I have a quote taped to my keyboard at the office. I glance at it from time to time, but most of the time it just sits there. Today, I did what I'm supposed to do and I read it. Which also led me to post the first blog in a month.
"Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." - Charles Dickens
I have spent the past month almost drowning in tears. The thought of quitting has entered my mind more times then I can even count. The 12 hour days, the 20 hours spent studying for an exam, the hours in between where I'm at the office at 8:00 at night: it gets exhausting! I keep hearing the same, "It will all be worth it in the end." Some days it's more difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel than others. I never have that feeling at the hospital on my clinical days - except for the 5:15am wake up, it's my favorite day of the week.
My patient last week had been complaining about the service that he had been getting at the hospital. I was nervous during morning report when I heard about his complaints. He was a nice enough guy. You know the type: he is the type of guy who snaps his fingers and gets what he wants. He even tried to get me to discontinue his IV before his nurse had a chance to review his discharge orders! As he was getting wheeled out of the hospital, my patient and his wife both thanked me for taking such good care of him. I don't think that I did anything special - I just try to treat my patients like they should be treated, they are people after all.
I have made a third of my journey, which is almost halfway there. It's the baby steps that count, right?
It's hard to think of what life will be like in May 2011, but I know where I will be: standing on a stage, at my nursing pinning ceremony. I'm sure the Charles Dickens' quote will be running through my head that day as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment