Was the road too long? Did our lives slip away from us over night? Should we have ended our nursing careers a little sooner in pursuit of other dreams? Were the rewards really worth the price? If we took a vote, what would be the result? What would we admit to?
As a nurse who loved (and I mean loved) my profession, there were times when I also hated it. I hated the fact that I missed family events on the holidays I was scheduled to work. I hated it when I was unable to trade a shift away in order to attend one of my children’s events. I hated working mandatory double shifts and I hated the long drive home after working all night long. Last but not least, I hated how life was often unfair to some of my patients.
My heart ached to see people…my patients…who were homeless or lonely or suffering in some way. I cried silent tears when I cared for victims of abuse and neglect in the county hospital where I worked. I mourned with those who had lost loved ones to illness, accidents or crime. Despite popular belief, nurses are not always stoic. Some of those people follow us home…if only in our hearts and souls. Yes, the road was long, and it was not always easy.
Nurses are a special bunch and the nurses I had the pleasure of working with will always be a huge part of my life. We often laughed hysterically together and sometimes even cried together. We walked the walk with one another while we diligently served others. No accolades were expected and, in most cases, none were given. Our careers as clinical practitioners may be behind some of us, but as they say, “Once a nurse…always a nurse!” I know that to be true.
So in hind sight, would we go through it all again? Would we weather the storms and still be able to come out strong? Would the majority of us admit that if it were not for our careers in nursing, we could not possibly have become the people we are today? What would our tired, poor, aching bodies say? I am positive the vote would be a unanimous and resounding “yes…it was worth it!” We wouldn’t have had it any other way.
