Nurses' Week

In light of Nurses’ Week I was reflecting a bit on my nursing career. I realized yesterday that I’ve been a nurse for ten years now...how the heck did that happen? I’ve also been a nurse practitioner for four years, which hardly seems possible either. There have been so many memorable moments in ten years of nursing, many laughs, and many tears. 

I worked in pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplant for ten years in the States. Though it could be unbelievably challenging at times, I loved my job. I loved the kids that I took care of. I loved the way I got to build relationships with them and their families. I loved celebrating the big milestones with end of chemo parties or singing to kids as they rang the end of treatment bell. I loved that even on the toughest days, when the medicine and treatments weren’t enough, I could at least love these kids and their families through those dark times. Yes, working in pediatric oncology is tough, but I loved it as well as the challenge of taking care of such medically complex patients. 

Taking care of those patients was certainly a challenge. Those kids would sometimes come with years of past medical history. We’d order countless diagnostic tests, give them dozens of medications in a single day, and place them on ventilators and dialysis. Every resource of modern medicine was available.  

Now I'm at the absolute opposite end of the spectrum. I’ve seen kids die from malnutrition and diarrhea in hospitals in Haiti. Resources are scarce. Conditions that could easily be managed in the States, are often a challenge here. I’m not ordering CT scans, administering stem cell transplants, or performing procedures in the operating room. My work days are so very different here, and yet I love it just as much.

Thank you to all of the nurses and nurse practitioners that have taught me along the way. After ten years of working in pediatric oncology and serving on many short term medical mission trips, I've worked alongside some of the most compassionate, empathetic, and incredible individuals you could ever hope to meet. Happy Nurses' Week to all of you!

Yes, there have certainly been many memorable moments in my ten years of nursing. There have been so very many kids, in both the States and in Haiti, that have left their mark on my heart. I look forward to seeing what the next chapter brings.