Monday, May 6, 2013

It's Nurses' Week

According to my Facebook News feed, it's the beginning of Nurses' Week.  Once upon a time I was a nurse.  Some of my friends are still nurses.  Given that I am a stay-at-home-mom to three rather clumsy children, one of whom has some special needs, I still use the skills I learned every day. (Heck, I have a humdinger of a story about what happens when you give me a mandolin slicer that I will share with you later this week.  It ends with me being grateful I know how make and apply pressure dressings quickly.)

There are a myriad of reasons I left the profession.  The reason I give the most often is that I had too many babies in too short of a time span and the daycare fees cancelled out my pay cheque.  Give me a couple of glasses of wine and I will tell you the rest of the reasons. 

I am not here today to talk about that.  I am here today to tell you how much I appreciate those who could stick with a career I could not.  Unless you have done it for yourself you have NO IDEA what nurses do.  None.  Nurses handle literal and figurative shit every single day and there are few among us who could handle the level of stress they do all day every day.  I couldn't. 

I can tell you it doesn't take much to make a nurse's day.  A sincere Thank you from a patient or family member will often do it.  I am telling you this today because I bumped into a former patient yesterday.  She was my cashier at the grocery store.  As she was ringing me through she asked me "Are you Jennifer?" I said yes as I wracked my brain trying to place her face.  She went on to tell me that I took care of her in the hospital once.  In 2004. She has never forgotten the care I gave her. She made my day.  I am going to carry that glow for a few more days.  It's those moments that get you through the ones full of shit. 

Have you thanked a nurse lately?

1 comment:

tammi said...

Awww, that's so awesome! What a wonderful thing to be remembered for! And how very cool that she took the time to actually say thank you directly to you when she could have just noted it in her head when she saw you. You obviously made quite an impression!!