It’s late at night, the pain is transcendent and worse yet, I am tangled up in tubes in a sweat-soaked hospital bed. The collapsed lung, fractured ribs and chest tube have transformed an independent doctor into a needy patient.
She answered my ring right away, coming to my aid quickly and with a warm demeanor, in the middle of the night. She was so kind. I was immensely grateful.
Nurses take care of people. It really is the essence of their profession, and ours for that matter. It took training, and motivation, and perseverance.
Dr Wes recently wrote as his number one reason to be a doctor…
1. Teamwork – Medicine is, by definition, a team sport. No physician can do what we do in isolation. Our “Club Med” has challenging pre-requisites, but once in, it is a vocation where we share collectively in the trials and tribulations of patient care. We win and we lose, together. Whether we are doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators, clerical staff, safety personnel or maintenance workers – each of us are constantly working for a common goal – the health and well-being of our patients – and when it works, nothing, I mean nothing, is as cool as that.
I couldn’t ablate a tachycardia, or implant a life-saving cardiac device without nurses and other dedicated staff. Doctors are often like the quarterback who gets the accolades for the team’s success, but all educated observers know success stems from a coordinated team approach and nurses are an essential part of the “club med.”
Nurses get a whole week of celebration, as they deserve.
Grin.
JMM
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