A Nurse's Manifesto

(from the blog "PEE AND SYMPATHY")
I'm stepping up to the plate and out of the box.

I'm a real Nurse: Not the kind of nurse who's stuck to the seat with Elmer's glue, or the clipboard nurse in a starched lab coat looking for errors, or even the nurse who is perpetually late.

I am not an rn (resting nurse).

I'm a Warlord Nurse, marinating in overtime, who fights for intergrity and compassionate care.

Regarding lazy nurses and aides: A wise Nurse Chen once told me, "A crow is black all over the world."

Then she would go into the pantry and eat bitter melon, (raw).

Nurse Chen was hard-core, but she was hard-working and never suffered from indigestion (nor indignation).

I eat bitter melon of a different kind.

Every time I suffer the indignation of a physician who yells at me, I swallow...

Every time a nurse's aide rolls their eyes when I ask for simple vital signs, I swallow...

Every time a nurse hangs up on me when I'm trying to give report, I swallow...

I protect and serve. I am a healthcare soldier.

I belong to the division called N.U.R.S.E.

Necessary
Unsung hero
Resilient
Selfless
Essential

It begins with us...and ends with us. We take all the bitter melons and make melonade.

I am stepping up. And I am demanding respect.

I'm a real N.U.R.S.E.

Can I get an Amen?