5' job with weekends free and evenings spent with my kids. I no longer work in such a high pressured environment like the Emergency Department or Paediatric Oncology. I work with children with eczema. These children are no less important. We don't always have to work in the high profile departments to make a difference.My families have often tried everything they know to make their kids better. What I do is not hard-I just point them in the right direction. I take the time to listen .I allow them to tell me of all their frustrations and I acknowledge them.
Of course I don't love it every day. Sometimes I have a headache. Sometimes I feel like being at home with my family. Sometimes patients are just awkward and unlikeable,to be truthful.But each day is a new one. Each patient is different. And I get to start anew everyday.Most days are great.
I believe nursing to be a privilege . It's not for everyone. To those of us that get to be nurses,we should be great ones!
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