For Nurses
I'd Still Be A Nurse Because...
As a new nurse, I was very busy with the daily care that I was giving my patients, so I did not always take stock in what my patients were teaching me. A few years ago, I started taking some time to reflect on my career and began to realize that what I have learned as a nurse has truly shaped my beliefs and my life. I feel that what I have become has many levels: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. To me, the most amazing journey has been the spiritual one.
When I was younger, I believed in some sort of god and afterlife, but I didn't really feel I had a lot of proof for my beliefs. Over the years, I have cared for many hospice patients and others who were very ill and close to death. In observing these patients, I have had many of my own spiritual questions answered. These patients have also guided me to realize the wonder of the spiritual world.
One night I was going around on midnight rounds. My first night post-op patient had a fever. As I left the room to get her chart and call her doctor, I told her that I would be back soon. It took about an hour to speak to the doctor and determine a plan of care. As I apologized for being gone so long, she replied, "That's okay, honey. Shortly after you left another nurse came in and held my forehead. She told me not to worry, that all was well, and that I I would recover quickly from my surgery and have no more problems."
As I caught up with all of my coworkers and told them my patient's story, not one of them admitted to being in her room. I explained this to the patient, suggesting that maybe she was mistaken and had been groggy from the pain medication. She said that she knew what she was talking about and she was sure the nurse had been in her room.
What the "nurse" had told her did come true. The patient recovered remarkably. She did not have any further complications and she went home two days later. This is just one story of many that has guided me to believe in a wonderful spiritual experience for anyone.
