Care for one… that is Love! Care for hundreds…. That is Nursing!!

To go beyond and above the call of duty. The first to work and last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. A unique soul who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. An empowered individual whom you may meet only for few hours period but who will put you and your needs above theirs. Yes! That is a nurse!!

The nurses are beautiful threads of the fabric of a hospital – They weave magic in the care of a patient. A hospital can-not even think of working without them. ‘The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest’- such beautiful words said by Sir William Osler. A doctor prescribes and she dispenses. A nurse dispenses comfort, passion and care without even a prescription. If she doesnot impart that loving care to a patient, a doctor’s prescription has no value. She is the bond between a patient and the doctor. While the doctor steals the show, she is the one working silently behind the curtains.

She is the one who is patient with the patients who are not patient. She works tirelessly to follow the orders given by the doctor but at the same time silently tolerates all the abuses hurled by the patients,  their attendants as well as the doctors and the adminsitrators. She has to give a patient hearing to all the deficiencies of hospital administration as well. Whatever be the problem to the patient, be it the un-palatable food, the AC’S not working, the bed sheets not clean, the washrooms untidy or a delay in discharge process, she is the one who listens smilingly sorting out the problems simultaneously. She is the bridge between the patient and the hospital administration. She ensures seamless working within the unit called hospital. So, who says she is less important than doctors? I can’t even imagine a hospital without these angels.

They are a unique kind. They have this insatiable need to care for others, which is both their greatest strength and vital flow. They cushion the sorrow and celebrate the joy everyday while doing their jobs every day. Because being a nurse is more than a job- it’s a way of life. It is a work of the heart. They make a difference every-day. They have the opportunity to heal the mind, soul, heart and body of their patients, their families. The patient may forget their names but will never forget how they made them feel.

I feel so blessed to have such a caring bunch of nurses in my hospital. They greet me with a smile everyday making my day. They talk to me instantly about any need or complaint of the patient and warn me about any nasty patient as well. We learn so much from them every time we do any procedure. A trained nurse plays a vital role in any surgical procedure guiding the doctor along the way while assisting them. A good nurse takes the burden of  a doctor away.

A nurse is the one who opens the eyes of a newborn and gently closes the eyes of a dying man. It is indeed a high blessing to be the first and last to witness the beginning and end of life.  Nursing is an art….. and if it to be an art, it requires an extensive devotion, as hard a preparation as any painter’s or sculptor’s work, for what is the having to do with dead canvasor marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God’s spirit? It is one of the fine arts..the finest of fine arts!

Who else could stand 12 hours at a time guarding against death and risk having one’s own heart broken, while wearing a smile? Only a nurse. To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all that they go through…. Yes! That’s a nurse!!