Debra - Loving the Babies

Debra -







I’ve always done patient care in various settings – hospitals, rehab facilities, doctors’ offices – and I can honestly say that I really like my job.  There’s never the feeling that I don’t want to go to work.

I like taking care of the person, the hands-on. That's why I stayed a practical nurse. I would never be happy just hanging IV bags or charting or administrative stuff.  Taking care of the patient, combing their hair, the very basics – that’s what I love.

A landscaper starts out with a messy area, but they clean it up, plant flowers, and make it beautiful. I feel we do the same thing with our patients.  You get a patients in desperate situations and you just want to help them be clean, feel good when their company comes, and encourage them through their illness, whatever the diagnosis is.  I do much of that on the phone, talking to people and sometimes having to tell them sad news because the doctor isn't there. I want to say it in such a way that they'll feel comforted.  To comfort people both with words and by touch is fulfilling for me.

We walk on ground where others are not invited to walk. Sometimes I think it's because we are strangers. You're their caregiver because it's your job, but you're a stranger and their guard is down more with you than with members of their own family. They’ll share things with you, because there isn’t a family connection.

Helping patients feel dignified is important.  They are going to have a lot of encounters by phone or in the hospital and some people are afraid to treat them with dignity.  Just because they’re sick, they’re not necessarily going to be treated nicely by everyone. So my priority when I get on the phone with them is to make them feel treated well.

The value of nursing is being the link between the patient and the provider.  I see myself as an advocate in the middle.  The patient may complain to me about something and I have to stick up for the provider."We walk on ground where others are not invited to walk." At the same time, I have to be supportive of the patient.  In my job, there is just a short amount of time that I can talk to each patient, and sometimes this balancing act can be difficult.  On the one hand, I have in my heart the desire to make people feel respected and cared for.  On the other hand, I have the directive not to spend too long with them, to just triage them and get through the process.

At my age, I don’t really want to go back to school and I’m happy functioning at this level.  For an older person or certain individuals, the LPN program is a good option.  But I believe younger people should go to school, because you don’t know what the future is going to be like.  The more education you have, the more opportunities are available to you.

Nurses are sometimes hard on new nurses joining the workplace. Sometimes you have problems with your mentor; I know I had problems with mine.  It’s important to listen to what they're saying, but not put yourself down, either. When you're new and unsure of yourself it can be overwhelming. You've got all these people flying around, and they all know the patients, and you're the new guy. But eventually, if you keep plugging away, you'll be the one doing the mentoring.

Power strategies:  Simplicity, Dignity, Compassion
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