me: a NURSE :)

im a nurse by profession,i graduated march of 2008 at USC-TC .. i finished school without any medals, or anything to boast.. but what i know is that, i made (even a litte ) difference to some of my patients. i know, some of my patients, not all, have made an impact on how i look and take life now..

for a couple of days, i've been getting weird flashbacks of my nursing days.. weird, coz i've been visited by thoughts of the patients who have somehow made an impact. those patients who, i might forget the names, but i'm never gonna forget their stories and faces..

at first, i thought that these flashbacks surfaced simply because i've been talking to my friends who pursued nursing as their career.. i've been hearing a lot about their jobs, how low their salaries are, but how they somehow still stick with it.. i've always thought that my friends who work for free, calling themselves volunteer nurses, with the "hope" of getting absorbed in the hospital, were somehow crazy.. who would want to work for free and without the assurance of getting THE JOB even if they wait for 2years? 

but then again, as they whine about the con's of being a nurse, i quitely sit in the corner, remembering the pro's of being one..

• the weird, tingly, ants-in-my-pants feeling when u see the genuine thankful smile and the welcoming face of ur 1week patient as u enter their room after their successful surgery..
• hearing "how are u?" as real as the cap on ur head.. 
• getting the most genuine "thank you" as ur patient gets discharged from the hospital.. all well, and as strong as a cow..

yes, some situations may be a little stressful..

• getting all beaten-up by the force of ur patients S.O.'s (significant others) to help their father/mother, brother/sister, bf/gf, grandma/grandpa, get a second chance at life.. holding u as if u're a lifeline, sometimes thinking u're the doctor..
• "talking" to patients who don't wanna take their meds coz they just wanna give up.. the talks could go for as long as a minute to an hour, with me saying "gusto ka mamatay? unya imong asawa, anak?" as an ending.. great thing filipinos practice close family ties, or else, i would've used a diff approach..
• soon-to-be-moms shouts coz of a gruesome 24hr labor.. followed by a tiny cry of a newborn as i shout "baby out! 8:32am." 

• and of course, there are those kids with eyes as large as a full moon, carefully eyeing the injection as  i prepare for an i.v. line.. but, u never hear them cry as the doctor ties a rubber on their arm, looking for an obvious vein, with me humming, "strong jud kaau ni's baby ryan oh.."    

no, i didn't wanna be a nurse.. but somehow, i learned to like the profession.. no, not like, i might actually have loved it.. if i don't have to work as a volunteer, and the pay would've been a lot bigger, then, i might actually be a nurse.. sadly though, i have bills to pay, i have a future to prepare and places to travel that being a nurse just won't suffice.. 

right now, as i write this blog, i'm missing my white uniform, my cap, the rush of code blue, the doctors shout of "i have bleeders everywhere, i need clamps!".. yes, being a nurse is stressful, but for me, its the most satisfying job ever.. correction people, its not a job, its a vocation.. :)

"you can turn off the sun, but i'm still gonna shine !" -- The Remedy

=== yhielle ===