Happy International Nurse Day!! I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to attend university to study nursing, I have wanted to become a nurse ever since I can remember. Everyone has a reason to why they end up on the route of nursing, life experiences that brought them to make that choice whether personal, wanting to challenge themselves, gain a better understanding/knowledge, care about the well-being of others and wanting to make a difference or even all of them. Nurses don’t get the recognition they deserve, to a nurse, it isn’t just a profession but a way of life. We partake in upholding the principles of the NMC every day of our lives, throughout every minute of the day, as upholding a professional image is vital.
Nursing is knowing when to turn on tough and when to turn on human, finding that balance in-between. We can make holding an individual’s hand seem like the most significant thing in the world. We can help someone breathe if they stop breathing, stay awake all night to make sure someone has the medication to live, we provide comfort to palliative patients – physical, spiritual, mental and emotional comfort, add extra hours on to a 12 shift to attend to those who need us and then get back up at 7am and do it all over again. We support and assist all walks of life, newborns to elderly and we deliver holistic care in a non-judgemental, empathetic and sensitive manner. We work hard and for lengthy periods to save the lives of people we have never met. Witnessing life/death and sometimes being the difference in-between. We experience astonishing moments were all we want to do is shout from the rooftops and never stop talking about the day we’ve had and other times there will be no tears left and we just want to be alone, not talk to anyone. Empathy is our attribute, it’s why we are in this profession as we care so much. We care for people every day, there are times when we forget to care for ourselves and days when we are taking care of other people’s families that we forget to take care of our own. There are times, we make our families wait for dinner until we know that an individual, a relative that isn't our own is taken care of. We may have to skip lunch during a shift so that we can ensure everything we did during the day is charted for. We work weekends and holidays because becoming ill is not a Mon - Fri entity, our services don’t close for Christmas. It doesn’t work like that, people can become ill on any day, at any time.
If you’re a student nurse, like myself you may have to work part-time as a healthcare. Majority of student nurses do, as we must be able to earn and provide for our families, ensure we have somewhere to live and be able to eat. It can at times be mentally and physically draining, as well as having to make sure you get an adequate amount of sleep, food, maintain hygiene, find time to unwind, complete your university assignments, presentations, and exams. Occasionally, we may be on shift and there may be challenging patients who hit, spit, pull at our hair, scratch, kick, swear, and yet we still provide high-quality care and maintain dignity and respect to all we look after. Nurses wouldn’t be able to do their job without the support of HCA’s, they are indispensably important.
I am proud to be a student nurse and I am proud of all my friends who are student nurses/registered. Nurses are the heart of healthcare. We are caregivers, innovators, advocates, teachers and critical thinkers. We make a difference to people’s lives. Depending on circumstances, we make what could have been the worst day of an individuals life, better... they may even forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel. No matter what happens and what we experience, we keep going and continue to do what we do, again and again for the reason that it’s a part of who we are. If you know a nurse, appreciate them and show them they are loved. 💉💊🏥💞
