Molly Mathew, Houston (biblemolly@yahoo.com)
Memories are a blessing, especially good memories. The ability to cherish good memories will empower us with positive energy. It can ignite the soul in depth to achieve bigger and greater dreams. In the journey of nursing profession this will help us to fulfill the purpose of our calling.
One day while I was on duty, I received an unexpected phone call from Assistant Director needing to meet her at the office. With mixed emotions I approached her office wondering what the purpose of this meeting would be. To my surprise, with a broad smile on her face she told me that I was selected to attend a Nursing conference in another state. I was overjoyed and wholeheartedly accepted the golden opportunity and promised to give back the asset of knowledge I will gain from this. I am cherishing those memories once again that filled me with positive energy, and I am sharing it with readers in these few lines. I cannot go without sharing the essence of immeasurable values from a book which I have read from that Conference “The Florence Prescription by Joe Tye (2009,2014)” which helped me to create an” invisible architecture” of a nurse within me.
This book reoriented me why I became a nurse and helped me to transform an aura of “culture of accountability” to a “culture of ownership”, and taking full pride in my profession as a nurse. This made me humbler and more human and gave insight to the purpose of my calling. It helped me to own my profession by developing invisible architecture with the core values within me and putting it into practice in my daily life. They are strong pillars of qualities like integrity and honesty, respect and patience, love and compassion and are the basic qualities of nursing. The Eight Essential Characteristics of a culture of ownership which is mentioned in the book worked wonders in my professional and personal life. In ownership, one will be committed and engaged, taking initiative in activities with passion and stewardship. This will create a feeling of belonging which will foster fellowship with coworkers; our work place becomes our second home! . This will bring forth more productivity resulting in staff retention, teamwork and job satisfaction and can take full pride in the profession and in the institution. These are the golden roads through which a person, an institution or a community can prosper and benefit to its maximum height.
Now, let us see how it influenced my professional journey. One day I decided to intentionally practice becoming a good Samaritan, taking the ownership of my amazing profession. I started my day with a heart filled with gratitude and positivity. On my way to work I wished good morning to others in the hallways. In the elevator with a broad smile I talked to a small toddler who was with his father welcoming him to the hospital. On that same day I had to take care of a patient with post Caesarian section, but her baby was in the NICU with cardiac anomaly. She was in both physical pain from the incision and emotional pain as her infant being separated, and with overwhelming worries about her first-born infant’s progress. I deliberately awakened the Nightingale in me! With compassion and courage provided care, gave pain medications, reassured her with emotional support, held her hands tight while she was in tears expressing her feelings. I promised her that I would take her to NICU for a short visit to see her baby, attended all her needs with passion and patience. The most helpful and hopeful action which she took in her heart and truly appreciated was; a small prayer card and a Word of God which I had given to her with courage in meeting her spiritual need. She hugged me and cried with gratitude. She appreciated this humble help which gave her hope and inner peace. In the afternoon I took her to NICU for short a short visit and she touched little fingers and babbled a few words to her newborn, later I brought her back. While shift change, I could hear she joyfully sharing this with her new visitor. Sometimes I feel such little actions are better than medications; Actions surely speak louder than words. While coming back I could hear the call bell ringing and no one was around to attend the call, I answered even after my shift and made my day complete with content and gratitude.
In summarizing it emerged a simple formula of “CPR” which stands for the provision of “Compassionate care with Courage”, serving with “passion and Perseverance” to bring forth a “Resilient Resource and Role model” in this valuable profession.
Look! While caring for soldiers at Scutari, Crimean war Nightingale’s thoughtful act of massaging the foot of soldier, because she believed that soldiers live on their feet, so we need to care for their feet as well as their wounds. Oh, what an amazing insight of the Pioneer of Nursing profession! Do we have this insight today? One day, a colleague of mine was discharging a patient, and noticed that the patient was in need of few dollars to pay insurance balance to get her discharge medications. This compassionate nurse went above and beyond paid her balance, collected medications and discharged her patient confidentially and enhanced the process of discharge in the unit. Even in this 21 st century angelic images of Florence Nightingale continue to exist and perform care with love and courage by defeating the cancer of fear and shame.
Coming to the “P” Perseverance as the word spells, it is a long and continues process. It requires hard work and dedication to persevere difficulties and obstacles to become successful. Nightingale’s passion towards profession is rewarding; Her love towards her patients was astounding! By the time she finishes seeing all her patients will be dark, so she carried a lamp in her hands to go around to see patient, thus the beautiful title emerged “LADY WITH THE LAMP”. Her admiring passion and ability to pay individual attention should spark in our hearts and bring forth Fire of selfless love and sacrifice, just like how she brought sweeping changes in the history of nursing. She taught her nurses to clean, wash and boil linen and clothes to prevent infection, thus starting laundry. She practiced hand washing good, she insisted doctors to wash hands prior to sewing patient wounds which they did not like it, but through her passion and perseverance obtained the result in decreasing mortality rate with infection. She paid her own money for medications and started pharmacy, she hired a French chef and started nutrition service, collected books and developed a Library. Her efficient Record keeping became the forerunner of today’s medical records thus she laid foundation for today’s hospital’s set ways of nursing.
Coming to the “R” series, A nurse must face many challenges today and thus becoming a Resilient and Resourceful Role model. Nursing is becoming more and more challenging, and nurses are to take care of patients with more acuity and complications. So, nurses are forced to educate themselves to acquire knowledge and skills for critical thinking and decision making for the prompt management of such critical patients. Advancement with technology, use of computers and devices run by the internet are challenging for the Millennials generation nurses. Lack of assistance or help due to shortage of staff, resulting from increasing turn overs becoming a burden in the shoulders of those who remain at bedside. Lack of Employee Morale in new gen expectations are another evident factor of challenges at workplace. To become a Resilient and Resourceful Nurse, one must surpass obstacles, criticism, and struggles and go forward with Courage and confidence without fear overseeing the bright future of nursing.
I hope this little recollection may help at least few to reorient, inspire and to construct an invisible architecture in ourselves with the core values in nursing. Thus, we may joyfully practice in this divine calling and uplift the true essence of Nursing profession.
