Day 308

A couple of years ago, I told one of my (younger) nurses that her patient needed a new INT. She looked at me blankly and asked what that was. I explained that it was an older term for IV- "Intermittent Needle Therapy". She looked at me like I was a dinosaur for a moment, but vowed to put in a new...IV...before the end of her shift.

I didn't think too much about it until today. I was helping another (young) nurse turn and bathe a patient. As I did so, I had the patient do as much for herself as she could to help strengthen her arm muscles. I told her that we were getting her "Jane Fonda" in today. 

The patient smiled and nodded her head, but the other nurse gave me a familiar blank look. 

"You know... Jane Fonda," I repeated, pumping my arms like I was doing arm curls for effect.

Nothing.

"You don't know who Jane Fonda is, do you?" I asked glumly. She nodded her head no.

"She's like the...oh, crap what's her name on that TV show..." Needless to say, I don't watch TV hardly at all. I poked my head out of them room and hollered at another (young) nurse. 

"Miranda! What's the name of that young brunette exercise lady on that weight loss show that's so popular?"

"Jillian Michaels?"

"That's it! Thanks!" I started back into the patient room, then popped my head back out.

"Miranda! Do you know who Jane Fonda is?"

Nothing. 

I finished helping with the patient and explained to my younger peer that Jane Fonda was the Jillian Michaels of the 80's. As I started walking down the hallway, I passed by two other nurses. "You guys know who Jane Fonda is, right?"

Nothing.

Oh for the love of God... When did I become the old nurse on the unit? I can still remember when I was the baby!

"Sharon!", I hollered, starting to panic. Sharon came around the corner, ready to do CPR or intubate someone (raised voices in an ICU get charge nurses jumpy). "What's the matter?"

"Do you know who Jane Fonda is?" I asked desperately.

"Of course. Nobody wore leg warmers better than Jane Fonda".

Whew. 

Yeah, I used to be the baby. And now, I'm the "seasoned" nurse. I took a few minutes to reflect on that while I drove home, and decided that I was truly ok with that. I'm at a stage of my life where I have the opportunity to share with others my knowledge and experiences- whether professional or personal. I may not have been able to produce Jillian Michaels' name very easily, but at one point today, I had every nurse on that unit (except Sharon :)) come to me with a question, or to collaborate with me on something. I also got a text today from one of my children's friends, wanting to talk about life. I love helping others, whether it's in nursing, life, or social trivia.

So today's picture celebrates being the seasoned nurse. May we all remember where we came from, and do all that we can to help grow others throughout life. Be a role model. Be approachable. Be alright laughing at yourself when you can't read the #$%&ing heart monitor without putting your reading glasses on. Share your experiences, both good and bad, so that others can learn from your successes and failures. Leave a mark, an impression, a standard for them to follow. It's so important for everyone to have mentors, and hopefully one day they will thank you, even if it's only in their mind as they complete a task that reminds them of you. Of course, if they choose to think of you in a financial sort of way that would be ok too... Just sayin'.