“Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.” ~Val Saintsbury
National Nurse Week begins on May 6 (aka National Nurse Day) and goes through May 12 so I would like to publicly say “thank you” to all the nurses out there who make a difference in many people’s lives every day. Not only do they help their patients, they make a difference in the lives of the families of those patients.
Why Nurses?
For me, nurses are special people because of my own personal experience in the hospital and maybe you won’t appreciate a good nurse until you have had an experience like that. To be honest, I didn’t appreciate nurses until I had my own experience. It’s the same way you might hold fireman in a special place if you have been rescued from a burning building by a fireman. It’s usually a personal thing.
The 12 Hour Shift
In the hospital I was in, the nurses worked 12 hour shifts four days a week! I don’t think I need to say any more about that except this quote I found that was being passed around facebook:
“Nurses are being scorned for being late with medicine, and yet they are holding their bladder because they don’t have time to use the restroom, and starving because they missed lunch. They’re being peed on, puked on, pooped on, bled on, bitten, hit, yelled at and are missing their family while taking care of yours. They may even be crying for you.” ~author unknown
Nurses Became the Light
I spent a month in that damned hospital bed and the only thing I could look forward to was the nurses and their compassion. Yes, I got calls and visits from family and friends but much of it was when their schedule permitted as they couldn’t quit their jobs to be with me every second. The nurses became the familiar faces and over that month I learned their names, their personalities, and their sense of humor.
They became the thing I could look forward to, they always made an effort to comfort me, to joke with me and even pray for me. They gave me a temporary family for that long month. They treated me like a person and not the number on my door. They normally went above and beyond of what I expected from a nurse and I thank them so much. Thank you!
Nurse Withdrawal!
You may find this weird or even a bit funny, but when I was discharged from the hospital a month later I really missed the nurses! Like I said, they became my temporary family and when I was home again there was an empty spot in me that knew I wouldn’t see them again.
After I spent more time recovering at home I decided to go back and say “Hi” and to thank them for the amazing care they provided. They made an enormous difference for me and I even considered a career in the health profession when I was back home. Before this experience, I never realized the impact a nurse could have on a patient but am thankful that now I do.
Thank you to every wonderful amazing nurse out there!!
You may also like: If You Wake In a Hospital Wearing a Diaper, Don’t Panic!
Tags: comfort, compassion, family, hospital, natioanl nurse week, nurse day, nurse quote, nurse withdrawal, nurses, Nurses are being scorned, Val Saintsbury quote
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