Day 134

Last week was Nurse's Week. Oddly enough, I didn't capture what is such a huge part of my life in my blog during that time. In some ways I am proud of that, barbecue there have been times in my life when I feel my job has overwhelmed everything else. I have learned the hard way that no one thing should consume you, no matter how much passion you have for it.

But tonight, I am taking a moment to reflect on this special part of who I am, and why I love it so much. I was inspired to do so by a post which I have chosen as my pic for tonight. I have seen this little scrap of truth several times before, and it always makes me stop and say, "Yes. That's so it".

Of course there are hundreds of other sayings out there about nursing, some serious and some hilarious. The popular "postcard" style sayings on Facebook many times hit the mark accurately ("Happy Nurses Week to someone who has seen more penises and vaginas then a prostitute" being one of them...), but it is rare that a posting or saying truly captures the essence of such  a complicated profession.

Johnson and Johnson captured it in a commercial which promotes nursing. It is centered around a male nurse and small child who is obviously  undergoing some kind of treatment, as she is sitting in a hospital bed and has a scarf covering her bald head.

In itself, the commercial is awesome. But to the discerning nurse's eye- it's a beautiful description of what we do.  And the majority of people who see this video won't understand the intricacies behind it that I do. You can watch the video on You Tube by searching "nurse commercial johnson and johnson", then clicking on the 32-second video that shows the girl in a hospital bed.

First of all, it stars a male nurse. That's awesome. There's not enough of them, and this guy represents like hell. I love male nurses- they have a way of connecting with some patients that women just can't do. He starts his interaction with the girl by sitting NEXT to her, not standing above her, and asking about the picture she is drawing. Seems normal enough, but what you don't know is that he has gone through training to learn how to make patients feel at ease with body language and engaging in conversations that involve something other than hospital talk.

Then you see a flash of two syringes, obviously full of medicine. Again- expected. But again, you don't know the enormous amount of reading, learning, and testing that goes into a nurse being able to administer a medication like chemotherapy. ESPECIALLY in pediatrics. We give hundreds of medications each week, and we have to know everything about each and every one of them What are they for, how long will it take for them to start to take effect. What are the side effects and how could that change my patient's current condition for the better or worse. How do I make sure I reconstitute this powdered drug with the right kind and amount of sterile liquid to make sure I don't harm my patient? How fast can I inject this medication, and could it interact with any of the other medications my patient is taking? How fast can I titrate this IV drip and by how much? Is it in ml/hr or mcg/min or mcg/kg/min?

As he starts to push the drug through the small girl's IV, he starts to sing a song with her. Cute, yes, but a closer look will show you that he is glancing constantly at the IV site, syringe, and his patient. He is watching to make sure she gets what she needs in the right amount of time, that the IV site is stable and isn't blown, and that she isn't having any kind of reaction- all while singing a childhood favorite. Distraction while doing something unpleasant is something else we are taught. I can't tell you how many times I have had to have my fist in someone's groin for 30 minutes straight, attempting to ensure they don't bleed to death from the large hole the cardiologist put in their femoral artery- all the while talking about children, grandchildren, pets- anything I can to get their mind off the fact that they have 30 pounds of pressure in their groin...

I could go on and on about nursing, but to sum it all up, here is what I feel a nurse does:

We protect you. From getting sicker, from injury, from medications, from doctors, from yourselves

We listen to you. Not just to your heart and lungs. To your home situations so we know if you will be able to stay healthy once you get home. To your stories about family and life.

We care about you. No matter what. We have an incomprehensible love and respect for human life. We want you to get better and live the highest quality of life that you can.

So today's pic celebrates nurses everywhere- protecting, listening and caring for others.