Critical Care Reflection
Critical Care by Theresa Brown takes you through the journey of a novice nurse experiencing the ups and downs of working in a hospital. She experiences life, death, and anything in between. There were many stories that stood out to me throughout her experience which had a profound impact on my view and understanding of nursing.
(1) The first death that Theresa Brown describes, involving her patient Mary, stood out the most to me. Brown talks about how each profession experiences their own first thing. Lawyers win their first case, journalists make their first big headline, and teachers always remember their first class. In nursing, the first death you experience is a growing stage in your learning and career. What hit me the most was that Theresa was the one taking Mary off the breather and essentially suffocating her. Obviously, Mary was in a great deal of pain and the family decided to let her go, but to do this to and to have to watch someone suffocate is not an easy thing to do. I think that dealing with patient deaths is very difficult. Seeing someone pass away and being around upset families is both unnerving and depressing. However, I think the more that you experience such events, the more you come to accept it. You learn to appreciate the life they lived and the love these people had in their lives. You also come to learn that life is a fragile and a precious gift that should not be taken for granted.
(2) When Theresa is taking care of the middle aged woman spilling out blood, I feel as if I would have reacted differently than her. Theresa described the blood coming out of the mouth and nose of the patient without control. She was asking the patient questions and asked for a Yankauer before she called for the code. I feel like I would have called for code immediately seeing the amount of blood profusely coming out of her nose and mouth. I would have then utilized CPR to buy time for the team of healthcare workers and crash cart to arrive sooner rather than later. I do, however, understand why Theresa reacted the way she did. The patient had been spitting up blood earlier and it had been resolved before. Nevertheless, I think that there comes a point where you see the amount of blood coming up and know your patient is in serious danger.
(4) On page nineteen, Theresa talks about how the first few weeks of orientation is a steep learning curve. She opinesopines how the unexpected starts to become expected and how things like people being unable to breath and wounds spilling open become normal. This was a really meaningful paragraph to me. It gave me a greater understanding of the experiences and hardships that a nurse may go through. They are always working around the clock saving lives and being there for people when they need it most. This really stood out to me as a future nurse. It really made me appreciative of all the things that nurses do. It also made me excited to one day be able to go out and make a difference in someone’s life. Nursing is not just a job, but it is a passion for helping others and changing lives. Lastly, I think that this passage teaches me an important lesson when taking care of patients– expect the unexpected and to always be prepared.
(5) I can understand how nursing can be a love /hate relationship. There may be times where you have a lot of patients to take care of at once. This can be both overwhelming and stressful. There also may be times where you might encounter death and sadness. On top of this, working twelve hour shifts with little to no breaks can be draining. These are just some of the challenges that come with nursing. However, taking care of people and giving them a new lease on life is very rewarding. As a nurse, you have the unique opportunity to make a significant impact on someone’s life. You have the ability to make a positive change in another person. This is what makes nursing special. Sure, the long days and hardship can be tough, but the work you are doing makes it all worth it. Being able to say you made an impact on someone’s life every day is not something anyone with a typical job can say. Not only are you making an impact on the patient, but you also provide comfort to friends and family of the patient knowing that you are doing the best you can in taking care of them. There is a lot of responsibility when it comes to being a nurse. Nurses are the ones who provide comfort to those who are sick and suffering. It is something that all nurses should take pride in.
In conclusion, nursing can be a very demanding yet rewarding career. Theresa Brown experienced it all throughout her first year on the floor. As nurses we must continue out education throughout our careers. We can all learn from Theresa’s experiences and apply it to our own lives for the betterment of our careers and the patients we may take care of.
Work Cited
Brown, Theresa. Critical Care: a New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between. HarperOne, 2011.
