It isn't everyday, that you get to experience emotional moments. As an ICU nurse, I am exposed to emotions on a daily basis, and yet, I can go for days without showing or feeling anything towards my patients or my surroundings. Some days, I feel very separate from my patients - most of which have altered levels of consciousness from disease processes or drugs, and multiple tubes impeding them from speaking. Weeks can pass where I have one-sided conversations only.
This week, though, I eavesdropped on a conversation that brought a few little tears to my eyes and a clump to my throat. My patient had a visitor - his first in the two days I had been his nurse. He and I had minimal communication -- he was on the ventilator, and beyond that, he had been involved in a hit-and-run accident five years ago that left him with many deficits. The best he could do to communicate was open his eyes, and he did that very little.
The visitor was his niece, and she brought with her the newspaper from that morning. She started by telling him the date and the time, and then proceeded to inform him that Barack Obama had accepted the democratic nomination on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech the night before. "We're gonna do it, uncle," she said with excitment. His eyes opened, and she went on to tell him about Joe Biden, and Obama's powerful speech at the convention.
I have no idea how much he understood or didn't. But, as I listened and watched from the door, I thought to myself of how outstanding Obama's reach is -- that his words and person traveled from the convention in Denver, all the way to the bedside of a nameless man who can only open his eyes.
I'm not sure which was more valuable to me then - to be a nurse - or to be a witness to the spread of hope and change that Obama has started in this country.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Vacation.
And....I'm back.
Sorry no word, but things got a bit busy before I jet-setted across the globe to see my good (nurse) friend in Israel.
Two weeks running around Tel Aviv was a pretty amazing way to celebrate and complete my first year in nursing. It was a blast.
Now, I'm jet-lagged and paying for it, but will go to night shifts this evening to return to work. Am sure to have plenty of stories to re-win your interest.
Be a nurse...vacations are way better than they used to be.
Sorry no word, but things got a bit busy before I jet-setted across the globe to see my good (nurse) friend in Israel.
Two weeks running around Tel Aviv was a pretty amazing way to celebrate and complete my first year in nursing. It was a blast.
Now, I'm jet-lagged and paying for it, but will go to night shifts this evening to return to work. Am sure to have plenty of stories to re-win your interest.
Be a nurse...vacations are way better than they used to be.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Mleh.
Honestly, I didn't really feel like being a nurse today.
Come to think of it, I didn't really feel like being anything. Except, maybe...sleeping on a beach. Or just plain sleeping.
No particular reason; I just felt sleepy and slow. Which, I decided to go with. Because...what job exists where those days don't come?
Soo, I finished up my shift, put on a little black dress and went out with my friend and saw a really good concert. Lovely.
Come to think of it, I didn't really feel like being anything. Except, maybe...sleeping on a beach. Or just plain sleeping.
No particular reason; I just felt sleepy and slow. Which, I decided to go with. Because...what job exists where those days don't come?
Soo, I finished up my shift, put on a little black dress and went out with my friend and saw a really good concert. Lovely.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Acceptable gaps and welcome blurs...
Sorry about my little 4-day gap. I went on a quick vacation on my days off. Now I'm back for three (well, two more), and then I'm off for a ten-day trip overseas. Which, if you ask me, is a self-explanatory reason to be a nurse.
But that would be a cheat-post, since I just wrote about the wonderful, marvelous part of nursing...which is: days off.
Today, I guess, was easy. It was a "blur" day. Things happened, my patients were really sick, but it all kind of went by without a big enough glitch for me to remember anything in particular.
Unlike other days, when I leave work with a head full of questions, today I rode the subway home, strolled the last six blocks to my house and mindlessly decompressed, while watching an old episode of 'The Office' on my ipod.
Now, on my couch, with the AC making me cool, in my own comfy clothes...I'm having a really hard time remembering what happened today.
Which, in and of itself...is a really good reason - for me, at least - to be a nurse: I don't really bring much of anything home with me.
But that would be a cheat-post, since I just wrote about the wonderful, marvelous part of nursing...which is: days off.
Today, I guess, was easy. It was a "blur" day. Things happened, my patients were really sick, but it all kind of went by without a big enough glitch for me to remember anything in particular.
Unlike other days, when I leave work with a head full of questions, today I rode the subway home, strolled the last six blocks to my house and mindlessly decompressed, while watching an old episode of 'The Office' on my ipod.
