Q&A: All About Nursing {the job, not the other}

What do you do

I have my bachelors in nursing and practice as a Registered Nurse in a 48 bed critical care unit {not including trauma or cardiac ICU, total is somewhere over 100}. My role entails just about everything under the sun and the moon. I have seen a lot. For the person that asked if I see gruesome stuff? Sure. To me though? It is no longer gruesome. It is just the norm.

I take care of patients on the ventilator {life support}. Young {as young as 18}, old {as old as 100}. Some nights are predictable and just me going with the flow. Many nights are a huge question mark. In other words, no idea {but can most of the time guess} whats to come.

 I have taken care of 3 donor patients. What does this mean? These are patients that are kept on life support, although they are prounced brain dead, and their families have chosen to go through the donor process. It isn't an easy one folks, and I do not wish this sort of decision upon anyone. But I have to say, it is amazing to see the results and the amazing work of organ donation. All 3 of my cases were teenagers. All 3 were due to drug overdoses. All 3 were very unfortunate and sad to be a part of. One of those cases I was able to follow to OR and actually see the organ procurement process. That was quite the experience.

Adrenaline rush is one of the best ways to describe the ICU. When time is of the essence, it is guys OF THE ESSENCE.

What is your work schedule like

I work full time, 3 nights a week, Monday-Sunday. We work every third weekend {Friday, Saturday}. I never do 3 in a row {because I stay home with the kiddos}, so normally I work one, off two, then work two.

What is the hardest part of the job

The family members. You know, I see death all the time. We bag bodies more than I care to tell you. But the family members? The wives that fall to the ground when they hear their husband of 30 years just passed? The daughter who was supposed to be walked down the aisle in 2 days by her daddy that she just had to say goodbye to? The mother who lays in bed with her teenage son as she says her last goodbyes? Oh that gets me every time. I don't cry when my patients pass {except one}, but I tear up EVERY TIME a family member does.

The young cases. Those always affect me on a bigger scale.

The ones that were supposed to get better. The ones you were rooting for. The ones that you never expected to take a turn for the worst. Those are hard.

It's all hard. All of it. The emotions are just plain hard. And I immediately put myself there. What if that was my family member. And everyone has a story. So yeah, it is hard.

Do you think about your patients when you go home

You know, besides the one I will always remember {I will write about this in another post}, I don't {I try not to|. I don't know if its because I have been doing this for years, have seen the saddest of the sad, the ugliest of the ugly, and the disbelief that I have been faced with.... but I just leave it all at work. I think if we think about it too much and let things affect us on a personal level, then it would cause problems in our lives. I can't live that way.

Do you think you will do bedside forever?

Eh, no. I used to say that I would do only 5 years {hello 5 year anniversary next year}, however, I can definitely say that it is in my longterm future. Simply because it works for our family. Our schedule. Our life. I cannot imagine having to work 9-5 day shift. So for now, yes, I think for the next 10-15 years, I'm there.

Will you go back to school?

You know, I used to say yes for sure. I've always been a driven individual and seeking the higher and the more educated. Now it is hard for me to say. Like I mentioned above, this is just what works for our schedule now. Going back to get my NP or doctrine sure sounds nice, title and all, but would it be ideal for our every day? Probably not. So at this point, it isn't in my near future. I'm not sure for later though. Maybe.

Best advice to those in school?

Don't give up. Don't listen to all the negativity and grinches out there. Nursing is kind of like motherhood. You will hear all the horror stories, and all the complaints, but believe me... there are just as many {and more} rewards from it.

I promise.

Where do I see myself when I am 50?

Teaching at a large university. Maybe even Purdue. like to talk. So. It would be fitting for me.