“An editorial To The Paper” Shelby Fox Tell the world! “An editorial To The Paper” Shelby Fox

An Editorial to the Paper I decided that writing an editorial was a great way of getting the word out. Often people hear about the “big saves” of nursing, the stories of “heroes”. Such as the nurse who performed CPR on drowning child at the public pool Or the nurse who won an award because they were able to catch a potential life threatening disaster at their work place Or the stories of complete chaos: The patient who came in with maggots in the wounds The patient who stripped naked and was attempting to climb the walls.

You never hear about the everyday things, the “average nurse”. Every nurse is a hero. We are all here for one reason, to save people. Save them physically, mentally, spiritually, save them in different ways. Often the little things are overlooked by “outsiders.” I simply wanted the world to know why I am a nurse, and why others are as well. I wanted to small things to be understood in the world of nursing. The next page is my letter

I am an RN at Winchester Medical Center, some place that I am sure most of you have had experience with. I am on my path to earn my BSN, nursing is a never ending educational journey, and one of my assignments is to "Tell the World" about nursing. Occasionally I tell summaries of how my days go as a nurse and usually the response I receive is, "Why do you do this again?" Well, I am going to tell you why. Nursing is a path that only some can take, it is not for the faint of heart. I have met nurses who seemed destined to be where they are and I have met nurses who have let their careers burn them out. It is not an easy career by any means, you will cry, you will laugh, you will get very angry inside, you will work long hours and holidays, you will feel hurt and defeated, and you will cry again. But, it is a job that has endless opportunities and endless rewards. As a child, I loved broken things. I wanted the three legged dog, the one eyed kitten, the chipped old dollhouse, the cracked plate. Many found this odd, but, I didn't. I believed in these things, that they were not "throw-aways", that they had a purpose and with love, they could be beautiful. I wanted to fix them, save them, and now, I want to fix people. I am here to help fix people of all shapes, sizes, colors, ages and walks of life. Fixing or "saving" a person may not be exactly what comes to mind. It may not be the rib-crushing CPR chest compressions (although sometimes it is). Saving people may be painting an elderly woman's nails, allowing a dying man to see his dog one last time, praying with a family, distracting a small child with bubbles, getting an order for anxiety medication when a patient is having a panic attack, sitting with them or even making someone laugh. This is what nurses do. We save them. We save them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This is why all nurses who are called to this life are here. Every nurse is a hero. The days (or nights) may be long but, they are worth every minute. This is why I am a nurse.