The Human Connection

I'm a nurse, but sometimes I... forget that each patient and each person I see in this world has their own story.

Now, I'm only human. Sometimes I focus a little to much on myself, and judge others too quickly. Though I actively try not to, it's a part of life and I'm pretty certain that we're all guilty of judging someone at least once in our lives. That being said, it is extremely important (as nurses) to try and see past the outside of a person, and remember that it's impossible to know everything about them. Every person is dealing with something in their own lives, whether they show it or not. It is up to us to show them respect, and empathy.

I saw this video a little while back, and thought it was so appropriate to share with other nurses. It's easy to begin to look at people as just another patient, but a person is so much more than that. They have families, and they have struggles outside of their illnesses. They are scared. They are nervous. They are sad.

Going into my first job as a nurse, I am trying to remember this every day. It's easy to look at someone and judge them without knowing their full story. I see this all of the time with other nurses and health care professionals; we see someone as a "pill seeker", or someone who comes into the hospital because they simply want pain medicine.

I've been guilty of thinking it, I'll admit. But then I remember my aunt. My aunt, forty-four years old, frequently went to the hospital with severe abdominal pain before she knew that anything was wrong with her. Nurses judged her as someone seeking pain pills, but the pain she was in was agonizing. It wasn't until she demanded that they run every test possible that they were able to diagnose her with pancreatic cancer... As a nurse, I know I would have been ashamed of judging her when her pain must have been unbearable.

Bottom line is, though it's so easy to let your mind go to judging, it's important to stop. I urge you to watch this video, and recognize that there are so many people that are dealing with things you know nothing about. We all need to treat each person the way we want to be treated (I know, cheesy), and share a little love with everyone we meet.