Nurses are our friends. Some of my best friends, in fact.
It's all been said before.
"Nurses are compassionate."
"Nurses are giving."
"Nurses are angels of mercy."
But what's not said enough is that nurses are sincere. Nurses are autonomous. Nurses are smart!!
They taught me everything I know. From Alice, staff nurse, who taught me how to make a bed; not just any bed-one with a patient in it!! And not just any hospital bed, but a regular bed in a patient's home.
To Marilyn, former Executive Director, who taught me not only to be dignified and professional, but how to publish, publish, publish. For real fun, Marilyn has her nurse friends join her in writing chapters for her books!!
To Elissa, Executive Director, and Betty, Director of Professional Services, who taught me how to soar with eagles in a large healthcare organization.
To Joan, Director of Education and Quality Assessment/Performance Improvement, who taught me quality counts, and that there's a place for social work on every quality improvement team, and I quote, "the benefits of improved outcomes through collaboration."
To Carol, Certified Adult Nurse Practitioner, who taught me more than any social worker would want to know about postmortem care.
To Maureen, Home Health Aide Supervisor, who taught me to "look under the covers" metaphorically and metaphysically. Nurses are professional role models. Nurses do the right thing. Then they document it, research it, and publish it in a journal.
Nurses are who you want to care when someone you love is in need.
To the numerous souls who populate my daily life and who have extended to me their friendship and humor, nearly every day for 23 years, and made coming to work not work at all,
I'll say it again:Everything I know, I learned from home care nurses. And that's why I've chosen to stay in the home care field, where there are talented, compassionate people working every day to improve the human condition.