|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
The nurse’s heart: poems, stories, quotes
Nurses are a special breed of people.
They get up in the morning and go to work with one simple, yet profound purpose in mind: “I will care for you.”
When asked what the most important tool in their workday is, every great nurse would surely answer, “My heart.”
Treat a person
The next best thing
When you’re a nurse
Love
Definition of a nurse
Gratitude
Hearts
I have two hearts
Heart is pulsating with blood
And heart is pulsating with love
Heart is overflowing with tears
And heart is overflowing with perfume
Heart is sky
And heart is earth
Heart is coldness
And heart is warmth
Heart is wave
And heart is sand
Heart is a book
And heart is mirage
Heart is flowers
And heart is ashes
Heart is rocks
And heart is peace
Heart is tide
And heart is ebb
Heart is the wound of yesterday,
And heart is the wound of today,
I’ll never touch the wounds once again
When hearts are angry
My heart is evergreen
Whoever owns my heart
Will own dreams and hopes
And keys of happiness
Forever and ever
The Heart Of A Nurse
Nurses are compassionate and caring,
With love in their hearts for all.
Forever extending a heart of mercy,
Always there when there is call.
Endless hours they stand on their feet,
Wondering, “Did I do my best
To help this patient get through this illness,
Ease their pain so they can rest?”
In their hearts you hear God’s whisper
Through a nurse he sends his love.
Ever sensitive, kind and caring,
Souls as pure as a snow white dove.
Angel, yes, she tends to be,
For her presence comforts me.
Concern for the sick shows on her face,
Her gentle touch, my fears erase.
There is a rose that grows
There is a rose that grows in
No man’s land and she is beautiful to see
She is the one red rose a sick man knows
She is the work of the master’s hand.
Through my life’s great curse stood a smiling Nurse
She is the rose of no man’s land
and the heart, too.
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
What would life be like if I could embrace my patients?
“I Want to Work in a Hospital”
Heart-to-heart with my patient
I was working in a busy ICU one night and I had a one-on-one patient. He was on a ventilator and dopamine and levophed; his blood pressure was in the 40s. I was told in report he would probably not survive through the night. I have heard that the last sense to leave a person is his hearing. I always talk to my patients throughout the shift. I chatted with my patient while I gave him a bath, telling him about my kids and my pets. His wife visited with him and I could tell that his battle was taking a toll on her also. I told the patient that we had done all we could do from our end to help him overcome his illness and that he had to decide to fight, too. His condition was about the same when I left at the end of my 12-hour shift and I never thought I would see him again.
Christmas came around and I was working again on the night shift. A man and his wife came into the unit looking for me. I recognized the lady—she was the wife of that very ill patient. Then I looked at the man, and he smiled at me and handed me a glass Christmas ornament. He told me he remembered my kids’ and my dogs’ names, and rattled them off without a mistake. He then told me that when I told him he had to fight for himself, he decided to do just that. He told me that he wouldn’t have thought about wanting to live until I said something to him. He also said that I gave the best back massage ever!
That’s the power of what a nurse can do without expensive treatment or intervention. Talk to your patients—you can make a difference!
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
The odd behavior of a nurse
She was always giving, even when you thought she wasn’t. Her needs were secondary to the world’s needs. Children felt comforted by her touch, mothers leaned on her for guidance, fathers cried in front of her and sisters shared forgotten stories of laughter and tears. They trusted her, my mother, the nurse. A seemingly complete stranger who didn’t just open her heart, but gave it time and time again to anyone who needed it.
I never understood her completely. I didn’t understand why she plastered every new car with “Nurses do it better” stickers. Why she found it a necessity to help every injured person we came across, even when paramedics where already present. And why she seemed to risk her life repeatedly to help people she didn’t even know. Her behavior seemed insane and naive to me.
It was only at 55, when she had been diagnosed with cancer, that her odd behavior started making sense. Halfway through a double shift she had been working because her unit was understaffed that day, she collapsed in pain. Her colleagues, who were also her best friends, forced her to get tested. She had advanced stomach cancer that had already spread to her bones, and even though we didn’t know it at the time, in less than three months she would be taken from us.
