my life as a pediatric nurse

Someone commented here a few days ago if I really loved my job.

There are so many reasons why I love my job. I love my night shift crew. I love admitting patients and trying to make their stay as easy as possible. I love meeting families whom I have an instant connection with. I could stay for hours in their room just talking but I have other patients to talk to. I love talking to little kids and the older ones..I love talking to 6 and 7 year olds who think they are adults.I love working with difficult patients and families that other nurses prefer to not to care for..I love the challenge.

Mentioning Hanna Montana, Wii, and High School Musical gets you instant points with kids. I love it. I love watching their eyes when they realize Nurse Amy knows about stuff like that. I hate giving shots or checking an IV to make sure its still in..I hate putting kids on oxygen and making sure it stays in their nose. I really dont like giving shots but have gotten really good at it. I don't like it when kids are scared of everything we do.

I really love my job. Ok, let me be honest. Sometimes I just don't want to go to work but that does not mean I do not love my job. I can not believe I am a nurse. I can not believe I have this most amazing job. I can not believe that I get the opportunity to walk beside these families in happy and sad times. A lot of my patients just stay over night and then I never see them again. A lot of patients get diagnosis that change the way they live for the rest of their lives. This is such an awesome experience. To talk to the families and patients who give me such insight is awesome.

Do I cry with my families? yes. The good news is that its usually happy things that bring on the tears. To remember the 3 funerals I have been to since starting here just amazes me. I was part of this amazing experience and it really humbles me. its an experience I can not describe. I do not mean this to be sad but I have seen God's hand in such awesome circumstances. I think of Rachel, Owen and Catie. These little people were not on earth very long but certainly they have made an impact on those around them. I have seen amazing joy in sorrow. When you can find that, its just really special. I have no words for that.

I can not believe I work with the most amazing nurses and physicians I do. I am not the best nurse. Sometimes I do not have the answers to give patients the comfort they need. Sometimes I can not even find the time to give them the comfort, but oh I want to.

Oh yeah, there are some negatives to my job but the positives are so much greater. Who would have thought I would be meeting so many Chinese children this way. The way that I got this job 6 years ago is amazing and I cant believe that because I chose the floor I work on, I am connecting with so many more families and seeing that red thread flow.