‘Just A Nurse’

Caitlin Brassington of Australia tried to let it slide when an old friend referred to her “just a nurse.” But the more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. So, she took to Facebook to set the record straight on what being a nurse really means. And everyone’s raving about what she had to say!

A Careless Remark

People can be careless with their words. Sometimes they speak before considering the impact of what they are saying. Odds are, Caitlin’s friend didn’t think about the implications of the phrase used. How it implies that being a nurse doesn’t take a whole lot of skill, work, and time — not to mention the patience and compassion that’s required!

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And that’s why Caitlin’s brilliant response is getting so much attention. In an extremely demanding and often thankless job, Caitlin explains just why nurses deserve our utmost respect.

The Brilliant Response

Caitlin shared her thoughts on Facebook. She wrote:

“I am just home from a busy shift, looking very ordinary in my scrubs. On the way home today I stopped at the shop for milk and saw an acquaintance. She has never seen me in uniform and said that she didn’t realise I was ‘just a nurse’.

Wow! Over my 18 year career I have heard this phrase many, many time, but today it got to me. Am I just a nurse?

I have helped babies into the world, many of whom needed assistance to take their first breath, and yet I am just a nurse.

I have held patients hands and ensured their dignity while they take their last breath, and yet I am just a nurse.

I have counselled grieving parents after the loss of a child, and yet I am just a nurse.

I have performed CPR on patients and brought them back to life, and yet I am just a nurse.

I am the medical officers eyes, ears and hands with the ability to assess, treat and manage your illness, and yet I am just a nurse.

I can ascultate every lung field on a newborn and assess which field may have a decreased air entry, and yet I am just a nurse.

I can educate patients, carers, and junior nurses, and yet I am just a nurse.

I am my patients advocate in a health system that does not always put my patients best interest first, and yet I am just a nurse.

I will miss Christmas Days, my children’s birthdays, and school musicals to come to work to care for your loved one, and yet I am just a nurse.

I can take blood, cannulate and suture a wound, and yet I am just a nurse.

I can manage a cardiac arrest in a newborn, a child or an adult, and yet I am just a nurse.

I can tell you the dosage of adrenaline or amiodarone based on weight that your child may need to bring them back to life, and yet I am just a nurse.

I have the experience and knowledge that has saved people’s lives.

So, if I am just a nurse, then I am ridiculously proud to be one! #justanurse #love #nurse #mum #happy #taganurse”

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Be sure to share this story with all the nurses you know, to let them know how much we love and appreciate their hard work!

A woman who was badly burned as a baby reunites with the nurse who cared for her to say thank you!

 

Credit: Facebook / Caitlin Brassington