The Spirit of Nursing
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One patient I can’t forget was adamant. “Only the redhead can put my IV in,” she said, and she meant it. It’s actually my fault. Not the red hair—I had always wanted it and at age fifty, I made it happen. The part I do take the blame for is this patient only wanting “the redhead.” She refused to have anyone else insert her IV. At first, she had refused me, too. That was until we talked about being redheads, discussing the fact that my red hair came from a box labeled L’Oréal 5R, hers from the Clairol #6. This redhead talk broke the tension. It was then that I promised her I could get the IV in with one try. “It’s my specialty,” I told her. “Most redheads don’t even have to try to be good at things,” I continued. She laughed, let me try and I got it in. End of story, or so I thought. Every time the IV had to be replaced, I was paged. Every time she just wanted to chat, I was paged. She learned how to do it from her room phone and her own cell phone. It wasn’t a burden. It was actually an honor to think I won this patient over with a box of L’Oréal 5R. This patient was eventually discharged but readmitted several times as her condition declined. COPD sometimes has a predictable decline over a period of months. She was fearful, because instinctively she knew the trajectory, even though no one may have told her, exactly. As a nurse, I was more than aware that she knew. That was why she kept my beeper number, even when she was discharged. Every time she was readmitted, I was paged. Every time she paged me, I responded. It was the red hair. She died a few months later. I know I’ve used this gift before. The gift of influence. The ability to influence a patient to go in a direction they didn’t want to go in. I’ve used it many times in thirty years. At times, patients refuse to go in the direction we advocate. They have the right. I know how important autonomy is, that freedom that is all yours, no one can take it away from you, especially when you need it the most. We accept and honor this as part of our professionalism; it is, simply, part of being human and having empathy. I also believe, personally, that we can’t choose everything in our lives, but sometimes we can make some our own destiny—with a little help from L’Oréal, or Clairol.
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About the Book
The Spirit of Nursing is filled with stories from more than 40 authors who have been inspired by their choice of career. Collectively, they boast 1,091 years of practice, diverse certifications, and numerous degrees. Some have just begun their practice and others have worked as nurses for half a century or more. Read how we have earned the true credentials needed to provide care for strangers, family members, and each other. Learn how we have earned the academic and honorary titles required to lead each other in our profession. The stories we have collected here cover the moment each contributor knew he or she was to become a nurse, what was learned (and what was not) in nursing school, and unforgettable patients and colleagues. But this book is about more than the sum of all of the parts that make up our nursing trajectories. It is about the process of becoming and being a nursing colleague. Filled with professionals who have earned their distinction as leaders in practice and healers in their communities, it is rumination on what it means to care. It is also a thank you to a line of work that has given us so much.
About the Author
The Spirit of Nursing is filled with stories from more than 40 authors who have been inspired by their choice of career. Collectively, they boast 1,091 years of practice, diverse certifications, and numerous degrees. Some have just begun their practice and others have worked as nurses for almost half a century. Read how we have earned the true credentials needed to provide care for strangers, family members, and each other. Learn how we have earned the academic and honorary titles required to lead each other in our profession. The stories we have collected here cover the moment each contributor knew he or she was to become a nurse, what was learned (and what was not) in nursing school, and unforgettable patients and colleagues. But this book is about more than the sum of all of the parts that make up our nursing trajectories. It is about the process of becoming and being a nursing colleague. Filled with professionals who have earned their distinction as leaders in practice and healers in their communities, it is rumination on what it means to care. It is also a thank you to a line of work that has given us so much.