"Why do you want to be a nurse?" - that is about the most common question asked to a nursing student.
So here is a post about why I wanted to be a nurse and what nurses even do, because let me tell you that the general public has no idea.
When I was sixteen my grandmother was sent home on hospice to spend her last days at home. She was dying from metastasized cancer. Because she was on hospice, a nurse would come by daily to administer her medication. On one occasion, the dose of Morphine administered was enough to sedate my grandmother through the whole day. Because of the medication, my grandmother could only moan in response when spoken to her. Her spirit was there, but her body was too weak to physically move.
At the young age of sixteen I though the nurse had accidentally administered too much Morphine and I though the language barrier played a part in this incident. So I wanted to be an advocate for my future patients, I wanted to bridge the gap between language and healthcare (because less than 3% of nurses are Latino/a! ).
Fast forward seven years later, my reason for wanting to be a nurse has dramatically changed.
I now know that the nurse taking care of my grandmother that day was administering the dose of Morphine to help my grandmother, not harm her. After all, the goal of hospice isn't to cure people, but to make them as comfortable as possible in their declining health status- even if it means quickening death. (For example, if somebody is in major pain the nurse will give morphine even if it decreases respiration).
Nurses.... they're just.... amazing.
Honestly, I never knew the amount of knowledge they held, and most people don't know either.
Nurses have this....this.... ability, to look an an individual and look at the whole picture. Not just the illness.
You see, nurses aren't just giving meds and cleaning up bodily fluids all day. They are a mix of a medical professional and a counselor - a constant listening ear.
Nurses witness individuals taking their first breath, and their last.
And let me tell you this, if you are ever hospitalized you will see nurses more than any other medical professional.
When a patient suddently gets worse or needs a new medication, the nurse is the one who calls the doctor, and often times makes suggestions on the treatment they may need.
We are told in nursing school that we are "the last line of defense". What does that mean? Well, if for some reason there is a wrong medication/s
(or dose) in a patient's chart, the nurse is the last to see it and verify it before it gets to them. So yes, nurses are highly trained medical professionals. They aid in life or death situations, and are trained to notice possible problems early on to prevent complications.
But aside from all of that, the pure meat of nursing is the care rendered to patients... our patients...
What do you see in nursing? In nursing school? Humanity. Pure humanity.
Yeah I still remember patient _ who was admitted for electrolyte imbalance, weakness and dehydration. His nurse told me he was irritable and withdrawn. But if you talked to him you would find out his mother had passed away a few months ago and he had no family in the bay area -- he was an elderly man living by his absolute self.
I remember that at the beginning of my shift he would complain, he denied his nursing assessment and wanted to be left a lone, but by the end of the shift he laughed a few times and lost at arm wrestling several times. Yup you heard right, I arm wrestled my patient per his request - but it made him laugh! haha.
Or how about _, who is probably still waiting at the hospital for a bed to open up at one of the homeless shelters. But she sure loved karaoke! Music made her come alive - it was amazing to see!
And how could I forget _, a back slider who immediately recognized me as Pentecostal when he saw me. We talked through most of my shift where I found out his sad life story ... I still pray for him
You may say "That's so sad! How could you do it?".
Well, there is something so beautiful about being able to see people in so many different situations in life. To see people without the front they put up on a daily basis. No fake smiles.. just people being the person they would be in their home with their family.
Plus, it's not all sad! Some of my favorite moments include:
- Seeing love at it's best.
- Seeing a father look at his baby for the first time.
- Seeing somebody wake up to his family after being asleep for five weeks (seriously amazing btw).
This isn't just some profession. It really makes you look at humanity differently.
All I can say is that I hope I can one day be as amazing as some of the nurses I've seen.
One more year to go! Wooohoo! Oh, and I'm sure glad I didn't drop out of nursing school!
(yep, I almost quit - got the major change form and everything. But that's a different story lol)