Nurse's Story: Carolyn - I Never Imagined I Would End Up Here

Carolyn -







I began my career as a dental assistant, but it wasn’t a good fit for me. After all that, I found looking into people’s mouths unappealing. What’s ironic is I don’t mind looking inside people’s bodies – just not their mouths. I have more of a sense of accomplishment working in surgery than I did when I was working on teeth.

I chose nursing for the people contact. When I was in nursing school this poor lady was getting ready for a colonoscopy and she had to drink the stuff to clean out her intestines. She was sitting on the little commode and I kept getting her warm blankets. She said, “Oh, this is so nice.” We were laughing and joking and she said, “I guess if I was going to have to have someone with me while I was doing this I would want you to be the one.” I was glad to make her uncomfortable experience a little more pleasant. Another lady had a radial neck procedure and she started coughing and the tube was coming out and it made me sick to my stomach. I was over in her sink gagging and thinking, oh, my gosh, I’m going to vomit! I can’t be a nurse if this happens! The lady started laughing and by the time we were all done we were both laughing. I said, “I’m so sorry,” and she started laughing. She said, “I would have done the same thing.”

Everybody has vulnerabilities and if I’m able to identify where the patients are coming from and let them know that I’m not perfect either, then I can relate to them better.

I am so fortunate to be working with the open heart surgery team. It was really a fluke that I came here, and it wasn’t something I thought I wanted to do. I worked as a technician in surgery while I went back to school for my nursing degree. After college I worked on the floor for awhile, thinking eventually I would work as an OR nurse. While working on the floor I also worked occasional evenings in open heart surgery, so I got some cross training.

Things change fast in the workforce. They were begging for nurses when I first went into nursing school, but after I graduated and spent a few months on the floor, suddenly there was a reduction-in-force in the OR. Because I had the open heart experience, they said I could either go to open heart or find a job elsewhere. I didn’t think I wanted to work in open heart, but I also didn’t want to search for another job. As it turned out, the move to open heart was the best thing that could have happened to me.

Working in this department wasn’t always rosy. One of the surgeons was very difficult and all of the nurses were afraid of him.“Everybody has vulnerabilities and if I’m able to identify where the patients are coming from and let them know that I’m not perfect either, then I can relate to them better.” Nobody wanted to speak up about how hard it was to work in the environment he created, because we watched him fire someone who talked back to him. But things have changed and the environment is great now. We’re doing this thing called med teams where everybody listens to each other and takes responsibility to check and double check things. As nurses we’ve always done that, but we’ve never done it with the doctors. Now it’s okay to say to the doctor, “I’d like to double check that. Are you sure that’s what you meant? Can you please clarify that?” Instead of just going along with what they say.

Open heart surgery is something I never would have imagined myself doing. I am amazed by the heart muscle. Sometimes I look at a patient’s heart and think, “I can’t believe we just did all that stuff to this guy’s heart and it’s still beating.” It’s fascinating! It’s also hard work, but at the end of the day when my shift is over, I like to play hard too.

My husband and I have jet skis and I can get rid of a whole week’s worth of tension by getting on the jet ski and going fast and twirling around in the water. The jet skis and my dog are both great stress relievers. So is a TGI Friday with the girls. My release comes from fun and exhilaration and by diverting my focus from work to play. I think you have to feel good about yourself in order to feel good for others and to help others. I feel good about my work, and my play, and I really love helping people.

Power Strategies: Engagement, Courage, Diversion
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