I just returned Monday evening from another stay in hospital, making a total of 14 days in three weeks, and I just wanted to tell you how greatly I respect and admire the nursing profession and your decision to make it your own. Houston is a very cosmopolitan city, and there were at least 12 diferent nationalities represented among the various nurses and techs who took care of me, but although their individual personalities varied considerably each and every one shared the identical culture of devotion to providing the patient with the very best comfort, care, attention, thoughtfulness and kindness they could provide. And this with total disregard to how difficult a patient might be to deal with, or the patient's position in life.
During my last stay my roomate was an elderly, half demented homeless male - obviously a charity case - who was in very poor shape physically, suffering intermittently from delusions, and had for some substantial period of time clearly been averse to any attempt at personal hygiene. He was treated with the same respect, cheerful attention and care as I was, and although he was extremely difficult and physically unpleasant to deal with I never heard a harsh word spoken or a voice raised in frustration or a tone of disgust on the part of any of his nurses.
I came home with the indeligible conviction that nursing is one of the highest and most honorable callings and one of the most overworked, least appreciated (until one is actually placed in its care) and unfairly compensated in our entire social structure. My hat is off to you!
