I have 15 days until I graduate! Then it's NCLEX time and then the big JOB HUNT!!!! From the beginning I was thinking, "ER! That's it! That's the ONLY place I will EVER work!"....but then life and school showed me other things that I would be good at! My first few clinical rotations had me cringing at older patients, until I realized WHY! They forced me to view my own mortality! I was going to be old one day, I was going to be frail one day. My youth would be gone, my strength would fade and my children would grow and move on...and I hated that thought! I'm no spring chicken by any means, but hey, I still work out, I still grab life by the horns and ride on...and these patients made me realize that we all will get old. It wasn't until my last rotation that I was able to fully realize how special our older generation is! They have great stories, they accept what is happening and they have amazing insight to life and the hidden secrets, you just have to be willing to LISTEN! Even the patients that seemed grouchy and angry at life...they all just wanted someone to listen to their point of view, realize that they had already "been there, done that" and had a million t-shirts to commemorate it...and they wanted and sometimes NEEDED to share this with people.
There are so many new nurses who are saying, "I will never work LTC" or "Ugh, I'll just do my year and move on"...What about your patients? What about joyfully doing a job and learning and being loyal to them? They also like to see our youth and our vitality, I believe it gives them strength. I've also heard "I do not ever want to do hospice!"...these families and patients need our strength! We are young, we can help them shoulder their burden!
My views have morphed a bit, and while the ER is still tantalizing and exciting and fast...there are also other possibilities on my checklist and I have a chance of falling in love with each and every one of those!
LTC---The older generation need our compassion, strength and love as much as we need to learn from their wisdom. They've taken the lumps life has to offer, wouldn't it be great to learn from them and avoid the same mistakes? Laugh with them about their stories of raising children in the 70's? Laugh with them when they talk about how cheap gas was? Cry with them when they mourn the loss of a friend?
Hospice---These families need our shoulders. We are trying to help their loved one pass with dignity, grace and minimal pain. We are allowed a window into the souls of the family, and this is a great honor, one that should not be scoffed at as being "below" a new nurse.
Oncology---Never thought I would consider this field. My grandfather died of cancer and I walled myself up and didn't let anyone in...that was my mistake. I have strength to give families and patients at this point in their life that I think I would have loved to have been offered. These patients are terrified, and the method to healing them is also killing them...they need a rock in the storm, they need a gentle hand, they need a silent supporter who they know they can just let go in front of and cry until the tears are dry.
ER---Still holds it's glory, but it is not alone in my eyes anymore. This encompasses all that I have listed, these patients are terrified also and need the same strength, but the point of all this is to realize that there are more places that will offer the same things.....
I will be grateful to get a job, any job...but I am also loyal and understand that what I have to give can benefit people in other places. I wish new grads were more open to possibilities. I wish they were open to what they had to offer as well as what they can learn and grow from.
