Why I Became A Hospice Nurse

Witnessing the patience, strength, and compassionate attributions that nurses convey within their care was remarkable. Having the opportunity to make a positive difference in the life of another human being was a very overwhelming and humbling experience for me. Therefore, these encounters set the foundation towards my pursuit of a nursing career.

One thing that makes nursing a good career is the difference that I can make in someone’s life. Although it requires commitment and dedication, nursing is one of the most rewarding professions. It’s about caring, listening, thinking, organizing, and leading. Nurses make a difference in their patient’s lives by providing hands on care and assisting complete strangers in leading a healthier life. The warm feeling of ‘helping others out,’ giving back to the community, and influencing the success of nationwide healthcare makes nursing an intrinsically rewarding career field to pursue. Nurses are helping patients and families during their intimate times of need.

When I was younger, I fell off my bed and cracked my head on the bed frame. I was sent to the emergency room and was given stitches. I had to keep going to the doctors for check-ups and me being a child, I was curious of the doctors and always asked them many questions about their occupation. At a young age I became very interested in the medical field. My mother being a surgical technologist and my ex-stepfather being a CRNA, I fell in love with the health care system and that’s when I knew I wanted to help others by becoming a nurse anesthetist.

I feel so proud and yet so humbled to be a nurse. Helping a post-operative surgical patient regain the strength to walk brings me immense satisfaction. Collaborating with physicians to advocate on behalf of unstable patients makes me feel like a valued part of a team. Consoling tearful, discouraged patients can be gut-wrenching, but it teaches me the power of empathy. Making a real, tangible difference in my patients’ lives is what drives me toward this next phase in my career.

Working with the nurse who cared for my ailing grand-aunt, was a life changing experience. I would assist with bathing, grooming and toileting as well as reading to my aunt a couple of her favorite mystery novels. Evening though my grand-aunt 's condition was irreversible, I felt at peace because her nurse made sure she was comfortable and her needs were met. The compassion, empathy, work ethics and support the nurse provided for my family and grand-aunt during this difficult time resonated with me, the nurse inspired me in so many ways and even encouraged me to pursue a profession in nursing.

Time spent at my mother’s bedside in the intensive care unit changed my perception of the nursing profession. I realized what unique value was integrated in comprehensive nursing care, which was built on excellence, compassion, and respect. I knew right then and there that nursing was a professional path which I would like to take. Changing my college major to nursing was not a difficult decision – I wanted to repay for all that courteous care my family received in the most vulnerable time of our lives.

My love for nursing began early in my life; in high school, my continuing desire to become a nurse resulted in my applying and being accepted to Midwestern State University. There, I received a BSN and became a registered nurse. My experience at Midwestern prepared me for a successful career by instilling confidence within me as I joined the workforce. As my experience grew and years went by, I became eager to further my education and pursue my master's degree. Then life happened: the two-legged version that requires love, compassion, energy, and time. Now that my child is in school, with the support of my family, I am ready and dedicated to become a family nurse practitioner.

When my grandmother was dying of cancer in hospice, I had no intentions of becoming a nurse. Consistently, I repositioned her because she was in pain. Dutifully, I opened her windows because she loved the sunlight. Respectfully, I rubbed lotion on her skin because it made her comfortable. Devotedly, I prayed with her because her faith was strong, and she was ready to be reunited with my grandfather. Wistfully, I held her hand as she took her last breath, and told her it was okay to go. Afterwards, when the hospice nurses had told me that I would make a great nurse and I should consider nursing as a career, I politely said “No, thank you, nursing is not for me.”

Almost thirteen years ago, my life changed when my youngest daughter was born with undiagnosed medical problems. The challenge of finding answers consumed my life. My family and I spent a significant amount of time searching for answers in and out of doctor’s offices and hospitals, always by our daughter’s side. Throughout my journey, I was able to learn a lot about the medical profession, including the differences between good and not so good healthcare professionals. We were fortunate to meet a lot of excellent doctor’s, nurses, and support staff, however, we also had our fair share of medical professionals that were not so great. At times our journey was extremely frustrating because we had to depend on medical staff that was uncaring and

It was said by an unknown person that, “When you’re a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours”. This is why I strive every day to study and try to give back to my community, to touch other people’s lives in the most positive way possible, and it is with my greatest hope that your highly generous opportunity will allow me to continue with this endeavor.

Gilda also witnessed her mother struggle with cancer, and watched the Hospice nurses and staff provide care and support to Gilda’s mother and family, and ultimately decided that she too wanted to assist people cope with grief and loss and the end of process. On the other hand, both Michele and Pamela started their careers in the medical field outside of Hospice and found their way to the Hospice program with time and experience. Pamela believed that there was a need for LPN is within the Hospice agency, and started her work as an LPN working with Hospice patients in their homes. Michele started as a nurse when she started working for Hospice and after a few years, she was promoted to a care provider liaison, working with and advocating on behalf of Hospice patients who reside in assisted living facilities.

There is a time to be born, and a time to die. As frightening as it is, we will all die someday. Some will die at birth, some in a tragic accident, and others from a natural cause. The average person will live a full life, and die in old age. Cancers and other deadly diseases are becoming more prominent in our culture, the demand for end of life care is becoming substantial. Hospice nurses provide near death care, and attend to the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual needs of the terminally ill patient. Hospice nursing would not be the perfect job for all nurses, it takes a nurse with a special heart, and calling to specialize in the hospice field.

There was a strong pungent of disinfectants and rubbing alcohol as she was rushed into the lobby. Crying out her last breath to express her agonizing pain as she lied down on the cold gurney. The nurses in a light blue uniform quickly arrived as several doctors in long white gowns rushed to the scene. Her mother was by her side, holding her hands as tight as she could, as the nurses pushed the agitating gurney towards the automatic doors. Soon her visions blurred and as the world turned into a tint of pink and red. As her vision slowly darkened, she solely relied on the touch of her mother’s warm hand and her soothing voice. Notwithstanding the tight grip of her mother’s hands, they was soon torn apart. Fear took over her body as she cried even louder. The sudden yet rhythmic beep was the last memory she could recall. It was March 5th.

“Hey there” John looked over his shoulder at the smiling face of his new coworker. John greeted him as hallway smiled back not wanting to talk since he had woken up at 5:00am that morning. He quickly dashed over to his office and switched on his computer. He thought about the nine years of intensive study that he had to go through. The loud ringing of his pager interrupted his thoughts. He answered a few nurses difficult questions about what medicines to prescribe what to do with a few difficult patients. He placed his phone down a little nervous wondering if he had just killed someone by prescribing the wrong medicine. He grabbed his clipboard, jacket and stethoscope and went to go meet his first patient. “Mrs. Anderson, how are

It was an unpleasantly early morning in the hospital waiting room. Nurses buzzed around, busy attending to their patients while a faint beeping sound could be heard in the background. I was starting my second shift of the day at the hospital, just finishing working a shift in the dark, grimy morgue. Groggy, I sat down at my desk to begin another four hours of labor. My position was to assure that the paper work was properly completed and that all patients were attended too. While being a supervising nurse was a great responsibility, it left time to day dream.