A Witness to Birth and Death
Posted: Thursday, January 14, 2010
by Janet Schick
One of the most sacred things about being a nurse was, for me, being privileged to share in some of the most momentous experiences in a person's life.
I came to understand this early in my career. I was working the graveyard shift in a small community hospital. The medical-surgical floor where I worked was adjacent to the hospital's maternity ward, separated only by a set of double doors.
As I tried to make her comfortable and ready to sleep for the night, she looked up at me and said "Do you have time to sit with me for a little while?"
Thankfully, I had plenty of time, since there were only a few other patients on our floor that night and they were sleeping peacefully.
"Sure", I said and pulled a chair over to her bedside. Settling in, I took her hand in mine and she gave it a weak squeeze. Nothing more was said. She closed her eyes and seemed to doze off.
As I sat there in the semi-darkness, listening to her raspy breathing, my mind drifted off to all of the paperwork I had yet to finish and to my cup of coffee that was getting cold in the kitchen.
Suddenly, I heard the wail of a newborn baby coming from the nearby delivery room. The baby's frantic cries contrasted with the tortured respiration of my patient. A chill ran down my spine as it gradually dawned on me just what it meant to be a nurse. To be a witness to, and a participant in, the most critical moments in life was an amazing gift and an overwhelming responsibility. I felt humbled by the realization that I could make someone feel better just by silently being there.
There were a lot of ups and downs in my thirty year career. But to stop and remember what I felt during that lonely graveyard shift helped maintain my perspective on the path I'd chosen. I strived, not always successfully, to be worthy of the gift I'd been given.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)Very good! I was ready to cry fo you. Thanks for you work and your heart.Thanks for reading, Jay
hello again, Janet, welcome to searchwarp.Thanks, Richard; I enjoy your articles.
It almost made me cry. I'm glad you wrote this. Good luck.Thank you!
I can feel your commitment as I read your article, good work!Thank you, Greg, for the nice comment.My gf is a nurse and my sister's a doctor.. I really admire people like you.. I think your job is really a devotion (or something like that) rather than a profession..
Hi Janet.Welcome to SearchWarp!Your story sent chills running right through me.Thank you for sharing it.DianneThanks a lot, Diane, I appreciate the comment.
I totally relate. Though nursing was not always what we signed up for (a bigger desk and higher stack of papers rather than being at the bedside) I think the only thing I would have done differently if I got to do it over... I go on and be a nurse practitioner. How about you? Marijo (Mary Jo)Actually, Marijo, I wish I had picked a career that was not so mentally and physically draining. I wish I'd been a writer, for example!It is not too late but the pay checks are few and far between I have found (but I am not actively sending stuff out right now either - rejection slips - I have heard until you get 00 of them you aren't really a writer....I think we are writers in our souls - rejection slips of not... what do you think? MarijoI'm sure you're right. At this point, I'm just trying to stretch my mental muscles and my imagination a little bit.
Excellent article, Janet. As a fellow nurse, I agree that sharing life's transitions and challenges with patients is a true gift. Thanks for sharing!
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