Sentimental Women Need Not Apply

I once read an article about a documentary of the history of women in nursing titled, "Sentimental Women Need Not Apply." The main idea of the article was that as a nurse, a woman is expected to be compassionate, sympathetic and empathetic, yes, but never, ever sentimental.

As a nurse, you sometimes have to do things like this:

And this:

This is one of the less-gruesome photos that was taken in the OR in Africa. I try to keep things on the less-gruesome side. This is a "family blog" after all.

Anyway, back to the article. I have thought about this article many, many times since reading it while in nursing school, and it has really helped me to become not only a more pragmatic nurse, but mother. While as a mother, I am allowed a certain amount of sentimentality (I am, admittedly, unashamed when my heart swells over Jack's finger painted creations), nurses aren't afforded such a luxury.

Over the weekend, Sam was admitted to the hospital for observation regarding his recent bout with RSV. The nurses were unbelievable (a few of them I even knew from nursing school!). They were kind, compassionate, helpful, professional, and tough as nails. These women have to be.

While there are many exciting moments in medicine--a patient beating the odds, a healthy baby born, nursing is not an easy profession. From miscarriages to cancer diagnoses, trauma to end-of-life care, nurses are there for their patients during life's most difficult and trying times. However, if the nurse allows herself to become bogged down by sentimentality, she cannot perform her job as efficiently as she should, and runs the risk of letting the task at hand to overwhelm her. It's OK to hug family members, cry with your patients and share personal experiences when appropriate, but these actions should always be tempered and dolled out prudently.

Anyway, once we settled in and Sam was asleep, I tried to sleep myself, but the sound of a child crying down the hall kept me awake. It made me want to cry--this poor, sweet, pitiful crying was drowning out the regular breathing of my (by most standards) barely-sick child. My heart broke a thousand times for the child down the hall, and for what his parents must have been going through. However, from what I had observed of the staff, I knew they were more than up to the challenge.

There are days when I miss nursing, and days when I am so very thankful that I no longer practice. Sam's experience in the hospital reminded me that I not only have untold respect for pediatric nurses, but I am also very thankful that I am not one.