Brittany Knowles James Madison University Tell The World Project Brittany Knowles James Madison University

Letter to the Editor The Central Virginian Local paper Published weekly

My Letter I have wanted to be a nurse ever since I was a little girl. When someone in the family would get sick or injured I was always there to take care of them. I have been a nurse for just about 2 years. Nursing is a rewarding profession and there will always be a need for nurses. If you are looking for a career you should look into nursing. There are various fields of nursing and specialties. I am a night shift nurse in a rehabilitation hospital. Many people think that night shift nurses have it easy because the patients are sleeping. Patients do not always sleep through the night and most often night shift is running with fewer staff members and there are no physicians in the building. With fewer staff members at night it is essential that everyone works as a team to meet the needs of the patients. Night shift is responsible for taking morning vital signs, passing morning medications, drawing blood work, along with meeting the other needs of the patients such as taking them to the bathroom. We also have patients who require bed alarms that will alert staff to go to the room because they are trying to get out of bed. When patients are in the hospital they are at their most vulnerable. This is why nurses need to be caring, compassionate, empathetic, knowledgeable, critical thinkers, teachers, and have good communication skills. Nursing is not always easy patients may get upset when their needs are not met in what they think to be a timely matter. It is generally up to the nurse to problem solve or explain to the patient why they had to wait to have their call light answered. As a night shift nurse on a unit that can have anywhere from 18-25 patients with 3-5 staff members we may often be delayed. Sometimes the patient understands and other times they will still cuss you out for taking too long. Working in a rehabilitation hospital I often get to see the improvements patients make to regain their highest level of function. I work three twelve hour shifts a week and it is great to see the improvements patients make one week to the next. When a patient or a family member thanks you for the care you have given to them or their loved one it is heartwarming. The next time you or your loved one is a patient please think about the nursing staff before yelling at and cussing us out. We could have been saving someone’s life, attending to a life or death situation, on the phone with the on-call physician, among other possibilities. I work hard to provide my patients with the best possible care and attend to their needs in a timely matter. If you are looking for a career in the medical field, you should consider nursing. There is always a need for nurses and will continue to be a need as the population ages. Brittany RN

Life of a Night Shift Nurse I choose to write a letter to the editor about being a nurse. I wanted to try to encourage others to consider a career in nursing while letting them know nursing is not always easy. People think night shift is easy because patients sleep through the night. As a night shift nurse on a unit with anywhere from 18-25 patients and fewer staff members than day shift our response time can be delayed.

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