I always enjoy hearing other nurses talk about our profession. Everyone has their own opinion, be it positive or negative in nature. One of the greatest opinions on the matter came from a coworker of mine who posted the “true meanings of RN” 

 

“The true meanings behind RN: Reluctantly Nice, Real Nurturer, Registered Nutcase, Rather Nerdy, Rockstar Nanny, Regretfully Naive, Rebelliously Naughty, Rescue Ninja…”

 

Next, Reluctantly Nice…

 

Reluctantly Nice: We all have bad days, we all have the patient that you just don’t get along with, we all can’t be “on” 100% of the time… but aren’t we expected to be? Nurses are viewed as the nice, gentle caretakers who always put a smile on people’s faces (or at least that’s what I strive for). So even in our darkest hour, when stresses from home are dragging us down and we haven’t slept because our own kid was up half the night coughing, we throw back our hair, slap a smile on our face, grit through our teeth and say, “Good morning, Mrs. Johnson, I’m going to be your nurse today, is there anything you need?” Although some days reluctant, we always strive to be nice.

 

Real Nurturer: Sure, doctors may do the prescribing, and they may even do the surgeries. But RNs are the nurturing force at the bedside. In a pediatric hospital when the parents can’t stay the night, it’s the nurse that is holding and feeding the baby. When bad news that the cancer has spread blindsides the family, it’s the nurse that lends a listening ear and holds the patient’s hand during chemo. When the miraculous recovery leaves the patient walking out of the hospital on their own, it’s the nursing staff that has spent countless hours at the bedside lining up to hug the patient when they walk by. That’s a nurturer.

 

Next, Registered Nutcase?

 

Registered Nutcase: We work crazy hours, deal with crazy patients, and have to see what some people would call crazy things the human body does. So we are allowed to be a little nutty at times. At Thanksgiving dinner we get deemed the nutcase when talk of bodily fluids doesn’t gross us out. Some would even call working all night a cause for nuttiness. But if we don’t care for patient at all hours of the day and night, who else will? I’ll claim this title proudly.

 

Rather Nerdy: Granted, we work alongside those in white lab coats (and thank goodness for them) who carry around medical textbooks and dictate orders. For this example, let’s call the doctors the brains of the operation. So that makes nurses the senses for the brain. We are the doctor’s eyes and ears, and we are responsible for picking up on small changes at the bedside that may be missed without an astute assessment. For that reason, and for the knowledge that we must use to make a thorough assessment, one could deem us nerds. The human body is a complicated masterpiece, and nurses are expected to know many more details than the average person. Have you ever been that “go-to” friend that people call when their child is sick? “Oh, I have a friend who is a nurse, she knows everything, let’s call her…”

 

Next, Rockstar Nanny!

 

Rockstar Nanny: This could be explained in various scenarios, but who wouldn’t want a nurse as their nanny? The parents would never have to worry about an emergency, would they? I’ve had parents of perfectly healthy children tell me that they would pay me more to babysit their children just because I’m a nurse. Also, in the hospital setting, when parents have to go back to work because of financial constraints, it’s the nurses that step in as the faux mom, or nanny, during the hospitalization.

 

Regrettably Naive: I know when I first started I wanted all of my patients to be cured, to return home healthy and in better shape than when they came to the hospital. How naive. I know after some patients have passed away, I have troubled myself for weeks over what we could have done different to save this patient’s life, even though it was just their time to go. How naive. Amidst the naivete, something that nurses can count as a sure thing is that they are impacting somebody’s life each time they go to work. That makes up for being naive.

 

Next, Rebelliously Naughty…

 

Rebelliously Naughty: This I will chalk up to jest but when Halloween comes around every year, what is consistently the most popular “naughty” costume found in stores? Although the stigma stays, a stigma that also presides on television and in the media, I would hope to say that in the real world RNs stray from this stigma since we are all professionals.

 

Rescue Ninja: Because of our exposure to emergency situations in the hospital setting, nurses are expected to maintain a sense of cool, calm and collectedness whenever an emergency arises. In the hospital, at a restaurant, at the party, etc. Thank goodness there was a nurse there that day!

 

Whatever people may deem alternative acronyms to Registered Nurse, I know it encompasses a working group of talented, empathetic, nurturing, important professionals that make a difference in people’s lives. For those of you who are a nurse, strive to be the best that you can be. For those of you who have experienced a nurse, lucky you.

