Happy Nurse's Day!

Happy Nurse’s Day!

Today we celebrate all those who own the title, past, present a future. 

Sometimes I get asked how I can be both a nurse and an intuitive healer. There's no easy answer; I tend to live a bit of a split life. Some days, I sit deep in my logical thinking brain, and other days, I turn my logic off and just trust my gut. Then there are days I get to do both. It’s a wild ride, but I love it anyway. 

Being a nurse in the last year has led me to spend a little more time in that place of balance. Trusting what I know and still honoring my intuition. It’s been a year where nursing and other healthcare professionals have gotten more attention, both good and bad. It’s been a year where our stress levels have climbed even higher than normal and our staffing shortages, supply shortages, and budget shortages have been intensely exposed. It’s been a challenge, to say the least. This last year was something they never taught me how to handle in nursing school... let’s be real... 

There is a whole lot about nursing they don’t tell you in school. Aside from the textbook versus real-world realities and quickly learning that Hollywood has it all wrong, there are so many things about my chosen profession that I didn’t learn in my 4 years of education.

They didn’t tell me that there will be days I don’t want to do my job.

There are days I will be bored at my job and there will be days I’m so busy I cannot think straight.

There are days when my job is hard. Not just physically hard, where I take ibuprofen just to fall asleep, my Dr. Scholls “gellin'” insoles don’t relieve my aching feet, and my legs are swollen, despite my compression socks. And then there’s the emotional battle. I’ve held hands with crying patients and their loved ones after a loss. I’ve dealt with difficult people, crazy people, angry people, and hormonal people, occasionally even fearing for my safety. Sometimes those people are fellow staff members, sometimes physicians, sometimes visitors, and sometimes patients. I’ve seen situations that broke my heart and made me realize just how blessed I am.

There are days I miss meals, not just lunch, but supper too because, by the time I get home, I’m too exhausted to eat. I miss church, bedtime stories, birthdays, holidays, weddings, and countless hours with my family. I pay a chiropractor and a massage therapist regularly to keep my body well because sometimes proper ergonomics are not plausible.

They don’t tell you that you’ll dream about your patients.

They don’t tell you about the days you feel like a total failure, knowing your patient did not get the best version of you. Shoot, there are days that I feel like a failure, even when my patient did get the best version of me.

And about the time I start to question my career choice, something I didn't think I would ever do, there is a day when a patient reminds me why all of this is worth it. 

The thing about nursing that they don’t tell you is that there are days when a “thank you” brings tears to your eyes.

There are days when you don’t want to leave your patient at the end of your shift, no matter how much you trust the oncoming crew, no matter how bad you want to be home with your family.

They don’t tell you your co-workers become your family.

They don’t tell you that you’ll thrive in the chaos and embrace the boredom.

They don’t tell you that the constant challenge is what helps you grow, learn, and be better.

They don’t tell you that no matter the struggle, the chaos, or the pain, you are invested in your patient’s care.

They don’t tell you the impact you have on your patients.

You touch lives.

Every single day.

Every single patient. 

I will have many patients in my career, but my patient will have only a few nurses care for her.

They do not tell you what an honor it is to be “that nurse that took care of me” in their stories.

I’m so blessed that my patients allow me the honor to be infamous in their lives.

The thing they don’t tell you in nursing school is how many of your patients will touch your own heart and become infamous in your life too. 

God bless my fellow nurses and all of those who remind us why it’s all worth it!

Jessica Ophus, RN