November 19, 2009 in Washington Voices

Description of nursing falls short

• Print
• Email
• Share

It was with great anticipation I read the headline in last week’s South Voice about Anna Mae Eriksen, the retired emergency room nurse from Deaconess Medical Center.

I was shocked, however, to read the author’s description of the services that nurses provide. Lisa Leinberger wrote that nurses “get the patients heated blankets, make phone calls, provide medicine for pain and keep the patient company during what can be a very scary time.” This might be an acceptable representation from the viewpoint of a child, but not from a professional writer.

In the course of the last week, this professional registered nurse did hand out pain medications and warm blankets, but also calmed a volatile traumatic brain injury patient, performed CPR, successfully shocked a patient in cardiac arrest, comforted the daughter of a dying woman, taught a diabetic how to give herself insulin injections, changed wound dressings and juggled the needs of six to seven patients in the course of an eight-hour shift.

Nurses work in hospitals, rehab centers, schools, offices, extended care facilities, hospice centers, home health agencies, and are members of our military. The work we do deserves a better and more honorable representation than is described in this article.

Mary E. MillerSpokane

One comment on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  shanethenurse on November 19 at 10:01 a.m.

  What Lisa Leinberger wrote is true, but falls grossly short of a true representation of what nurse do.
  I am and Emergency Department Registered Nurse with 10 years experience. In the course of the shift I will do all of those things. I will also start your IV, draw your blood, give you oxygen, transport you to tests, and radiology. I will run a code and do my best to resuscitate you and keep you alive. I will deliver the baby in the parking lot , again. I will subdue the fellow that came in to kill his wife after beating her nearly to death, again. I will comfort the child that is terrified and do my best to make them feel safe. I will ensure that you get to where you need to go safely be it in house or transferred out and that all your belongings go with you. I will comfort and console your family and friends. I will treat you with respect, compassion and empathy even though you just told me you wanted to sue me or kill me. I will use all my knowledge and experience to help ensure that the tretment you recieve is what you need to recieve. I will advocate for the appropriate treatment of whatever you came in for despite the doctor that doesn’t want to be there and hates their job or is blowing you off because you have been here 80 times in the last year for the same complaint.
  For those of you that think all we do is get you a blanket, ASA, and hold your hand, you have a very twisted sense of what nurses do and we are all insulted by that image.

  Shane Roberts RN