I assume different roles in the Definitive Observation Unit: nurse, counselor, advocate, helper, engineer etc. I spent most days like a protagonist defending patients against forces of Infection, Illness, and Debilitation. The patients can be critical on some days. But today was a Sunday, and the day was probably flowing smoothly. As I was cleaning a patient's ordure, and exquisitely wrapping it in chux (disposable underpads); a patient on the other bed requested: "Can you change the channel to the Oscars?"
I muttered to myself: "It is the time of the year again. It is the time of overpaid movie studios, glitzy celebrities, and the red carpet." Arguably, audiences regard criticisms during the Oscars as undisputed doctrines of fashion. The ridicule for pieces of clothing serves as a national pastime in the US. Do I really have to subject myself to this kind of shallowness?
My contempt towards celebrities may stem from the premise: "I labored and travailed 4 years for college, read over 30,000 pages of nursing books, and this some 20-year old celebrity who scantily read a book, only knows how to mimic lines, gets media attention everyday and earns probably 100 times than my annual salary." In the long run, I should be more stellar than celebrities. I should be the one walking that red carpet, paparazzis taking my snapshots, and interviewers requesting for my sound bytes.
The nursing profession has taught me skills to endure the job of a Hollywood star. I have to smile even if a patient has been calling repeatedly for piddling tasks every 15 minutes. I have to remain calm during code situations, whether it be a code blue, code gray etc. I have to learn the art of eating my lunch while receiving reports, doctors orders, and instructions. I can be interrupted many times, and still have my train of thought intact. Richard Harter opines that nurses can detect the odor of different diarrhea types, and I am able to do as such. Lastly, I can change my perspective on almost anything, no matter how bleak, can seem humorous eventually.I guess these traits are tantamount to patience, professionalism, and optimism.
I contend that these traits: patience, professionalism, and optimism are the characteristics that makes a stellar nurse. Arguably, a celebrity cannot have all three traits. If they do, celebrities would not spend millions on rehab, would not splurge on anti-depressants, and would not need a comeback to seek redemption. I am a nurse and those (patience, professionalism, and optimism) are what makes me stellar.
Nurses are the stellar celebrities of the hospital. In the meantime, I have to dispose the ordure, wash my hands, and tell the other patient in the room: "Sure, let me finish this and I will change the channel for you, " conveyed with a smile. I guess patience, professionalism, and optimism are working in progress.