 

 The unexpected skills of a top-notch nurse

 

What’s it really like to be a nurse? The inspiring film “A Nurse I Am” answers that question by featuring four compassionate, caring nurse role models who are deeply committed to their patients and profession.

 

Every year, Cherokee Uniforms holds a scholarship program based on the film. Entrants are asked to write an essay in response to “A Nurse I Am,” and the 10 winners each receive a $2000 scholarship to put toward their nursing education. Here’s one of the winning essays.

 

The unexpected skills of a top-notch nurse

 

“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.” – Chinese Proverb

 

The quote “Those who can’t do teach” does not apply to the nurses featured in the documentary “A Nurse I Am.” On the contrary, Mona Counts and Robert Wilkinson “can do” and because of their interpersonal and observational skills both end up teaching patients better healthcare alternatives.

 

Mona and Robert’s talent in care and interaction with patients is not the product of schooling. They gain trust and respect from their patients because they choose to listen and learn from them. There is a great pleasure in learning for the sake of learning. But there is even greater fulfillment in applying what is learned in ways that improve the lives of others. With each interaction, Mona and Robert form bonds with patients that extend beyond medications and mistakes.

 

Mona teaches that despite appearances, patients can inform a nurse what is troubling them even when they are unable to verbalize their ailments. She advises if a person really listens to the patient the story will unfold. Her interaction with Roxy is a fine example of active listening. Mona made sure she was at eye level with her patient and her calm demeanor established a good rapport that revealed Roxy’s detailed medical history. Trust was developed and because of that trust Mona better understood her patient’s illness and made a proper diagnosis. Mona maintains she would like to educate her patients well enough to “make good choices regarding their quality and how to maintain it or achieve it.”

 

Even with years of experience in his field, Robert never stops being a caring and dedicated professional who empathizes with his patients and their families. Whether it’s singing a song for his patient or comforting a concerned parent, Robert’s actions make it clear patients are not only his job requirement, but his personal priority.

 

The part in the documentary that was profoundly poignant for me was the care he extended to an emotionally distraught teenage girl who was depressed following chemotherapy. His concern for her well-being and desire to alleviate her pain was something of great value to him. He spoke with her as though he was her friend rather than her nurse.

 

The nursing profession is an intricate network of pharmacology, psychology, and science. During the nursing program, school feels like a means to an end. You graduate from the program, obtain your license, find employment, and maybe pursue an advanced degree. The program is as mentally stimulating as it is challenging and after a few semesters, you anticipate reaching the finish line. School provides basic tools necessary to perform your job well. In the long run, however, it is up to the individual to continue their education. Learning is constant and the successful nurse always prepares to question and seek answers.

 

I am a lifelong learner. I strive to always question and do my best to look for answers in order to provide patients with the best care possible. My education will not end once I have earned my degree. It will, in many respects, have just begun.

 

Like Mona and Robert, I will use multiple methods to determine what is acceptable to my patients. I will learn what form of communication, even when nonverbal, my patients require. I will learn when my patients need me to be silent. Through my patients I will learn how to alleviate their pain and worries, therefore making their hospital stay more comfortable. My textbooks and supervisors have shown me the principles and procedures important to nursing. Mona and Robert have proven that those who can do can teach. And patients can be the best educators to nurses willing to learn.

 

Field of dreams

In my imagination, nurses choose their fields with the same directness and clarity we bring to all aspects of the job. So, ICU nurses appreciate everything that modern technology can do for the very ill, and pediatric nurses adore children. Simple, easy. And yet, it’s doubtful if any real nurse fits these one-dimensional stereotypes, least of all me, the former English professor who became a nurse working in medical oncology.


Oddly enough, a bookmark galvanized my choice. I was almost done with nursing school, and one afternoon I was there trying to cram a few last bits of information into my overly full brain when I noticed a small pile of bookmarks lying on the table in front of me. I picked one up: “Top 10 Reasons to Be an Oncology Nurse.”


The bookmarks came from the Oncology Nursing Society and I couldn’t believe how powerfully some of the reasons spoke to me. Reason #7, “Learn about cutting-edge biological and genetic therapies,” expressed my wish to work in a field that would constantly challenge my intellectual drive. Reason #10, “Gain a broad expertise in every body system, as cancer can affect any of them,” spoke to my desire to be in a dynamic clinical environment that would keep me on my toes. And reason #4, “Guide people through a difficult time and help them survive it,” suggested I could make use of the emotional lessons I’d learned from dealing with the solid tumor cancer that swept through my mother’s family. I felt a light turn on in my head. The bookmark allowed me to identify myself clinically, and that experience of self-recognition was so profound that for over four years I have safeguarded that bookmark.


 

Being Chosen


Actually, my professional trajectory is typical of the course many nurses follow to their chosen fields. The details will be different for everyone, but the gut feelings and the sense of destiny (what if I hadn’t seen that bookmark?) resonate.


Julianna Paradisi, who works in Oregon, initially chose pediatrics not just becauseshe likes kids; she thought children would be more physically manageable than adults. In her words, the idea of “working with big hairy adult bodies” was not appealing. Paradisi ended up leaving pediatrics after her own bout with breast cancer. She felt pulled to adult oncology because she wanted to share her hard-earned lessons about cancer.


Having studied theology and philosophy at the graduate level, Steven Barrett might logically have gravitated toward an academic nursing career. But the Texan cares for nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease. His patients are declining cognitively, but their spirit is endlessly uplifting for him: “The secret of the Alzheimer’s Unit: There’s a lot more soul/mind left than we realize! I can’t understand a word Mrs. B. mumbles, but I hear every word that her deep alto soul sings of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.’”


Many nurses describe their choices as initially accidental, but ultimately fated. June Elizabeth Connolly, a nurse now living in Pennsylvania, says she “fell into critical care” when she began her career in Boston. Her original plan had been to complete a course on tropical diseases. When that course didn’t work out, she took a position in the ICU because it was the only job available. More than 40 years later, she is still an ICU nurse. She says the intensity of the job appeals to her because it requires her to really focus while she’s there. She sums up her feelings about her long career by crediting her specialty: “Intensive care chose me.”




 

Healing is an art form

“Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter’s or sculptor’s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God’s spirit?” – Florence Nightingale

 

Nursing is the art of healing not only physical bodies, but human souls, through experience and study. But our “masterpieces” are worth far more than canvas or marble and are often hurting both physically and emotionally. They see their nurse as the face of the fight, their fight, their refuge, and their advocate; it is our duty to nurture this vulnerable relationship to ensure holistic healing.

 

Nurses are blessed with the opportunity to make a profound impact on patients, because we cross paths with individuals going through difficult times. In their angst, they are quick to make judgments regarding the care they are receiving, using the medical personnel they come in contact with as a basis for this discernment. Nurses ought to make use of precious time with patients, using it to contribute to satisfaction by offering genuine concern, safety, and excellence.

 

Mona Counts does just that. Mona is notorious for being a selfless and humble caregiver in her impoverished community. What really stood out to me was how inquisitive she was with her patients about topics seemingly unrelated to health, constantly asking things such as, “Who do you live with?” and “Are they taking good care of you?” She spoke with one man about hiring a spokesperson to have ready to take care of any legal, health-related issues, even offering to call the bank for him. These behaviors indicate that she is genuinely concerned about every realm in her patients’ lives, even areas in which no one would expect her, as a nurse practitioner, to consider.

 

She realizes that patients need to have healthy and safe home lives if they are to succeed in managing or improving their health, a belief that I have adopted myself. What I will remember about Mona Counts is that she meets her patients where they are. She refuses to let their lack of finances serve as an obstacle, using simple treatment techniques and patient education to get them where they need to be. This approach is a tool I will use as a nurse to prevent distant feelings with my patients, letting them know that no matter their financial or personal situation, they will receive excellent care and I will be by their side, working through every detail to get them healthy.

 

 

What kind of nurse am I becoming?

 

A Nurse I Am was a wonderful introduction to the realities of nursing. Not merely the experiences that a nurse will face from day to day, but the capacity of accomplishment from heart, spirit, intention and a professional standpoint. Every nurse symbolized in these short films defines the role, the stature of a nurse just as it was meant to be regarded.

 

Ardis Bush represented dedication, kindness, and advocacy in nursing. Her family centered approach to nursing reflects a down-to-earth, ever-concerning aim to provide her patients opportunities to take control of their health. Ms. Bush has a gentle demeanor yet she directly communicates with her patients. By keeping her finger on the pulse of their feelings and experiences, she ensures their safety and comfort in and out of her care. She is a listener and she follows through. Patients count on her, trust her, and find rest in her care. A patient scribed a blessing for her at a moment when he could not speak.

