In the midst of all the talk around nurses these days, I wanted to take a minute to talk about our KP nurses specifically. And by “nurses” I also mean our medical assistants who, at KP, do many of the same jobs.
First thing every morning, I watch the nurses bring their coffee and breakfast into the break room in hopes of being able to return every so often to take a bite or drink a sip.
However, they can’t predict the wheezing kid who just walked in the door and needs to be rushed back, or the well check that takes a little longer than expected, and before they know it, breakfast has come and gone and both their coffee and food are cold.
They don’t mind; they just toss it in the trash and head out briefly to grab some lunch. Many days the nurses get only 30 minutes to scarf down some food and take a few sips of a drink before they are right back on the floor.
These KP nurses have sat with parents as they have just heard that their child has cancer. Even in the midst of pure silence, the parents knew that we supported them.
These same nurses have cried with a mom experiencing post partum depression and just not feeling like she is good enough. These nurses are there to reassure her that she is more than good enough.
These nurses are also there to comfort their patients as they are scared of getting a vaccine or having a finger stick. These same KP nurses have been able to talk teens out of making poor decisions and have even talked some out of committing suicide.
You see, these nurses get puked, peed, bled, and pooped on daily. They simply change their uniforms and move on. Nursing is definitely a talent, but our KP nurses have much more than just talent. They have great hearts that not only help comfort kids physically, but also help comfort the parents mentally as well. So at KP, these great staff members are not just nurses…they are so much more!
#notjustanurse