It was on her deathbed that her life outside of her family started making sense to me. The nurses who took care of her seemed rattled to see one of their kind on the opposite side, only because they saw a bit of themselves in my mother. They asked me questions and I responded. “Yes, she ate on the run, slept weird hours and after taking care of family, many times the only thing she wanted to do was sleep because she was extremely exhausted.” When I recanted our family story, they always sheepishly nodded as though it was more than just acknowledgment of what I was saying. I was also describing their lives in detail.
Even then, my mother felt an obligation to her colleagues and made sure to train me on simple things that could help reduce their workload. It didn’t seem like much, but the nurses seemed extremely grateful for every little bit. They communicated with my mother in what seemed to me a secret language, and acted exactly like her. Day in and day out they gave 100 percent of themselves and asked for nothing in return.
During the month before she died, I spent every waking moment with her at the hospital. I saw families gathered in the lounge suffering in silence, volunteers who served as the only companionship to many patients on the brink of death, doctors who briefly appeared at dawn, case workers who seemed emotionally burdened and nurses who filled EVERY void in between, 24 hours a day, regardless of how much or how little support they had. No wonder my mother was who she was—she didn’t have a choice.
This is what I’ve discovered: To be a good nurse, you need to have a big heart, a strong work ethic and a good sense of humor to ride those moments that seem dark and impossible for both you and the families that rely on you. You can’t leave your work at work, but you wouldn’t want to. Being a beacon of compassion for humanity is your reward, and one that you embrace wholeheartedly because you see the world both at its worst and its best, and you still manage to love it unconditionally.
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
The language of the heart
When I first arrived in the Middle East, I didn’t speak the native
language. Even though we were in an English hospital, sometimes the
patients came in and didn’t speak English or their English was quite
broken. Nevertheless, as a nurse, I had to perform my duties and
properly interrogate each patient and gather the details for the
doctor.
It was at that time that my training and my professionalism,
along with my compassion and love for my patients really shone
through. Even though communication was not the easiest, the patients
and their family members felt reassured when I attended to them.
As I spent more time in the country and learned the language,
communicating with the patients became even more of a pleasure. They
were always surprised to see a Western nurse speak their language
which helped add an element of calm to their situation.
There is no better feeling than hearing a stranger speak your native
tongue.
I observed the local nurses from the country and gathered that for many of
them nursing was more of a challenge for them because of their culture. Where I
would have no difficultly attending to a male in a dire situation that
had just been rushed into the emergency room, the local nurses were, at
times, limited in their capacity due to their strong cultural beliefs.
Those nurses still did the best with their situation and it
brought a smile to my heart. I know that nurses everywhere in the
world do their best for the patients they serve.
Back in Toronto, I can relate to people of all cultures. Sometimes I
speak a few words of Hindi to comfort an elderly patient who can’t
speak much English, or sometimes I use a few words of Cantonese or
Arabic. When all language fails, the language of love and compassion
transcends words. It’s my privilege as a nurse to practice the
language of love and compassion. The more you speak it, the stronger
your unheard voice becomes. Peace and be well.
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
Kentucky nurse donates kidney to children’s hospital patient
Ben Pratt, a 3-year-old Kentucky native, was born with kidneys that didn’t work. Lucky for him, Santa came early last year and Pratt was gifted with a new, working kidney. Who was the kind Samaritan who gifted Pratt his new organ? None other than Beth Warren, Pratt’s primary nurse in the neonatal intensive-care unit at Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington.
Pratt stayed in this very hospital for more than four months after he was born on August 22, 2009. It was here that Pratt and Warren grew close and she never forgot his special case. Warren not only fell in love with the blue-eyed baby, she also got to know his family really well. His mom, Shayla Pratt, is also a nurse and was at the hospital every day with Ben and Warren.
It’s not surprising, then, that Warren admits that the decision to give Pratt a kidney was not a hard one. ”To me, he’s been just part of my family,” she told Kentucky.com. “I knew this was God’s plan for us.” As of November 30th, with a kidney that works, Pratt can now enjoy foods he couldn’t before, from bananas to French fries. He now weighs 33 pounds, up 4 pounds from before the surgery.
“He acts like he feels so much better. It’s amazing. He’s a miracle,” reports mom.
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
15 ways nursing will change your life
The nursing profession is changing. The average age of nurses and the average number of years of nursing experience both are decreasing. As a nurse with close to a decade of experience, I’m considered old.
