What is a nurse?

I had to take my son to the urgent care center a little while ago for a throat infection and something we encountered there really made me stop and think. Everyone on the staff there was very warm and welcoming except for one woman, the nurse that checked us in and out. Procedure wise she did nothing wrong, she asked all the questions she was suppose to and gathered all the information the doctor  needed. The thing that struck me was her almost robotic attitude. I remember she asked me if my son had ever had an ear infection. I told her no, then said something like "yet" and kind of laughed it off. This woman didn't so much as glance in my direction, she just kept right on moving.

Now, had it been a very busy day, I would understand. Nurses unfortunately don't always have the time for any social protocol, especially in either the ER and the Urgent Care. We were the only ones there. When we left, we were still the only ones there, no one else had signed in. It almost made me cry for that woman. I was reminded of those instructors in grade school who were awful to students. It was either because they hated their job, in which case they should've thought twice about their decision to enter the education sector, or they had forgotten the drive or purpose of being a teacher. This woman was going through one of those two pathways. Given how old she looked, I'd guess she'd been a nurse for awhile and has forgotten the purpose of a nurse.

A nurse's job consists of many things: Dispensing medication, writing up care plans, delivering messages to and from the doctors, and more. Everything a nurse does can be taught in school or on the floor, except the most important point: How to CARE for a patient. You can fill them with meds, start their IV, even bring them a glass of water, but you will still be considered a poor nurse without any kind of emotional treatment.

How many times have you heard about a patient who has gone into the hospital with the doctors telling the family that they only have a few months to live, only to pull through and be here still years later? What is it that kept him going, while someone else might go in and not make it? I would be willing to bet there is either a strong supportive family behind him, or an excellent nurse, or both! When I say an excellent nurse, I don't mean one that dutifully made sure he had all of his meds at exactly the time he needed them, or had all of his procedures go smoothly, I mean on that fought with him. The human will can be an amazing thing, but when we're under serious strain or stress from an illness of some sort, we sometimes need a little reminder to kick it in gear. We need a cheering section. Our priority to the patient should be to be that cheering section. Even if they have a wonderful family, we should still be there to fight along side them. This alone, could be the difference between life or death for the patient.

What does this matter with my son, though? Sure, whether or not the nurses were supportive and caring there wouldn't have made a difference in whether or not my son lived. He got his antibiotics and feels much better now. It still makes all the difference in the world. I had no clue what was happening to my son and I was scared to death. It turned out to be nothing, but I wanted so bad to have a nurse that was happy and upbeat, one who would lift me out of my "I don't know what's going to happen" stage. If she had just offered me a bit of that, I would've handled my son's ear piercing screams that much better. Our patient's condition doesn't just affect them, it also affects their friends and family. Sometimes they need someone to laugh with, or cry with, or just someone to remind them that today is just one more day they have.

"Being a nurse isn't about grades, it's about being who we are. No book can teach you how to cry with a patient. No class can teach you how to tell their family that their parents have died, or are dying. No professor can teach how to find dignity in giving someone a bed bath. A nurse is not about the pills or charting. It's about being able to love people when they're at their weakest moments."

-Miss Katrina Rose

Being a nurse is love above all else. Don't forget this important lesson and carry it with you through the years. Always be an excellent nurse, never a poor nurse!

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey