As a nightshift nurse required to wear black scrubs to my work, my 3 year old whispered to me this morning when I got home, "mom, you're a ninja aren't you? What's your secret ninja skill? Mine is hiding". I was about to laugh it off. But then decided, he's right, nurses are ninjas.
I have many examples. Such as, moving stealth in my patients room to switch out the clindamycin. After all, he waited 15 hours in the waiting room, if i can let him appreciate 10 minutes sleep without me fumbling, why not?
Highly aware of surroundings. Well, you gotta be in a level 1 trauma. Between the guns people might be hiding, to the pt that was here for a nosebleed. "Oh wait, grab the crash cart!"
Multi-tasking. You want to see someone line/lab 10 people in a hour, hold c spine and run with a bed pan to that kayexalate patient at super speed? You know you do it and you've seen others as well.
Super senses, "yup that's c dif for sure." Don't even need to sent it to the lab, but you do of course.
Flexibility, well you got to get to the top of the bed, but there's 8 million lines in the way and the vent. "Watch this" and manage a funky limbo with a quick turn. Boom!
Gut instinct. Yeah, you know it's there. Just looking at a patient, you can tell when they are two minutes from coding. You prepare ahead and are ready for it! Defib in hand!
Sense of pride and commitment in face of obstacles. We have unreasonable management, unsafe ratios, violence in the workplace. Yet we still go to work with our ninja suits on, hold our head up high and provide awesome care in spite of all this.
So my son is right, we are ninjas. :) So what's your secret ninja skill?
