I was heading home after a tough shift, but even though I was in uniform, I decided to go into the supermarket to do some shopping.
When it comes to saving lives, doctors play the most important role.
No one talks about nurses, assistants, paramedics, or anesthetists afterward. Most people overlook their significance.
After her encounter with a former high school classmate, nurse Caitilin Brassington decided to write a letter:
“I was heading home after a tough shift, but even though I was in uniform, I decided to go into the supermarket to do some shopping. I ran into a former high school classmate who said to me”:
“I didn’t know you were just a nurse…”
In 18 years of my career, I’ve heard this phrase many times, but today it seemed to irritate me more than usual… Was that all I was? JUST a nurse?
I’ve helped bring many children into the world, but I’m just a nurse; I’ve held the hands of the dying as they took their last breaths, but I’m just a nurse;
I’ve revived patients who were clinically dead for seconds and helped them come back to life, but I’m just
a nurse; I’ve held parents in my arms after they’ve seen their children pass away, but I’m just a nurse; I can draw blood, tend to wounds, but I’m just a nurse;
I’ll miss Christmas days, my children’s birthdays, their school events to come to work and care for your
loved ones, but I’m just a nurse; I can resuscitate a newborn, a child, or an adult, but I’m just a nurse.
I have the experience and knowledge to save lives, and even though I’m just a nurse, I take pride in that!”
