Most of us first met a nurse as we slid out of mama's womb into two capable hands. We grew to recognize that nurses kept showing up when we needed them, helping us achieve our milestones and manage our crises, making us feel cared for and safe.
They were there when as children we howled through immunizations, cried over broken bones, worried that our moms wouldn't come to school and take us home to throw up in private. We cursed nurses through our labor pain, relied on their information and common sense in ERs and ICUs, and trusted them with needles and other scary equipment. We still count on their competence in operating rooms and their courage in giving doctors much-needed lessons in patient care. Anyone who has lost a loved one understands the invaluable role a nurse's kindness and knowledge play during end-of-life care, helping us treasure the time we have with loved ones, making the best of precious moments.
Nurses' expertise seems ever present. They serve as administrators, supervisors, advocates and teachers. They specialize in psychiatric, cancer, pediatric and geriatric care. They serve in the military, schools, hospitals, community treatment and rehabilitation, and assisted living centers. They brave home-based work, prisons and war zones. Nurses conduct research; hold institutions accountable as compliance officers; and as care navigators, coordinate services for high-risk patients and insurance companies. High levels of job-related stress; higher levels of customer satisfaction!
What's that you say? What about Nurse Ratched? Oh, come on! So we've encountered a mean nurse or two among the many who helped us through life's sensitive situations. But consider the dozens whose names we never learned, but who didn't hesitate to enter what to them was most likely a daily dose of our "mini cuckoo's nests," packed full of messy bodies, rowdy behavior, and emotionally charged demands. Let's be clear, for every Ratched there were countless Nightingales!
So let's stop to appreciate the nurses we know. Tell them we're grateful for and proud of all they've done and continue to do.
Kathleen McGlade
Lewes
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