Why care?
By Joni Moore-Resilard, MSN, RN
I sometimes wonder why I picked this profession
After all, I could've been anything in the whole wide world of my choosing
Better pay, better hours, more recognition
But still there would've been something missing.
That patient in room #104
Who praised me for taking care of him, even though that was my job
The patient in room #205
Who was dying and just wanted someone to sit by her side.
That patient who needed to hold her stillborn baby a little longer
And the patient who thanked me for not being afraid to talk to him in a straightforward manner.
When I realize that I could've easily taken the uncomplicated road to a better life,
I truly know that I've already traveled down the road I was destined to[horizontal ellipsis]
Being a nurse.
The nurse who cared
By Karen Foster, RN
He had been alone for many years,
Then he came to her hall last night.
She looked down into his gray eyes,
And found them filled with fright.
He leaned back against the pillow,
And looked up at the ceiling and stared.
She wondered what she could say or do,
To let him know she cared.
She sat down beside the bed then,
And put her pens and charts away.
She picked up his hand and whispered,
And I heard her softly say:
"I know this must be frightening
And all so new to you,
But I want you to know that I am here.
Is there anything else I can do?"
He spoke not a word,
So she stood and walked to the door.
She made her rounds and charted,
And returned to his side once more.
It was quite some time she sat there,
Before he made a reply.
Then she bent and hugged him tenderly,
For he had begun to cry.
He sobbed and said: "I'm sorry,
I don't usually carry on this way.
You go on, don't worry about me,
'Cause I'm going to be okay."
She told him it's all right to be scared,
And to cry when you feel that way.
And he managed to still and to ask her,
If she would help him pray.
He asked for the strength to see him through,
The trying days ahead.
And special blessings for the nurse,
Who sits beside the bed.
And in those moments of sharing,
He found his fears had calmed.
He closed his eyes and squeezed her hand,
And he began to yawn.
He said: "I thank you kindly for showing you care for me,
You truly are special, my dear."
Then he drifted off to sleep,
Knowing that she was near.
Although she may not remember,
Every patient frightened or scared.
This kind old gentleman,
Will remember the nurse who cared.
Under my care
By Charlotte Davis, BSN, RN, CCRN
As things go wrong, as they sometimes will
Your heart starts hurting or you take a bad spill
Whatever process or pathogen that makes you ill
We'll try to fix it quickly with a drip, shot, or pill.
We'll take chest X-ray pictures
To look for aneurysms and strictures
We'll take lots of blood samples
And educate you with high-tech examples.
We'll quickly introduce all of our staff
As we show you the consent in need of your autograph
Not a moment to waste as you grab the pen
We'll say, "Just sign on this dotted line for your procedure to begin."
There will be beds on wheels called gurneys
To transport you during your hospital journey
As anxiety grows because you just don't understand
No one's explained this procedure in words you can comprehend.
So you say, "I don't understand this medical lingo and hospital speak
My ticker's not working and they want to take a quick peak?
My heart rate is too slow
So to the cath lab I must go?"
The nurse glances down and recognizes your confused face
She stops dead in her tracks and says we have to wait on this case
Her eyes soften and these words she gently speaks,
"Why don't we stop and explain this again before we take this quick peak?"
She finds the doctor and says please take a look
This patient's confused because you spoke like a textbook
We aren't taking her anywhere
Until we answer all of her questions while she's under my care.
The nurse gathers her team as they begin to thoroughly explain
Electricity makes your heart pump, fill, and also drain
Sometimes there's a malfunction in your heart's circuit breaker
And replacement parts are needed like a dual pacemaker.
Touched by the nurse's advocacy, you grab her hand
Saying, "Thank you, kind nurse, for helping me understand."