 

A single parent herself, Ardis Bush is grateful for the opportunities that nursing has provided her. She cares for her family from the lens of a nurse. As her sister transitioned from this life, she was there as sister and nurse. She seamlessly meshed the two responsibilities in a great time of need, possibly being unaware that definitively the two were absolutely one. Nursing for Ardis Bush is never ending; it runs in her veins, it defines her journey through life.

 

Bob Wilkinson: a strong man, a father, a nurse. Humility and vulnerability met with stability and conscious care makes him a standout among his peers. He accepts heart ache as part of his charge, yet faces each family with a smile, a song, a support through a difficulty storm.

 

Bob identifies parental pain and creates a safe space for families to learn and grieve. His spirituality allows him to bravely confront every new disappointment without answers, but with hope nevertheless. Excellence exudes as he visibly advocates for his patients or uses healing touch to communicate his presence. Bob sits at the foot of the bed, waiting for a breakthrough. With every patient, he seems to increasingly embrace his own existence.

 

Like Ardis Bush, I am a single mother. Like Bob Wilkerson, I love children. As a student, I am developing into a nurse daily. Images such as these shape my path going forward. I am finding that somewhere beyond the pathophysiology and the vital signs, I will emerge and face my patients with the essence of who I am.

 

I plan to provide excellent care to my patients by striving in my studies and reaching outward and inward throughout my clinical experiences. Reflection will help me acknowledge areas that I need to strengthen and those that helped me connect. I am coming to realize that nursing is a role that is always evolving. I understand that my everyday experiences will permeate my practice. It is paramount that I do a thorough job and provide care that is evidence-based and brings comfort and relief. I intend to extend to my patients the right to access my professionalism for questioning, attentiveness and assistance, knowing that I am willing to help.

 

As a teacher of nine years, I am aware of the necessity of getting to know students in an effort to accomplish the ultimate goal. Nursing is not merely about the technical aspects that we are expected to refine and master. In school we gain the tool to execute optimal care. This wealth of attainment needs a conduit of delivery that evolves only at the bedside. Nursing must be channeled from the heart.

 

As I ardently strive to be a nurse that my clients will benefit from having, I truly await the experiences that will make me a better parent, daughter, sister. With every interaction, I will learn how to care better. Collaboration with my colleagues and the families I serve will shape my future in nursing for the benefit of the patient; ultimately pruning the nurse in me. This is a cycle of care and continuum of growth. I am proudly on a never-ending quest toward providing superb healthcare. This is the nurse I am; the nurse I am becoming.

 

 

The nurse’s art of genuine caring


How do you recognize genuine caring? What do you define as excellence? How does genuine caring and excellence improve patients’ satisfaction and safety?


What makes a nurse excellent is the capability to deal with the responses of the person during treatment, and not just dealing with the treatment itself. Caring is measured by the ability of seeing the fading smile behind a debilitating ailment, and the hope behind adversity. Caring is the ability to remember the person as a priority, and excellence is ability to leave our own personal problems at home and strive for the best during the client’s uncertainty.


The fact that after so many years of work, Bob Wilkinson, the pediatric oncology nurse, still cries after witnessing the struggle of the parents couldn’t be a bigger sign of compassion. The fact that there is only passion accumulated after so many won and lost battles is a sign of dedication. He did not take a salute or a simple conversation for granted. His conversations were not the product of rehearsals. He got to know his clients and he treated them with dignity because he took into consideration their likes and dislikes.


Through his actions he empowered his patients and promoted autonomy: He allowed the little girl in the video to push her own medication. He complained less and supported his clients more. His caring is also exemplified by his ability to remember the small details such as the preferred children’s toys.


The nurse’s ability to still be shocked by the sorrow of the families is a sign of a big heart. After so many years of experience, there is no thick skin but a bigger heart that provides warmth to those afflicted. And that is simply admirable. His empathy for his clients went beyond words when he shaved his head. All these qualities would not necessarily have improved the prognosis of his clients, but it proves that he is there for his clients. It proves that he is committed to support them, to assist them through their difficulties.


Mona Counts, the nurse practitioner is also another example of excellence and genuine caring. She never stood on a pedestal and looked down on her clients. Mona always sat on the floor, maintained eye contact with her patients. She always spoke in simple terms and maintained a sense of hope and honesty. She was no less of a nurse practitioner by engaging her clients in their own terms and conditions. She kept her ego outside her practice and despite her years of experience, she only seemed humbler.


