5 West Nursing

Nursing is not for the faint of heart. It takes a special kind of person to have the right to be called “a nurse”. I’m not saying this because I am one… far from the truth, I struggle with this fact everyday I come to work because although my title says “RN”, I feel inadequate at that.

As I was performing routine nursing care for my patient one night, we were engaged in a conversation about his career. He is a 70+ year old gentleman who looks younger than his stated age and worked as structural engineer for almost 30 years. “Never been hospitalized in my life”, he says with a Brooklyn accent as he told me about how he ended up in the ICU. He was the unfortunate victim of an MVA that left him with a pelvic fracture after being T-boned by a careless driver at an intersection. He’s actually here for a small PE they discovered from a CT scan… he’s fine. We talked about how he decided to be an engineer. “I’ve seen my uncle do it and it got me interested”, he said as he tried to talk clearly through his face mask. As we continued, he asked me how I became a nurse. I told him I really wanted to be a pilot and maybe an astronaut someday, like most people growing up, you make decisions which eventually lead you to where you are at the moment. My mother wanted me to become a doctor (just like her), and for a while I fancied myself as a surgeon. I loved surgery and every aspect of it. I still remember my student days when we assisted in 5 major surgeries, it was awesome. I figured, a surgeon would be the last resort (in most cases), he’ll fix you up, and I thought to myself, I like to fix things.

We talked more about his current situation, then about health care in general, then other things. As we ended the conversation he told me, “nursing is a noble profession… we need more people like you.” I would soon realize what this meant in a couple of days.

Coming back to work, I had the privilege of taking care of a 24-year old gentleman who, in his moment of bliss (compliments of cocaine and marijuana), took off on an ATV and managed to turn over a few times before landing in a ditch. Luckily he survives sustaining a rib fracture with a punctured lung. He’s in step-down now and ready to be transferred to the med/surg floor, however, staffing shortages prevents him from going. Still, I had to take care of him.

After visiting hours his dad comes in to spend the night. As the shift wore on the time came for the highlight of the evening… the daily bath. My patient decides to sit up on a chair at the bedside while I gather my arsenal of towels, wash clothes and basins… oh yeah, don’t forget the soap! As he sat there I begin with the usual bath routine… face, behind the ears, one arm, torso, etc. When it came to the foot part I had to place the basin on the floor, stoop down low to a practically sitting position in which I began to washed his feet. Then, it struck me…

Call it a reality check, I was reminded of what Jesus did when he was still on earth. He served the poor and needy soul and throughout His ministry, healed the sick. In fact, He healed more than he preached. This image of the Master washing His disciples feet came to mind… a symbol of humility He modeled for us as an example.

I know… sometimes it’s hard to stoop down like this, especially when our patients can be a pain in the neck… you know what I’m talking about, the constant complainers. Nevertheless, we were called to do a service by virtue of our profession. Yes, sometimes it’s a thankless job… oftentimes the recognition is not there. But regardless of the case, I’m still glad that I get to serve instead of being served. As the old saying goes, “it is better to give, than to receive”… and this I couldn’t agree more.