Always There

I was ten years old when my appendix needed to be removed.

I am always able to remember the day we landed on the moon because I was in the hospital for surgery when Neil Armstrong climbed down the Apollo Lunar Module's ladder and took "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."  The date was July 20, 1969.

I am also able to remember how scared I was to be spending time in the hospital, alone in an uncomfortable bed, connected to strange-looking medical equipment that kept beeping and clicking throughout the night.  I'm not too proud to admit that I cried for my mother and wanted desperately to go home.  My combination of emotions proved too much for the hospital's night nurse who stuck her head into the darkened room and said to me in no uncertain terms "THAT'S ENOUGH!"  Needless to say, I stopped my crying and feel asleep.

Sometimes you need to be held -- and other times told to get a hold of yourself.


The week of May 6 through May 12 is National Nurses Week, when those who are blessed with such memories can give thanks to the men and women who provide compassion, respect and care in healthcare settings.  Whether it's the birth of a new baby, battlefield triage or end-of-life hospice care, nurses are a critical component to providing the care we need most in times of need.

 

Every nurse takes a Hippocratic oath of sorts called the Florence Nightingale Pledge as a token of esteem for the founder of modern nursing.  It reads,

"I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully.  I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.  I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling.  With loyalty, will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care."

As the husband of a nurse, I can say that after more than 25 years, my wife still takes those words to heart.  While nursing has changed over the years (the white caps, capes and skirts have been replaced by multi-colored scrubs), the philosophy of patient care (using eyes, mind and intuition) hasn't.  Modern technology has made it easier to measure vital signs, record information efficiently, and to administer medications.   It has not however, replaced the need for nurses to perform diagnostics that cannot be managed by a computer or machine.

The word nursing derives its meaning from the Latin word nutricius which means nourishing.  Whether it is the mother of a newborn child needing instructions on how to nurse, or an older patient needing someone to talk to about missing his deceased wife -- nursing tends to matters of the heart.  Our fears, our sorrows and our physical limitations require special attention, and it is often given by nurses.

It's fitting that on the weekend we honor mothers for all they do for their families, we also honor nurses who serve a similar position in clinics, hospitals, schools and the home.  In recent years, nurses have moved beyond simply "following doctor's orders" to using advanced degrees for management positions at health care facilities and universities.  Today, nursing includes advanced practice nursing -- nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners,  nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists.

It's been said that nursing is not a job, but a calling.  My wife seemed to know what she wanted to do much earlier in life than I did.  That's not to say that she's had it easy.  Early in our marriage, I would spend parts of Christmas and Thanksgiving at the hospital since she had the holiday shift.  Working weekends and nights was hard on raising our two boys and at times on our marriage.  But never to the point where I wasn't glad that she was a nurse.

My healing skills go as far as some soap and hot water, or an occasional band aid for cuts and scraps.  Once, when our youngest boy needed stitches for a deep cut to his finger, I was so nervous that I drove to the wrong clinic before realizing my mistake.  Cool under pressure?  Not me.

It's nice to know that if anything should happen to me or our boys, she will be there to help us through it.  Whether its a skinned knee, a persistent fever, fainting spell or something more serious like an appendix, she knows what to do.   She's always there when needed.

I, for one, am glad.