Karen - Nursing is Critical Thinking About the Whole Person

Karen -







I don’t have to search too deeply to find meaning and direction for my work, because I found Paul, my Paul.

Paul, at 17, had returned from war to face the amputation of much of his dominant hand, the loss of both of his legs, the abandonment of his family and a future that was bleak, at best. He was not unlike many of the other young soldiers we took care of in the military hospital where I got my clinical training.

There were remarkably broken bodies, people who had amputations, people who had lost parts of their brain, people who had holes in their bellies and holes in their faces. It was shocking to see them, and even more so amazing because they did not become morose about their situation. Instead, they found it within themselves to be optimistic. They were so grateful and they were so energetic, and they were so positive about their lives even though their bodies had been blown apart, that nursing just sucked me in. Through Paul, I realized the power I had to give to them.

I realize when I’m telling the story of soldiers who had just returned from Vietnam, I could be talking about veterans from any era - and for that matter nurses from any era, because no matter the year, the broken soldiers return as our patients. And, no matter how broken, we have so much to give to our patients – our hands, hearts and minds.

I gave myself over to the care of Paul during his long recovery, helping him out of bed and into a wheelchair,"You can always find 30 minutes or 30 seconds to sit down with a patient and get them to understand that they are one of the most important people to you right at that moment in time. Always do that." walking him in the gardens, encouraging the high school dropout to resume his education, getting to know him so I could treat his whole self. I remember I was an idealistic and persistent young nurse, always pushing Paul to consider his future and never believing his injuries were the end of his functional life. The day I graduated from nursing school, Paul stood in front of me on artificial legs and presented me with a rose and the news that he’d earned a GED and was on his way to college.

In that moment, through Paul, I learned the power I have as a nurse.

We really do have placed in us, by virtue of what we do, the well-being of the patient. They are essentially in our hands, and we hold them and we help move them along, moving them through their journey, never squishing them, never restraining them, but just sort of keeping them safe from all of the bumps in the road.

There are stories about my patients that bring a feeling of love to me. These are the stories that sustain me through difficult times at work. And they have shaped me to such a degree that I still draw on them in my work today when I examine the policies and practices of nursing. I remind myself that nurses – more than just being the people who change bandages and take temperatures – are patient advocates. They can and should provide care to the whole person. It’s one of the critical abilities we bring to health care.

In fact, the extra work nurses do with patients goes a long way toward eliciting their trust and helping them hear the messages they need to recover. Caring is honorable, and so many people tend to downplay that fact and say we shouldn’t spend so much time talking about how patients look at us. But that caring piece, like those conversations I had with Paul wheeling him around, spending time with him – they conveyed something to him that made him listen to the rest of the conversations we had. So that caring does mean something, and it’s hard for nurses to have the time to do that today . . . but you can always find 30 minutes or 30 seconds to sit down with a patient and get them to understand that they are one of the most important people to you right at that moment in time. Always do that.


Power Strategies: Dignity, Faith, Inspiration
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