Linda - Pediatrics: Hard Work and Satisfaction

Linda -







I work in pediatrics and sometimes it gets hard for me to see children whose families are torn apart because of abuse and drugs. We had a child recently, three months old, suffering the effects of methamphetamines in her environment--she could not hold still. She was thrashing around, and we had trouble holding her still so we could give her the medicine to make her feel better. The pediatrician came in and saw how we were struggling, how we had to keep trading off because she was thrashing so much. I asked the doctor if there was anything else he could do to calm her, since the medicine wasn't doing it, and he said, "Call your chaplain."

One of the student nurses and I began praying for her, and she stopped crying and began to pull at her ear, which she hadn't done before. So I called the doctor. He came back, looked in her ear, and saw that she had a terrible infection. He said she hadn't been responding to the medication because she was in so much pain. That was a hard situation, with a good outcome, but it doesn’t always go so well.

As nurses, we identify with these situations, and it can be rough. But we support each other through the bad times. And since I work half time, I have more time to be at home and to work through my emotions, which helps.

These days nurses are doing things that doctors used to do. Back in 1963 when I started, we didn't carry a stethoscope and we didn't listen to hearts, though we did take blood pressures. Now nurses are assessing patients, and at times we call the doctors to tell them what the patients need. So you can see how our profession has expanded; we have more responsibilities and we give better care.

The hospital and insurance systems are forcing efficiencies and as a result, to my mind, we release patients too soon. As it is, we're being pushed to do more and more. The paperwork is overwhelming. We're always trying to meet new government criteria and new rules, and meanwhile we're learning new information and techniques.

It seems that every time I go back to work after my four days off, I see new things that I have to learn fast to stay up to speed. Nothing stays the same. Computers are always changing; we get a new program, and we all have to learn it. That's a challenge for me.

I’m being pushed to work 12-hour shifts."I get immediate feedback every day. Someone thanks me or someone appreciates me because they were in pain and now they're not." I'm afraid it would take all the joy out of the work I’ve chosen. I love to be there when I'm fresh, but after a certain point, I lose energy. I'm 63 years old, and working extra hours is hard on my body--all the standing, walking, doing physical work. Some days we don't even get a break; we go straight through. What we do is extremely demanding at best, and nurses face burnout if they have to work at this pace for consistently longer hours.

I'm not afraid of work, and I love what I do. It fills a need I have--to be useful. I feel good about myself when I know I’m helping people. I get immediate feedback every day. Someone thanks me or someone appreciates me because they were in pain and now they're not. I see kids who are sick, but I’m not afraid because I know I can help. I comfort the parents of those kids, too, and let them know it's going to be all right.

I feel the power of knowing that what I do is what I'm supposed to be doing. Working in pediatrics is special; not everyone wants to do it, and not everyone is suited to it. In fact, some are terrified to provide pediatric care because of the emotional toll of witnessing what happens to kids.

When I come to work, I do my best for that day. I give my all every time I clock in. I don't have to be perfect, I just have to give my best. I'd tell anyone who's looking at nursing for a career: follow your heart. Do what draws you personally, not what someone else may want for you. Doing what you love is a gift.

Power strategies: Usefulness, Determination, Care
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