Friday Reflections

   The hardest part for me as a nurse is dealing with emotions.  I hide a lot of what I feel to protect myself.  Many nurses do that everyday.  We deal with the sick, dying, and for those who are lucky to see the happy times, the joy of birth.  Nurses comfort family members and patients, they are the sounding board, teacher and guide for so many from critical care to emergency to psychiatry, the OR and PACU, the community, the medical and surgical floors, and labour and delivery.  We give emotionally so much that people don't realize that we drain ourselves.  Looking back on my career I know when I am burning out and need a change.  It's never an easy decision to make a change.  The change can be anything from a work environment to a different field within nursing or a change that is more personal. 
   Learning and reflecting back on our practise makes us better nurses, but the hard part is realizing that we are not perfect and we do not know everything (although we may come across that way because we have such a large knowledge base).  That is why patients and families look to us for guidance and understanding, we have the knowledge to break down medical speak into easy normal speak.
    Some days are harder than others, as nurses we learn early in our careers to put up barriers to protect our emotions.  But that doesn't mean we don't get affected by what we see and do.  I personally do not remember names, I never have but I do remember situations in explicit detail. When I first started working in trauma ER I went home in tears more than once.  To this day I rarely talk about what I have seen or done.  Most nurses have stories that are happy, and sad.  We know that is apart of what we do, what most people don't know is that there are times that nurses see things that are very traumatic not only to the patient but to the nurse as well.  Many nurses have left our practice because of those times.  Never forget that we are stronger together.  We build friendships and talk to each other about the good the bad and the horrific.  Our nursing friends are more important than you can imagine.  That sisterly/brotherly camaraderie is a major support system that we all need. 
   The one thing I have learned about nurses over the years and places that I have worked is that, NURSES WORK HARD AND WE PLAY HARD!  The friendships you develop in your career will last you a lifetime if you allow it.  Share time with your work friends, go out together and relax.  Have parties or get-togethers to unwind.  Nurses need to stick together because we understand.  We know what its like. Never be afraid to ask a friend to lend an ear and get the hard stuff out.  We are here for each other.