I often wonder what the newer generations think they are getting into when they choose our profession. What do they think their job will be like? What do they think we actually do? How do they decide and say to themselves, “That’s what I want to do, that’s what I want to be”? I’ve recently discovered a lot of nurses are finding out the hard way what nursing is really like.
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
This is the REAL world of nursing:
1. Your feet will hurt.
2. Your back will ache.
3. You’ll start grinding your teeth in your sleep (if you didn’t already start in nursing school).
4. You’ll NEED to be in shape for this job.
5. This job will make you cry.
6. This job will scare you.
7. Many patients will not like you.
8. Most patients will test your limits.
9. Many patients are not nice. In fact, they’re downright mean.
10. You’ll rarely hear a “thank you.”
11. Your job is never done.
12. What you do directly affects others, ALL the time.
13. No one notices what you do–until you don’t do it.
14. You won’t get home on time. Hardly ever.
15. You’ll be the medical “go to” person for everyone on the block (sometimes at midnight on a Tuesday).
Sounds pretty bad, huh? This is why we constantly repeat the phrase, “Nursing is not for everyone.” You have to be tough in order to thrive in our world. The greatest thing about our profession, though, is that the benefits of our work GREATLY outweigh the risks.
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
But here are 15 ways nursing will change your life:
1. Your heart will grow 10 times its normal size.
2. Your compassion will exponentially expand.
3. You’ll develop strength where you once were afraid.
4. You’ll learn to push past your limits.
5. You’ll become resourceful.
6. You’ll develop keen decision-making skills.
7. You’ll become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
8. You’ll truly empathize and understand what loss really is.
9. You’ll impact human lives.
10. You’ll truly make a difference.
11. You’ll meet and befriend some amazing people.
12. You’ll find that the rare “thank you” and/or hug is worth it all.
13. You won’t do this job to be noticed.
14. You won’t do this job expecting to leave on time.
15. You’ll be proud to tell people you’re a nurse.
Sounds pretty good, huh? This is why we constantly repeat the phrase, “Nursing is not for everyone.”
The things that make our profession so tough are also the very same things that make this profession amazing. If it were easy, wouldn’t everybody be doing it?
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
“The best is yet to come”
“No matter what faith or religion a person is, we all experience the sinking feeling of ‘Oh God, please help.’ Nurses are there to offer their presence, compassion and critical lifesaving knowledge.”
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
Sold! For 3,000 PB&Js!
The homeless among us are invisible to many. But not to Mary Larson. As a nurse at Harborview Medical Center’s Pioneer Square Clinic, in Seattle, she treats the men and women who struggle to survive on the streets. As an artist, she captures their personalities in vibrant acrylic portraits that invite others to recognize their dignity.
The act of painting is, “sheer delight,” says Larson, whose work is valued not in dollars and cents but in commodities and services. Before her first exhibition, when trying to settle on prices, she thought of socks. “Some of our patients wear the same ones for months, so getting a new pair is a real treat, and we had just run out at the clinic. I thought if I could sell one for hundreds of socks, and others for hundreds of warm caps or gloves, wouldn’t that be spectacular?” Within a week all her artwork sold and in the dozen or so years since she began painting (“on a whim”), her portraits have earned thousands of pairs of socks, gloves and underwear, as well as hats, hamburgers, Starbucks cards and sandwiches. In fact, one just sold in an online auction for 3,000 PB&Js!
Her paintings and her pricing system have created a ripple effect of benefits, instilling pride in her subjects (“They see that just by lending their faces they’ve done something to make the world a better place.”) and sparking altruism in buyers (“They are thrilled and excited to be able to do something to make a difference.”). As for her reward, “I am inspired by watching people help each other, that’s the joy in this art.”
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
Treat a person
“You treat a disease: You win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you win–no matter the outcome.” –Patch Adams
The next best thing
“Nurses may not be angels, but they are the next best thing.” —Anonymous Patient
Nursing Quotes
“When you’re a nurse, you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.” —Author Unknown
Love
“It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing.”–Mother Teresa
Definition of a nurse
“Definition of a nurse: To go above and beyond the call of duty. The first to work and the last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. A unique soul who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. An empowered individual whom you may meet for only a 12-hour period, but who will put you and yours above theirs
Gratitude
“They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel”–Maya Angelou
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
|
|
TeresahRN
25128 posts
back to top
|
|
