I've been thinking a lot about the difference between a job and a career lately, mostly because we had to write a short story about what we thought it meant to be a career nurse. I've finally decided, after today, what I think it means.
I am not the biggest fan of gerontology. I much prefer working with kids, the smaller the better. I really loved the days where we had research families come in at the TC because that usually meant I got to play with the kiddos (either those w/ autism or their 'typically developing' [not a fan of that phrase] sibs). Anyway, getting sidetracked. I am not the biggest fan of gerontology. It's not that I mind elderly people. In fact, usually they're pretty darn funny, and you can tell by looking at them that they've seen a lot in their life time. No, the issue is that I can always find some aspect of my grandmother or grandpa in them, and then it makes me sad. Because let's face it, when you're 94 and you're in the hospital, it's not looking good. Too many times these patient's have little to no support. Their kids have kids and they're too busy getting on with their lives to come sit and hold their mom or dad's hand. It bothers me to have patients like this. It bothered me to have clients at the TC that I knew weren't getting the proper care at home.
My question is, how do you overcome that? Do you eventually become so desensitized that you no longer care what happens to your patients/clients after they go home? Or do you allow them to weasel their way into your heart day after day so that you go home feeling sad?
This is what I've decided: the difference between a job and a career is that you don't allow yourself to become desensitized with a career. You let yourself go home and shed a tear (or two or fifty, like I did today) over your patient that you'll likely never see again, because that's okay. It's not in my nature to not care what happens to someone that I've just met. It's not in my nature to provide sub-standard care to someone just because they're not MY grandfather or MY mom. I've been doing this already, but from this day forth, I will always remind myself that despite the fact the person laying in that bed isn't my relative, they do belong to someone, and it's my job to take care of them just like their daughter, or granddaughter, would.
Love this post and could't agree more.
ReplyDeleteIt's fine to cry sometimes and be sad. At home and even at work. And sometimes it will happen in front of clients or patients or even your boss. It shows them were human.
The way I see it, the time I spend at work is time away from my family and my child so I better be doing something worthwhile that makes a difference whether it's wiping an elderly woman's butt, teaching a child to read, or designing this year's fall fashion trends. If you're not invested in what you do then you might as well stay home.
I would want you to be my nurse any day. Let's just hope you never have to wipe my butt:)