Now, on my couch, with the AC making me cool, in my own comfy clothes...I'm having a really hard time remembering what happened today.
Which, in and of itself...is a really good reason - for me, at least - to be a nurse: I don't really bring much of anything home with me.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
White heart identity.
Be a nurse, because you get to be a member of a dynamic group of people with an identity. For as long as you live, no matter how long or short you practice, once a nurse, always a nurse.
And the great part about it, is that nurses are all pretty proud of being nurses. They cling to their identity as RN and support and relate to and stick with everyone else who holds that title.
I mean, let's face it...how may professions have their own international symbol?with that Did you know that the RN's is a white heart? Who doesn't want to be associated ? Check it out...be a nurse and you can wear one, too: http://www.icn.ch/whiteheart.htm
Cheesy, but welcoming. Be a nurse: you'll always have friends. Hehe.
And the great part about it, is that nurses are all pretty proud of being nurses. They cling to their identity as RN and support and relate to and stick with everyone else who holds that title.
I mean, let's face it...how may professions have their own international symbol?with that Did you know that the RN's is a white heart? Who doesn't want to be associated ? Check it out...be a nurse and you can wear one, too: http://www.icn.ch/whiteheart.htm
Cheesy, but welcoming. Be a nurse: you'll always have friends. Hehe.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
One, two, three, four.
Today was good to be a nurse, because it's day two of three. Day two is better than day one, because it's always easier, less stressful, and not nearly as busy. But best of all, it means that tomorrow is day three, which is just 12 hours shy of four days off.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Working through it.
Lately, I've been musing at work, between bed baths and butt bags and stat EKGS and IV starts and MRIs and chest compressions.
I've been realizing that there's a lot of shit that I need to work through at work -- a lot of head shit. I'm starting to realize that I can't just decide that I'm going to dislike my patient because they happen to be sick and needy and then be rude to them in their vulnerability. I can't just sit back and be bored when the situation permits. And today, I definitely learned that I can't compare myself, my patients, my practice or my work load to others to make an opportunity to bitch.
Because, even though, at times...when things seem unfair, at the end of the day, I have to face up with this simple fact: I asked for it. I signed the contract, put myself in the program, passed the test, and started my nursing career in the ICU.
So, when I ask for the first admission of the day, and it turns out to be a pretty damn sick guy with blood (controllable amounts, not obscene) coming out of everywhere, requiring a decent (not huge, but enough) load of pressors to support his blood pressure, who gets an order for 50 million units of blood (because he's got pretty near none in his body) and then has to go to bleeding scan (the longest test in the world), not to mention, I have to take care of the guy next door, who just hours ago was on pressors himself...I really can't complain.
Because, at the end of the day, after a little too much fuming, I realized that I'd asked for it. Just two days ago, on the other side of my day off, I was bored and ready to tear my already short hair out because I felt like I was babysitting two too-stable patients for 12 hours straight. I wanted some action -- I wanted to deserve my title "ICU RN."
And today I did, and I made the mistake of getting caught up in comparing myself to my co-workers, and lost site of my role, and instead complained about it.
My day and my patients and orders and tests were all challenging today. I had to be way-way-way ahead of myself and even the doctors. I had to plan for the worst, carry it with me and know what to do on my return. But it wasn't impossible, and after I got over myself and embraced my situation, I stretched my mind around it until it fit.
Which is a good feeling...to know you handled 12 hours of something that only a very small percentage of the world can handle. I think, perhaps, that it's the feeling of accomplishment.
And that, is what nursing is all about.
I've been realizing that there's a lot of shit that I need to work through at work -- a lot of head shit. I'm starting to realize that I can't just decide that I'm going to dislike my patient because they happen to be sick and needy and then be rude to them in their vulnerability. I can't just sit back and be bored when the situation permits. And today, I definitely learned that I can't compare myself, my patients, my practice or my work load to others to make an opportunity to bitch.
Because, even though, at times...when things seem unfair, at the end of the day, I have to face up with this simple fact: I asked for it. I signed the contract, put myself in the program, passed the test, and started my nursing career in the ICU.
So, when I ask for the first admission of the day, and it turns out to be a pretty damn sick guy with blood (controllable amounts, not obscene) coming out of everywhere, requiring a decent (not huge, but enough) load of pressors to support his blood pressure, who gets an order for 50 million units of blood (because he's got pretty near none in his body) and then has to go to bleeding scan (the longest test in the world), not to mention, I have to take care of the guy next door, who just hours ago was on pressors himself...I really can't complain.
