Proud to be a Nurse
I am proud to say I have been a RN for 20 years. I have had an amazing career so far, and I have plenty of years ahead of me. I graduated from Indiana University when I was 22 years old. I knew I wanted to be in the ER. I spent my first year working on the med/surg floor in an inner city hospital on night shift. That job taught me everything I needed to know to be a great nurse. I went to the ER after a year. It was a very busy inner city trauma hospital. At the end of a year we had some life changes and we decided to move back to our hometown. It didn't take long and I was back in a trauma ER. I spent 10 years in that ER. I truly loved what we did there. I loved the feeling of helping people when they needed it most. I really can't put into words how much I loved working in the ER. It's either something you love or hate and I loved it.
I have spent the last 8 years as an administrative nurse, behind a desk. I love what I do but I do miss taking care of patients. Today I get a taste of just how much I miss taking care of patients. I had been sitting on the interstate for almost 2 hours while it was closed down for a multi-car wreck. I was feeling a bit rushed and annoyed once the traffic finally started moving. I was coming close to my VA when I saw a person mid-air in front of me. I pulled over and ran to the person, there was a car between me and the person laying on the ground. As I closed in on the car I prayed it wasn't too gross. How could I possibly be thinking that, I am an ER nurse. I was and I will always be an ER nurse, its part of who I am. When you work in that environment you condition yourself for anything that walks in the door. After 8 years away from it I had let that wall down and I prayed he was intact!
Thankfully when I came around the car he was a man lying on his side having spun around a corner much too fast, on a wet road, on his bicycle. Immediately the knowledge came to me. I say, "I'm a nurse", and oddly the few people that had jumped out of their cars backed away. I did what needed to be done without thinking, I logged rolled him onto his back, I held his neck, I talked to him. He was confused, he hit his head hard on the ground, enough to break his skin, break his glasses, and damage the helmet he had on. He had some road rash when his shirt and pants and ripped. I kneeled in the middle of a busy road holding his neck, not thinking about anything, until I heard the sirens approaching, which thankfully were very quick. As the Firefighters stepped out of their truck I watched as the came to the patient and slowly traded me places and quickly did their work, moving him on the a backboard. Then EMS came and placed him on the stretcher and wheeled him away.
As I drove away I smiled as one of the firemen waved to me. I knew some of the firefighters and EMS crew from a life that now seems so far away. The man was fine, just a little confused from snacking his head on the ground. I miss being that nurse, but it makes me proud knowing I still have the ability to take care of a patient. I also, loved seeing the Police, Fire and EMS at work. They worked so smooth and flawlessly. I know that if I am ever in the situation I will be taken good care of. Although I don't work at the bedside anymore I am still a nurse and always will be.
