I'm so, so fortunate to be able to call myself a nurse. I mean
really! Are there better people in the world than those who have knowingly
pursued a profession that requires you to be selfless by its very definition?
Then, after we study hard, endure sleepless nights, and give ourselves to our
profession (mind, body, and soul), we are allowed to call ourselves a nurse.
Believe me, it is a privilege that has to be earned and not gifted.
A few weeks ago, I
witnessed a situation that solidified my commitment to this
profession. Let me preface this story by telling you I work in the middle of
the Texas Medical Center, a tight-knit community of medical professionals.
Anyway, I was
leaving my office and heading to a meeting that was 5-6 miles away. I hadn't gone
one block when I saw a sedan stopped in the middle of the road and faced in the
wrong direction and another awkwardly pulled up and parked on side street. The fact
that a wreck had just happened was obvious. In fact, it was so fresh there was
not a police officer or ambulance in site. What was there was a team of
pedestrians gathered around and making the necessary calls.
When I got close
enough to make out people, I saw a friend of mine (my beta-reader) was one of
the people gathered near the car. As soon as he saw my car, he flagged me down.
I quickly pulled up right in front of the car most damaged. My friend rushed
over and said, "There's a man who may be dying."
Those words are
the ones that jump-start nurses, doctors, and EMT's. We train our entire lives
to intervene in these types of situations. Without another word, I fly out of
my car. Work heels, shift dress, jacket and all. Sight unseen, I was completely
prepared to do whatever necessary should the victim of this accident be
lifeless or breathless.
Here's the kicker.
My friend had no idea, but there were already two nurses at the scene. They'd
both ran from their office which was across from the accident. One
was on the phone with EMS and shouting, "He's breathing. Leave him in the
car."As you know,
nurses can be quite persistent when they want or need something.
Since I was
not the first on the scene and the patient was breathing, I didn't feel the
need to do much other than stay put in the event the patient deteriorated
before EMS arrived.
Seconds later, two nurses come running down the road yelling,
"We have an AED." An AED is an automated external defibrillator, and of
course, we assured them it was not necessary at that moment. Before we finished
talking to the two newest nurses, a car stopped behind the accident and another
woman ran up to the scene saying, "I'm a nurse." We reiterated the
fact that he was breathing and had just regained consciousness.
A minute or two later, EMS and a fire truck arrived, and those
professional took control of the scene, freeing the Good Samaritan nurses to go
about their way with the confidence that the patient would receive the care necessary.
While I am a nurse and this story is a tribute to the profession
I've embraced, I don't want to pretend there weren't other people from all
walks of life standing around and making themselves available should this man
need anything. For example, a truck driver stopped the instant the wreck
happened, grabbed a fire extinguisher from his truck, ran over to the car with
the unconscious man, and busted out the window so others could get inside the
locked car and check on the man.
When you gauge our world and its people based on all of the horrible
things we hear on the news, you begin to wonder if all is lost. Then, these types of
situations occur, ones where a team of strangers come together to for the sole
purpose of giving aid to a person who needed help. Standing by and witnessing
the selflessness I saw that day, rekindled my faith in the world we live in
while solidifying my pride in the people who've given their lives to the
profession of nursing.
If you know a nurse, remember to thank them for all they do every single day. Their jobs are not glamorous. They are necessary, and it takes a special person to take on the challenge.
If you are a nurse, Happy Nurses Week!
A: Picking one book from a very, very large library is quite nearly impossible. I loved The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa. Because I loved that book and its author so much, I'm completely ready to curl up and read the follow-up book, The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2). ❤
