May is the month we celebrate Nurses. I doubt there are very many people in this world whose lives haven't been touched in some way by a nurse.
Nurses are people who will do things for you that your own family wouldn't do. They do it without making you feel embarrassed, disgusting, grotesque, contagious or anything other than worthy of their care. They do it with gentleness, kindness and patience, despite the personal nightmares they are facing in their day to day lives. They do it no matter how much physical pain they may be suffering themselves.
They support you and your family even though there may be no one to support them during their own times of grief. They miss holidays, school trips, birthdays, kid's sports games, friends weddings, all kinds of events they'd love to attend because they must work holidays and weekends.They work long hours, and indulge in physical labor like lifting, turning, and pushing stretchers of patients who may weigh over 500 pounds.
Nurses are frequently chastised by patients, family members, doctors and administrators for any number of complaints that aren't even their fault.
No injury is too horrific for them to render life saving measures, both on and off-duty, no bodily excrement is too offensive for them to clean up. Nurses are exposed to deadly diseases and chemicals. Surrounded by germs. Must wash unfortunate patients who may be homeless or bedridden, and haven't been bathed for weeks or even months. They are sometimes physically and/or verbally attacked. They are expected to show up to work no matter how sick they or their families are, to attend to the ailments of complete strangers.
Nursing school is extremely difficult. They are expected to know when the doctor has made an error in his orders, and correct it, even though they didn't go to medical school themselves. As tired as they are, their own families expect the same amount of care and attention from them as if they didn't work at all.
Many, many nurses work well beyond retirement age because they can't afford medical benefits. The same medical personnel who have dispensed medications during their entire careers to those who couldn't afford it. And now, when they need it, there is nothing, not even a discount, offered to them for their service.
Still, do we hear their cries of pain, injustice, unfairness, or even a complaint? No. Why? Because these compassionate, loving people with hearts of gold... are nurses.
And if you were to ask one what she does for a living... she or he will smile sincerely, and say, "I'm a nurse!"
Thank you, dear ladies and gentlemen for the loving care you have bestowed upon me and my family. May the invisible wings you wear on your backs carry you straight to heaven when God calls you home.
I'd like to remember two close friends, who helped me through nursing school and the following year which I swore I'd never survive. They are now in Heaven, and I hope they are having the best time ever!
No comments:
Post a Comment