What being a nurse means to me

First of all, I guess I would like to explain why I am a nurse. There were a few life events in my adolescence in which I basically realized that I had a high tolerance to gross bodily functions and found all of it to be super cool, but I have also fine tuned my reasoning in my young adult life. A lot of people ask if I am a nurse because I want to "save lives" or "help people," which is a fair enough line of reasoning, but I always sarcastically swat this down. I don't want to intentionally sound pessimistic or jaded or whatever, but it really isn't about that to me. The fact of the matter is that in very few instances can you really say that you "saved" someone or even truly "helped" them. Most of the times, you simply get people through (or sometimes not) a time in someone's life when they are not well. Although this doesn't sounds as cool as saving someone, I actually believe that it's a pretty cool thing. I would describe myself as a humanist. I could go into Humanism and it's many different meanings according to different philosophers over the years, and perhaps I will on a different post, but for now I will stick with the two sentence Wikipedia definition. "Humanism is a worldview and a moral philosophy that considers humans to be of primary importance. It is a perspective common to a wide range of ethical stances that attaches importance to human dignity, concerns, and capabilities, particularly rationality." (and yes, I will probably quote wikipedia quite often). For me, it means that I find people to be infinitely entertaining and amazing; a being that never ceases to surprise. In a hospital, as a nurse, you are in direct contact with people in a way you would never be ordinarily. We, quite literally, strip you naked, put you in a one-size-fits-none sheet, and then ask you about your entire life story including your last bowel movement. I can honestly say, I know more about your grandmother than you do, or ever wanted to. But in all seriousness, I get to live very important life moments with people I hardly know, and it's amazing the things you see in humanity when you get to experience that. I've seen a father see his first baby girl being born. I've seen a son crying and telling of the great things his father has done after his father died. I've also seen abuse, manipulation, addiction, all sorts of mental illness, and one time, I saw a child die. I know that this kind of exposure to people isn't for everyone, but that's why I'm a nurse, and you're not. I enjoy finding out about people, trying to understand why someone does what they do, and always being blindsided at how different everyone really is when they are under a stressful situation. I know I should probably not wax poetic about this much longer, but one more point: through all of this observation of humanity, a nurse is required to take care of every patient, whether or not they like that person. That's what being a nurse is to me, why I am one, and why I love it.

What this blog is all about

Hello!
My name is Emily. I'm 24, I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing this past December, 2009, with a second major in Philosophy. I have recently started my very first nursing job, as an RN, and I'm very excited about what this new life will be for me. I have been tossing around the idea of starting a blog about my adventures of being a new nurse for quite a while and decided only today to actually do it. Because of my philosophy background, I am extremely interested in the ethics of healthcare that are omnipresent in hospitals. I realize that I have a different perspective of what that means being a healthcare worker and not a patient or the family of patients. I also see, firsthand, the effects of government and insurance companies on patient's care and the ability for healthcare workers to get what patient's need. The recent healthcare bill that passed in US late last night is really the reason why I'm going to start this blog. I will be a brand new nurse, experiencing the changes this bill will have on healthcare. The past year and a half I have not had health insurance because I have been in school and am "too old" to stay on my parent's insurance. I have been working in hospitals that entire time with school, and as a patient care tech. The healthcare bill will effect all of us, and it will effect me as well, as a citizen who has not had insurance. In this blog, I want to discuss my experiences as new nurse: the things I learn, the people I deal with (without revealing any patient information of course), the new changes that happen, and what it means to patients and healthcare workers. I wish to explore what it means being human while being healthy, and while being ill. I want to reveal the inner workings of hospitals so that everyone has a better understanding of what happens there. I also want to address (as best I can... I'm no politician) how the healthcare bill has effected my end as a healthcare worker, as well as an uninsured citizen. I love discussing what I do as a nurse, usually to the disgust of my friends and family who are not in healthcare, because I am really passionate about this topic. I hope this will be informative and interesting to everyone else as much as it is to me.

Thank you,
Emily

CNN Coverage of Health Care Bill

A little outdated, but funny, Onion coverage