Nursing: A Vocation and a Career

Nursing: a vocation and a career. As you probably know, I am in nursing school. I just started clinical a couple weeks ago, and it has by far been my favorite experience so far! Yesterday my patient was a sweet older lady, but she was total care on my end, and I needed help in order to clean her up. Yesterday was the first day I felt like a real nurse because I got to pass meds! SO EXCITING! SO basically, yesterday was a hard day. My patient required a lot of work, but she got my undivided attention, and I loved every second of my day. I was exhausted when I was done for the day, and I was sore when I got up this morning. 

A beautiful gift God has given me this semester is the ability to go to mass on my clinical days. It's 5:30 evening mass, but mass nonetheless, and I am so grateful for that. It gives me time to stop and be still and be with God on days where I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Anyway, there are some verses that I wanted to share - 

From Acts 20 "I have shown you that by hard work...we must help the weak., and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said "It is more blessed to give than to receive." When going through the readings I thought of my patient when I came to this line. In nursing, it's hard work - especially when your patient is a 'total care' or completely dependent patient, like I said, it took people to clean her up - which happens in nursing, it's not uncommon. And my patient was so weak - that's why she was completely dependent on me to care for her. And in this time, when I am in clinical, when I am in a hospital, with a patient, caring for them, for their needs - I am giving. I am giving of myself. I drop my bags at the door and give of myself completely to what I'm doing, and to who I am with. 

When I came home yesterday my roommate was completely oblivious that I walked in the door - and when she saw she me she asked me "when do you get home?" So I told her and proceeded to tell her about my day, and my patient - and I was joyful. I was so grateful, and so joyful! When I came home I felt like I just smelled like poop and hospital, but I was so happy. I learned a lot, and felt like I made a difference in the world. And as I was telling Sarah about my day she goes - God gave you a special heart - to want to do this, and to love doing it - I know is a gift from God. Nursing simply is a part of who I am..