Happy Nurses Week

Well this is Nurses Week.

 I have been an RN since 1995. I am proud of what I do, and I am pretty good at it, at least I think I am. But nursing has been  troubling to me quite often lately.
While the numbers of patients is always changing, the number of staff ...well the team has to work harder and hopefully together. Some days its very difficult to do it the way I think it should be done.

On a personal note ,when I find that I make bad food choices, it is almost always at work. If I am going to slip at all into old patterns it will be in that stressful environment. There is no set time to do anything. Eventually you will likely get a break, but when is the question. I am a good planner almost always on taking things that can be snacked on during the twelve hours...but it must be nice to enjoy an actual meal that is healthy and good tasting.
You should see the water bottle I carry in every night...my night can also be gauged by how much is or is not left in that 50 ounce bottle.

It is never an easy job... we spend a too large amount of our time witnessing the inhumanity of humanity. Someone does need to be there at those times to fight for those who can't fight for themselves, although quite often that comes too late. I am sure these experiences change us all.
I know they have changed me.

So consider that a nurse was there:

When you were born,
Monitoring you while you were sedated when they fixed your broken arm,
Receiving you from the ambulance staff when you came into an ER after a car accident,
Calling your parents when you were injured ,drunk or stupid at Spring Break,
Handing you your newborn baby for the very first time,
Medicating  your mom after her surgery,
Sitting with your Grandpa while he died and praying for him,
And too many other scenarios to ever name.
In fact it is  very likely a nurse will be one of the last faces you also see...


So Happy Nurse's Week to my sisters and brothers out there. You do a job every day that a coffee mug  or a pizza night will never be an adequate acknowledgement... even though the acknowledgement is unspoken ,but understood by all of us.