Nursing

Easter’s Octave-one birth, and one death

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Happy Eastertide!

Surrexit Christus hodie! Christ is risen today, Alleluia!

It is a beautiful week for the octave (eight days following) of Easter. Daffodils are in full bloom and birds are sitting on their eggs, so it seems a fitting time to celebrate our new life in Christ’s resurrection.

I am on the countdown of the last month till graduation. This week will see my last clinical day, when I work in the hospital as a student nurse. I am greatly anticipating the end of 5 am mornings coupled with hours of school reports afterward. I know I will be back to the hospital in July-as a full fledged nurse.

My final clinical rotation has been on the labor and delivery floor, it has been an amazing experience. I have been waiting for my Maternal and Fetal health class since the beginning of freshman year, and the unit did not disappoint. There has been an endless supply of newborns to hold, and I have loved caring for the tired but happy mothers.

During my time the unit I was privileged to assist at a birth, and additionally powerful experience since that the birth was during Holy Week, in the midst of the Triduum. As my lead nurse and I cared for the patient at the bedside, my mind was brought repeatedly to the verses of scripture referencing a woman’s experience of childbirth. The day left me keenly aware that the joy of the entrance of a new life must occur in the midst of great suffering. I recalled the words spoken  in the Garden of Eden.

In sorrow will you bring forth children ~Genesis 3:16

And as I had just heard the Gospel read which told of the agony Our Lord in the garden, I remembered that I had often heard of the parallels between Eden and Gethsemane, which was not unlike the dread I had witnessed in the patient.  I also thought of how similar language is used in the New Testament to speak of both labor and the Passion.

A woman, when she is in labour, has sorrow, because her hour is come ~ John 16:21

Christ often spoke of His coming suffering on the cross as His ‘hour’. The joy of Easter was coming, but first He had to bear the angst of Gethsemene, blood loss of the scourging, and finally undertake several hours of strenuous work as he suffered death on the cross. (One undergoing crucifixion must lift themselves by their arms and legs in order to take a breath, due to the extremely unnatural posture and weight distribution (1.)

The Crucifixion by Hans con Aachman

It was in the garden that both the pain of childbirth and the coming of Savior was promised to undo the evil that had entered the world.

I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: He shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for His heel. ~Genesis 3:15

I stood nearby my patient as climax of her struggle approached, unable to do anything more to help or assist her. Not long after, the world heard the first cries of a new voice in the world, and it was beautiful. As we sung the joyous hymns at Easter Mass, I kept in mind that Jesus compared the joy that would accompany His resurrection would be like the joy of a new mother.

But when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. So also you now indeed have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice; and your joy no man shall take from you. ~ John 16:22

Resurrection of Christ by Hendrick van den Broeck

(1)Medical Aspects of the Crucifixion

 

Nursing Reflections

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 Nursing differs from many other careers in that it centers around people at their most vulnerable. Hurting, shocked, crabby and defensive. Perhaps having just received a new diagnosis. Maybe even facing the chance of death or disability. Times that bring out both the best and worst from the human natures of individuals and families.

I sometimes question my readiness to exhibit the calm, steady nerve needed to guide these people through the stressful days at the hospital bedside. My classes have spent a lot of time giving up the tools to manage these situations through discussions and simulated scenarios, but I am, as of yet, completely untried. How will I respond in real life crisis, when I am in charge?

 Recently, I and a few siblings joined a church group gathering at a local nursing home to sing Christmas carols. This was the same  facility where I had worked for a year at the beginning of my nursing studies. It’s been three years since I worked there, yet as soon as I walked through the doors, I remembered the regular rhythm of the nurse assistant’s day. The rush of helping everyone retire for the evening, six people vying for your attention at once. The moments bringing small comforts to those who enjoy their evening such as books or sweet snacks. And the careful, quiet walk through the halls in order to not wake those who suffer from sundowning, a high level of anxiety and disorientation in the evening due to confusion and fatigue that often affects those with dementia.

As I walked those hallways, I relived some of the most tender times I shared with those in my care. I flipped through photo albums of those patients, talking about the highlights and memories from their lives. These memories are now bittersweet, and I found myself blinking through misty eyes. No matter how much I try to maintain a professional distance needed for clear judgments and actions, I end up forming bonds with certain patients. When you stay with someone through their weakest moments, celebrate their small successes, and are the hand on their shoulder to comfort them when they are afraid, they end up touching you deeper than you know.  As I begin my work in the field of nursing, I know that I will be collecting memories as I go. Memories both sweet and sad, and many will stay with me forever.

Nurse holds elderly patient's hand

 

Senior

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At my first clinical back at the hospital for the semester, I was worried that I would have lost some of my skills so rigorously practiced the year before. Instead, I watched myself spoke a new bag of saline fluids and hang it smoothly, finishing an IV setup after barely thinking about it. A year ago, I was all thumbs the moment you handed me a piece of medical equipment.

Senior status. Definitely ‘feelin’ it’.  To use a very distinguished collegiate expression.

Nursing Skills

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One of my favorite things about my studies as a nursing student is how frequently I am able to apply what I’m learning to my daily life. There’s not a lot I can do for serious medical emergencies. I have been developing a step by step checklist in my head of everything that can go wrong or needs to be monitored, so I know what needs to be done.

Nurses specialize in easy interventions that don’t require a doctors prescription, so that we can handle as much of what we can on our own. Most of what a nurse does is common sense remedies, except studied, rehearsed and systematized, for every sort of health situation possible. Nursing also is about learning to stay calm and take action when everything is spinning out of control.

My year behind the books is completely unsupported by experience my own, so I’m not always positive I’ll be able to do much when the need for medical attention arises. When we got the call this summer that Alexander had seriously hurt his leg, I got a chance to see just how much I knew, as I was the first family member on the scene.

First, assessment. Vitals first, always, and they mostly fine, though respirations are high. cause: pain and anxiety. Leg bone integrity visibly altered, skin integrity intact.  Then circulation? Leg color pink, skin warm. Nerves intact? Sensation felt and able to move toes.

Then time to act. Leg elevated above heart? Check. Antiinflammatory for swelling and pain: given, 400 mg of ibuprofen. Breathing techniques for pain implemented. Full report of everything that has happened and occurred to health professionals in emergency room. Completed. Nursing care delivered.

It Begins

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Once again, I’m embarking on a new school year. This time, I return to college as an upperclassman and officially enter the nursing program. After receiving the course schedules listing all the tests, papers, and assignments for the year, I’m trying to sort out a semi-organized plan of attack. It’s a bit overwhelming, to say the least. This picture of (most) of my books is for my obituary that is likely to come out close to the end of the semester, so that the cause of death is well understood.

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But this is why I’m ready to dive in anyway:

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I’ll be getting ready to step into the hospitals and begin practicing on patients, starting in October.