My mother-in-law, Marj, had a small stroke to the left side of the brain last Monday. I arrived back in Minnesota, packed a bag, and headed to Albert Lea.
When I got there, I found my husband somewhat pulled together but shaken. I saw Mom and although the outward appearance was good, you knew she wasn't 100%. She struggled to get a word out, to put a sentence together and think and speak the word she wanted.
Brooke and Ashley were the nurses on Wednesday. Brooke has been a nurse for a while and Ashley was a nursing student. The kindness and gentleness that they showed Mom was awesome. If Mom didn't understand, which she doesn't alot these days, Brooke would rephrase. If Mom still didn't get it, she would stroke Mom's back and say "it's ok, I can wait. They gave Mom the time and most of all, the respect she deserved.
As I watched them, I wondered to myself--in 20 years will they have this same attitude towards their patients that they do now. Brooke was a relatively new nurse and Ashley a student. Would time, demands, patients attitude and hospital rules and politics change their attitude.
Thursday's nurses were awesome also. Meghan was the student nurse and Nancy was her nurse. These women were kind to a fault. It was inspiring and comforting to know that Mom was in good hands.
But I continued to wonder about being a nurse. You have to be willing to humble yourself and let the patient have the upper hand sometimes. You have to be willing to comfort, be patient and and even sit and listen for a while, as they try to communicate with you thus treating them with dignity.
Mom had an MRI done on Wednesday. The nurse that came to get her was an older nurse and clearly had lost that patient trait. Her kindness bank was low for sure.
Then I asked, why do people become nurses? I know like being a parent, some people should not even engage in reproducing. And as important as being a parent is--so is being a nurse!!
I know my sister became a nurse just to make enough money to buy appliances for her home and pay the bills while her husband was unemployed. Is this a good reason to become a nurse? One day at work, she was asked if she liked being a nurse by her supervisor. Not particularly she said. Her supervisor told her she may want to find another way to support her family.
I've had my share of time in the hospital between kids, surgeries and strokes. I've had some good ones and some bad ones. I'm here to say that when you get a bad one, the hospital stay can be like being in a prison. But when you get that special person who realized she wanted to help people and become a nurse, your hospital stay is great. You wake to a kind face and voice. Comforting. You hear and see their actions that reflect how they feel about being a nurse. Comforting. You see them put their arm around you and tell you it will be alright. Awesome.
How does the patient feel? Respected, comforted, and safe. We feel like we are in the best hands and besides the arms of Jesus, that's just dandy with me.
To all you nurses out there with that humbling and kind spirit about you, thank you for what you do and may you always put that into play. And when you find your job lacking reward, think about the smiles you put on our faces and our hearts knowing that you care about us.
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