She accommodated her clients’ wishes, and most importantly maintained their autonomy and independence. She educated her clients just so they can make their own wellness decisions. She always went the extra mile; by giving she received. Despite her long routine, despite her many years of experience, she remained passionate about her clients. She seemed to lack of a mirror. In fact, fanciness was thrown out of her equation, but she had a dozen of eyes observing her clients. She treated the person behind the disease. She filled and overflowed her patients’ expectations. Through her excellence, she made her clients feel safe.


I recognize that excellence is neither an absolute state nor it is a pedestal. To me excellence is something to strive for everyday when I research and investigate unknown topics to me. Excellence is when I recognize that what I lack of experience, I can compensate with passion to learn and help my clients.


Caring is to recognize that I won’t know everything and that together with my colleagues we provide better care. Caring to me is to understand that everything I do, I will do for the well being of my clients. My goal is to see beyond the obvious, and to support my clients’ decisions despite the challenges. I refuse to recite those empty lines that many nurses are forced to perform for their clients. As Bob, I do not take for granted introducing myself, and establishing a small but meaningful conversation that shows that I care and that I am there to keep my client safe.



 

 

My big lesson in compassion as a nurse

When I first read the title of the Cherokee Uniforms program, A Nurse I Am, I thought it was an odd choice of word construction; however, after watching both videos, I quickly realized it could not have been more fitting. Each video’s message was that nursing is not a profession where you take off a uniform after a day’s shift, but rather something you are–it’s your make-up as a person; it’s in your DNA. The nurses highlighted and awarded in the videos embodied everything a nurse should stand for.


I appreciated the condensed version because it was subtitled which allowed me to play back certain words in my mind, such as “communication” and “patient advocate.” The longer video was also excellent, and it dug deeper so that one could fully experience a nurses’ day-to-day patient care.


The two nurses who stood out for me are Mona Counts and Bob Wilkinson. It was obvious from the interviews from patients, peers and family that Mona Counts was a completely dedicated nurse. Seeing the shortage of healthcare and lack of economic resources, Mona took it upon herself to establish a healthcare clinic, and even took out a second mortgage to finance it. Helping others was in her blood; it was who she was as a person, and it never left her regardless of her surroundings. She displayed warmth and caring for patients and people in general by taking the time to get to know them, their backgrounds, environment and family. She recognized their fears and valued their thoughts and feelings.


Mona provided an accurate portrayal of genuine concern by taking the time out of her day to do home visits. She made sure her patients’ safety was being looked after by making sure they had all the information needed regarding their healthcare regardless of economic situation. She displayed excellence in her care by going that extra step of not only providing care for her patients’ physical needs but also their whole personal well-being. This was displayed by doing something as simple as taking a few minutes to share some photographs or offer assistance for a legal matter. I hope to have as much love and dedication as Mona does in my future.


Bob Wilkinson also stood out to me for a number of reasons. As a male studying to be a nurse myself, Bob’s experience gave me the added reassurance that this career is not selected by one’s gender but rather by one’s unswerving desire to comfort others. Although it was evident that each nurse gave of himself or herself completely, I respected Bob’s more delicate area of practice.


In addition to assisting doctors with treatment, Bob had the added complexity of helping children face possibly death, yet it was clear by his tone, gestures, and words that compassion was his focus. He understood that he was not just caring for one child but caring for a whole family sharing a difficult time. He was perceptive of their discomforts and mental attitudes and truly wanted to help relieve them as a whole. He demonstrated his concern for the safety of his patients by double-checking with doctors regarding medication being dispensed.


Bob clearly put himself in his patients’ shoes by doing all the little things to help them cope with their situation, things such as finding that perfect toy or making them laugh. The fact that he gave his own personal Army award to a patient he felt was more deserving speaks wonders about his character as a person and human being. I can only hope to be as compassionate a nurse as Bob is some day.


I hope to combine the positive attributes of the nurses in the films with my personal experience. I will ensure that the patients I look after are treated with the same dignity and care I would want for myself or a family member. I will remind myself every day that a good nurse cares for a patient’s physical needs, but a great nurse cares for the patient’s whole well-being , physical and mental. I will strive to be an advocate and voice for my patient’s recovery and fully communicate with all parties involved. I hope all my future actions will prove that nursing is a not just a career choice, but rather who I am as a person.