There are extremely valuable experiences brought to life in Theresa Brown’s Critical Care novel. These experiences can be beneficial to those just starting a nursing career but also those who are “established” nurses. As nurses we never stop learning, this novel can be of value to anyone in the health care team, such as: licensed nursing assistants, certified medical assistants, medical assistants, and health unit coordinators just to name a few. Nursing is an art and a science; it is being able to prioritize providing the highest quality care to every patient and their families. (95)
Patient Death:
As a new nurse you usually have the impression that you can save the inevitable, death. Death is a natural part of the life cycle; it is something that will happen for all of us. I have worked as an LNA for two years now, I have experienced death with patients on multiple accounts. Some can say that I am insensitive to the subject however at this point I know that this is part of the process. Reading Brown’s first reflection on death about her patient Mary with the agitated husband and big family I was quite surprised at how she handled it. I was surprised at how emotionally invested she was with this patient’s family. It was truly great to see her have such a trusting relationship with them. As health professionals I do not think we always realized the impact we have on our patients, just our presence can bring such comfort to those in need. We are truly in a powerful position as health care providers. It is important that we realize the impact we have on patients and their families. We may not always be having the best of days, but we should always keep in mind our body language, everyone can read it. In a situation when the patient is placed on comfort measures or on hospice it is extremely important to be supportive to the patients needs but almost more importantly the family’s needs. I try my absolute best to treat every patient like they were my family. At the same time there needs to be boundaries. I tell myself what happens at the hospital stays at the hospital. When I walk out of that door after a shift whatever happened is left inside.
Theresa Brown Lack of Self Criticism:
Brown handled her first confrontation with death with grace. The one thing that I would say she should do better or criticize herself more on would be her delivery of how she communicated to the family that Mary had passed. Brown talks about how she had a hard time expressing herself at that moment because she was so emotional. I think it is very important to have clear and concise communication in health care. She told the family that Mary was “gone,” which is fine, but it took her sometime to communicate that to them. In my opinion she should have gone into the room, listened intently, and then instantly communicated to the family that she had passed. It seems more polite to say, “Mary has passed”, or “your wife/mother/friend has passed.”
Meaningful Section:
When Brown had fallen on her knee and injured herself, she talks about how her kids showed her the silver lining of the situation. The silver lining here was that she was able to be home and more present with her kids. This part was important to me because I believe that there is a silver lining in every situation. No matter how hard a situation might be there is always something positive that can be taken from it. I believe that this is an extremely important mindset for health care providers because not every case is going to end in sunshine and rainbows. As nurses it is important to try to show up to work with a positive mindset however also be able to accept that there might not always be a positive outcome. We need to be able to be okay with that so we can show up the next shift ready to take care of those who need us.
Love, Hate Relationship with a Nursing Career:
I believe that there is a love hate relationship with just about everything in life. There are going to be things that you love and hate about everything. I understand this and know that there is way more things that I love about the thought of being a nurse than hate. I see the surface level things of disliking nursing, such as: weekend and night work, being exposed to different illnesses, long shifts, etc.… however I believe that there is way more good that comes out of it than bad. I absolutely love helping people and promoting healthy lifestyles. Those two things are huge in the role of a nurse.