Because, at the end of the day, after a little too much fuming, I realized that I'd asked for it. Just two days ago, on the other side of my day off, I was bored and ready to tear my already short hair out because I felt like I was babysitting two too-stable patients for 12 hours straight. I wanted some action -- I wanted to deserve my title "ICU RN."
And today I did, and I made the mistake of getting caught up in comparing myself to my co-workers, and lost site of my role, and instead complained about it.
My day and my patients and orders and tests were all challenging today. I had to be way-way-way ahead of myself and even the doctors. I had to plan for the worst, carry it with me and know what to do on my return. But it wasn't impossible, and after I got over myself and embraced my situation, I stretched my mind around it until it fit.
Which is a good feeling...to know you handled 12 hours of something that only a very small percentage of the world can handle. I think, perhaps, that it's the feeling of accomplishment.
And that, is what nursing is all about.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Subway Spotting.
I actually saw one of my patients in the subway today. Walking around, carrying a grocery bag, getting a fare card like everyone else.
Never, ever, did I think that I'd see one of my patients in public. I guess everyone is just far too sick, unconscious and without much chance for recovery, that I never really pictured them in a normal life. Granted, some go home and I'm sure do some of the same things that I do, this was just the first time that became real to me.
It was a really unique feeling that came over me when I saw him. I can only describe it as the way you feel when someone you really respect gives you spontaneous praise.
I didn't say anything to him, or anyone else. I just sat on the bench, waiting for the train, marveling at the fact that - despite how long or short it might last - I helped get him back to the life he leads everyday.
And, if that's not a good enough reason to be a nurse...well, don't become one.
Never, ever, did I think that I'd see one of my patients in public. I guess everyone is just far too sick, unconscious and without much chance for recovery, that I never really pictured them in a normal life. Granted, some go home and I'm sure do some of the same things that I do, this was just the first time that became real to me.
It was a really unique feeling that came over me when I saw him. I can only describe it as the way you feel when someone you really respect gives you spontaneous praise.
I didn't say anything to him, or anyone else. I just sat on the bench, waiting for the train, marveling at the fact that - despite how long or short it might last - I helped get him back to the life he leads everyday.
And, if that's not a good enough reason to be a nurse...well, don't become one.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Scrub-love
Be a nurse -- then you can wear red pants to work and people will actually compliment you on them.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Blahh.
I wasn't so hot on being a nurse today. Two patients, pretty boring, run-ins with an unpleasant resident, and a dragggggggging day made for a hell of a long twelve hours.
But, on the positive side, I say...even though my patients bored me and 7PM took a really long time to show up, I had fun with my co-workers.
It's good to be a nurse, because despite crappy circumstances, you'll always have one, or two, or nine other nurses to talk to, bitch with, and laugh at.
My best moments today were those spent in other people's rooms, helping out another nurse.
It's a team-job, and if you're lucky, and a good nurse, you'll find your "team" will become like a big, welcoming, funny family.
But, on the positive side, I say...even though my patients bored me and 7PM took a really long time to show up, I had fun with my co-workers.
It's good to be a nurse, because despite crappy circumstances, you'll always have one, or two, or nine other nurses to talk to, bitch with, and laugh at.
My best moments today were those spent in other people's rooms, helping out another nurse.
It's a team-job, and if you're lucky, and a good nurse, you'll find your "team" will become like a big, welcoming, funny family.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Ornery Old Ladies...
Today, I'm glad I chose to be a nurse (and think you should be/choose, too), because once in awhile -- every rare once in awhile -- you get to be the nurse of a patient who happens to be a funny, cute, little, ornery old lady.
The ones I'm talking about are very, very rare...they aren't just any little old lady.
They're kind of quirky, and don't ever ask for things (they just command them), and sometimes, they even call you beautiful and get better and get out of the ICU.
And when they do, they say, "If my new nurse isn't as nice and pretty and friendly as you, I'm just gonna get up and walk right back."
And then, before you leave them in their new bed, on their new floor, with their new nurse, they make their granddaughters take your picture with them on their cellphone camera, and ask their family if they can get it blown up to poster size. Hehe.
I love those ladies.
The ones I'm talking about are very, very rare...they aren't just any little old lady.
They're kind of quirky, and don't ever ask for things (they just command them), and sometimes, they even call you beautiful and get better and get out of the ICU.
