I work a helluva lot more than I write. Especially now that I am putting this in a blog format. I am mindful that people who may one day read this do not do what I do. They cannot fathom that I and my colleagues see horror every day. Yet we shop in the same produce aisles and phony laugh at the same meet and greets.
I also try to be sensitive to the people who I've worked with along the way and to those currently in my personal and professional life. Even to those who have done me wrong or led me wrong, I am at peace with that. It's not an excuse for bad behavior, it's an understanding of what emergency work really entails and what it does to a person. Even through the heartache, tears and awful moments, I have learned a lot from the best.
And a disclaimer... I'm not perfect. I've made mistakes. I have regrets.
If we learn anything about That Emergency Life... it's that life is short. To forgive. To
move one. To try to do better. To try not to make that same mistake.
Many of my stories, my memories, my real life encounters are about real people. They have real lives with real people. As someone trying to be a good human, I need to be sensitive to that.
As a new nurse, I had this super high regard and respect for physicians. Kind of like a principal as an elementary school student, they were the law. They were not to be messed with. What they said was how it was to be.
Many were distant. All business. These physicians seemed untouchable. Mr. E. My elementary school principal was the only one to wear a suit every day. He kept chicklet gum in his pocket. He had his own office that was off limits. He was a figure. A thing. Not a person. That's how I viewed physicians in the Emergency Department as a new nurse.
Then i realized something that would change my life forever....
The physicians I worked with were human beings. They had wives, husbands, children. They had lives outside of work. They had emotions. They cried. They weren't super rich. They had student loans. They were people. And most importantly... behind the sarcasm, the dark humor, the odd coping mechanisms... they cared. They really cared about their patients. They really tried hard to make a difference and to save lives. They really cared HARD about the nurses and techs they worked with. They really gave a shit.
I started as a brand new nurse with some of the physicians I still work with today. Now as a nurse practitioner with a leadership role, I still work with them and they've helped to shape the emergency provider I am today. From those first days to now, I know how much they care. There are things said, but really, truly, there is a love for human kind.
Nationally, we are being forced to do more with less. See patients. Meet metrics. Little to no reimbursements. Nurses are burnt out. No employee in emergency medicine is getting the respect or care they deserve. Yet, we all show up for work. Yes, we have bills to pay, but there is a higher calling... a calling to make a difference... to save a live... to care for those at their most vulnerable. A true love for mankind.
I digress.
What I really wanted to bring up was that with just about every physician I work with, I can remember the moment they became human to me. The moment that blew me away. The moment when I witnessed first hand how their salary meant nothing and taking care of a stranger meant everything.
It's not money. It's not metrics.
We're not at tough as the exterior appears.
It's truly a love for humanity.
I also try to be sensitive to the people who I've worked with along the way and to those currently in my personal and professional life. Even to those who have done me wrong or led me wrong, I am at peace with that. It's not an excuse for bad behavior, it's an understanding of what emergency work really entails and what it does to a person. Even through the heartache, tears and awful moments, I have learned a lot from the best.
And a disclaimer... I'm not perfect. I've made mistakes. I have regrets.
If we learn anything about That Emergency Life... it's that life is short. To forgive. To
move one. To try to do better. To try not to make that same mistake.
Many of my stories, my memories, my real life encounters are about real people. They have real lives with real people. As someone trying to be a good human, I need to be sensitive to that.
As a new nurse, I had this super high regard and respect for physicians. Kind of like a principal as an elementary school student, they were the law. They were not to be messed with. What they said was how it was to be.
Many were distant. All business. These physicians seemed untouchable. Mr. E. My elementary school principal was the only one to wear a suit every day. He kept chicklet gum in his pocket. He had his own office that was off limits. He was a figure. A thing. Not a person. That's how I viewed physicians in the Emergency Department as a new nurse.
Then i realized something that would change my life forever....
The physicians I worked with were human beings. They had wives, husbands, children. They had lives outside of work. They had emotions. They cried. They weren't super rich. They had student loans. They were people. And most importantly... behind the sarcasm, the dark humor, the odd coping mechanisms... they cared. They really cared about their patients. They really tried hard to make a difference and to save lives. They really cared HARD about the nurses and techs they worked with. They really gave a shit.
I started as a brand new nurse with some of the physicians I still work with today. Now as a nurse practitioner with a leadership role, I still work with them and they've helped to shape the emergency provider I am today. From those first days to now, I know how much they care. There are things said, but really, truly, there is a love for human kind.
Nationally, we are being forced to do more with less. See patients. Meet metrics. Little to no reimbursements. Nurses are burnt out. No employee in emergency medicine is getting the respect or care they deserve. Yet, we all show up for work. Yes, we have bills to pay, but there is a higher calling... a calling to make a difference... to save a live... to care for those at their most vulnerable. A true love for mankind.
I digress.
What I really wanted to bring up was that with just about every physician I work with, I can remember the moment they became human to me. The moment that blew me away. The moment when I witnessed first hand how their salary meant nothing and taking care of a stranger meant everything.
It's not money. It's not metrics.
We're not at tough as the exterior appears.
It's truly a love for humanity.
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