Jan - Trust Your Intuition

Jan -









It’s a knack I have – remembering details about my patients. Some I remember fondly for their oddities. I recall working with one man who’d emigrated from Russia, speaking perfect English until he fell and broke his hip. At that point, he forgot every word of English he’d ever learned. It made our time together a challenge, but absolutely memorable.

Other patients I remember for what the circumstances of their care said about health care. One man I worked with developed tuberculosis and had part of a lung removed as a result. When he claimed he saw steam rising from underneath the bathroom door and bugs crawling on the wall of his hospital room, I concluded that he was likely going through alcohol withdrawal. But when I told the doctor my suspicions, he didn’t believe me. He may never have seen it himself, but I had seen it a lot when I was a student. I was young and my credibility was shaky, and some of those old doctors had been around forever. They just didn’t want to take the word of a new graduate.

I’d describe myself as a caretaker, a very giving person who has an intuition about others. Care giving is what I offer people, whether in a formal health care position or just by helping my neighbor."Use your hands. Touch people. Take care of people."I was so fond of the woman next door. She was a great fan of Scott Joplin’s music and made her own soap. She was alone and was dying of biliary cancer. When the time came when she needed help, I told her I would be there for her. She knew her time was coming and I reminded her of my promise to be there at her side. Within 12 hours, she called me.

I rushed over, bathed her and cared for her, and comforted her until she passed away. It was one of those moments in life when schedules and convenience are tossed aside in favor of humanity, I was called to perform the deed of my lifetime. At the time, it didn’t seem extraordinary, it wasn’t unusual – it was just how I show that I care. That’s a unique gift I can give people, and I do that.

After practicing nursing for about 12 years, I had to leave the field because a back injury prevented me from lifting patients. I miss the contact with people that nursing gave me; I miss being able to literally use my hands to help them.

Recently, I had an experience as a recipient of health care. During an overnight stay in the hospital, I found that comforting touch was at a minimum. There were some nice people, but overall going in there and being a patient was really frightening to me because I felt like I lost myself. They didn’t touch me. Instead, they were wrapped up doing computer and paperwork. Their back was to me for most of the time they were in the room.

If there’s any advice I have for aspiring nurses, it’s this: Use your hands. Touch people. Take care of people. They will appreciate it.

Power Strategies: Commitment, Compassion, Decency
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