And when they do, they say, "If my new nurse isn't as nice and pretty and friendly as you, I'm just gonna get up and walk right back."
And then, before you leave them in their new bed, on their new floor, with their new nurse, they make their granddaughters take your picture with them on their cellphone camera, and ask their family if they can get it blown up to poster size. Hehe.
I love those ladies.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Birthdays.
Today is a great day for me to be a nurse, because it's my birthday and a Wednesday, and I don't have to work.
Also, I get the satisfaction of being only 24, having a successful career, on my way to starting grad school this fall (which my employer will pay for, mind you), and able to pay all of my bills.
So, as June marks the anniversary of my first year as an RN, and today, another year of my life, I can look back and be glad that this is the first of many more happy and productive years as a proud member of the nursing profession.
Also, I get the satisfaction of being only 24, having a successful career, on my way to starting grad school this fall (which my employer will pay for, mind you), and able to pay all of my bills.
So, as June marks the anniversary of my first year as an RN, and today, another year of my life, I can look back and be glad that this is the first of many more happy and productive years as a proud member of the nursing profession.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Where's the RN in the room, please?
It's no mystery that to be a nurse, means to do something for the betterment of humanity. But, we nurses are past the gushy-feel-good image of "angels in distress."
Check out the profound, dynamic reasons to be a nurse from another Emergency Room RN:
"Because I'm an adrenaline junkie. Because I can put my feelings of wanting to protect, and to help the vulnerable to good use. Because as a nurse, I feel important, smart, capable and strong- even when in my personal life I don't. I go to work and I'm the one who people count on, I'm the one people look to and expect to know what is going on and what to do next. I'm the one who has the ability to make a bad situation a little bit better. I go to work and know that I will make a difference every day."
-Kristen, RN. Houston, TX
Check out the profound, dynamic reasons to be a nurse from another Emergency Room RN:
"Because I'm an adrenaline junkie. Because I can put my feelings of wanting to protect, and to help the vulnerable to good use. Because as a nurse, I feel important, smart, capable and strong- even when in my personal life I don't. I go to work and I'm the one who people count on, I'm the one people look to and expect to know what is going on and what to do next. I'm the one who has the ability to make a bad situation a little bit better. I go to work and know that I will make a difference every day."
-Kristen, RN. Houston, TX
Monday, June 2, 2008
RN Variety Store
Rachel, who is an Emergency Room RN says nursing is where it's at, because:
"Absolutely NO other profession gives you such a variety to CHOOSE from where you want to work!!!!!! Floor nursing, school nursing, legal nursing, etc. The opportunities are endless..........................."
(P.S. If you're reading, you're a nurse/know a nurse/are affiliated with nursing/wish you were a nurse, and you want to add a post, please contact me and we'll put your opinions up - STAT! Because, as Rachel's post emphasizes, variety is the spice of nursing!)
"Absolutely NO other profession gives you such a variety to CHOOSE from where you want to work!!!!!! Floor nursing, school nursing, legal nursing, etc. The opportunities are endless..........................."
(P.S. If you're reading, you're a nurse/know a nurse/are affiliated with nursing/wish you were a nurse, and you want to add a post, please contact me and we'll put your opinions up - STAT! Because, as Rachel's post emphasizes, variety is the spice of nursing!)
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Monday Love
Today, I say, be a nurse because you won't have to worry about Mondays anymore.
It's Sunday today, but to me, Sunday is no longer the last day of the weekend. The fact that tomorrow is Monday doesn't phase me, and I won't spend all day dreading the start of the workweek.
I can enjoy my day, and my evening, because, today is just another day in my 5-day weekend: I don't have to go to work until Thursday...because I'm a nurse.
It's Sunday today, but to me, Sunday is no longer the last day of the weekend. The fact that tomorrow is Monday doesn't phase me, and I won't spend all day dreading the start of the workweek.
I can enjoy my day, and my evening, because, today is just another day in my 5-day weekend: I don't have to go to work until Thursday...because I'm a nurse.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Welcome, welcome.
Here you'll find a daily testament on why you should become a nurse, and thus make yourself, Y.our B.iggest A.sset.
Plain and simple, nursing is where it's at, and this blog is here to show you why - straight from the nurse's mouth.
Enjoy, and...get with the RN trend, already.
Plain and simple, nursing is where it's at, and this blog is here to show you why - straight from the nurse's mouth.
Enjoy, and...get with the RN trend, already.
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