I became a nurse because...

Nevada RNformation, May-Jul 2003 by Belle, Christine

The summer following my graduation from High School was a time of big decisions in my life. I knew that I was going to college, but didn't know "what I wanted to be when I grew up." My best friend had gone off to college two years before me, and was majoring in nursing. Her letters home made the profession sound interesting to me, but it sure seemed like a lot of hard work to get there. I didn't know if I wanted to work that hard to go into a job that was extremely demanding, often over-- worked and under-paid. But something happened that summer to change my life forever.

My friend came home that summer, and had a baby girl. I was there with her through the last part of her pregnancy, and was present throughout her labor and delivery. Not only was I in complete awe of the whole birth process, but the caring attitude of the nurses, their knowledge and professionalism, was so impressive to me. I wanted to be just like them when I grew up! I decided that day, that I was going to be a nurse.

I went off to college, and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Nursing. And it was hard work! But it was well worth it when, six months after graduation, I was accepted into the Labor and Delivery Internship Program at Sunrise Hospital. Five years after that incredible summer, I was right where I wanted to be, and loving every minute of it.

Fast-forward seven more years. My ,friend was preparing to have her second child. She asked me to be by her side during the labor and delivery. I went through the whole pregnancy with her this time, always available with answers to her questions, always checking to make sure her pregnancy was progressing "normally"; doing my job as her friend and as a professional nurse.

One week prior to her due date, we received the devastating news that her son had passed away. She tearfully asked me to help her through the agonizing process of labor and delivery of a stillborn baby. It was at the same time, my worst and best day in my nursing career. My friend and her husband were in such pain, but I felt so grateful that I was able to be there for her, to help her through such a horrible process that should have been such a joy. It seemed that in one cruel instant, my friend's influence on my career choice had come full circle.

That was two years ago. We now attend a monthly support group together, "Resolve Through Sharing". I have watched her make so much progress in her grief process. We both now attend the meetings more as a support to the mothers with newer losses, than as a support to each other. It has offered an opportunity for both of us to reach out to others in their time of grief and offer the support and guidance that only one who has "been there" can give.

Two years later, to this day, my friend and her husband thank me for being there when they needed me the most. It is embarrassing for a professional nurse, who was "just doing her job." It is gratifying for a best friend, who was just doing her job.

And now, this fall, we were blessed by the birth of their healthy little girl. She is a beautiful reminder that life does go on, and pain and sorrow can give way to joy and happiness. I became a nurse, and remain in nursing, to help people. Pain and sorrow, joy and happiness, all come with the job title. Our job as nurses is to cushion the sorrow and celebrate the joy, everyday, while we are "just doing our jobs."

by Christine Belle, RN, BSN Research and IRB Coordinator Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center