One Nurse's Story
My
mother was one of the first pediatric nurse practitioners in the state of
New Jersey. I was in high school at that time and when I headed to college,
nursing was the furthest thing from my mind. I majored in business and worked
in corporate accounting until the birth of my first child, at age 30. A
week after his birth, I developed deep vein thrombosis, a potentially life-threatening
illness, as a result of my son’s difficult delivery. I was initially misdiagnosed
and eventually entered the hospital when my baby was just one week old and
put on complete bed rest. I was not able to get out of bed for any reason.
I was in excruciating pain. I spent four long weeks in my hospital bed,
unable to take care of my newborn son and unable to do anything for myself.
During the long nights spent alone in the hospital, when I couldn’t sleep
because I was in so much pain, it was the gentle touch of the nurses as
they tended to me, which brought me so much comfort. Just hearing their
gentle footsteps and seeing the light from their flashlights as they quietly
entered my room to check on me through the night, was soothing. I decided
then that I wanted to do that for others. I wanted the chance to help others
with simple caring acts, as I had been helped. I wanted the chance to heal,
as the hands of skilled nurses had healed me.
A month later I went home and ultimately had two more babies over the next
five years. When my children entered school, I returned to school to become
a registered nurse. I received my registered nursing license as an associate
degree registered nurse and began working in pediatric home care. Taking
care of a quadriplegic twelve-year-old boy as my first client left me feeling
overwhelmed by the severity of his disability, but grateful for the opportunity
to provide expert care to him. Nursing was a calling for me. After receiving
an associate degree, earning my licence, and beginning practice as a nurse,
I returned to school and completed a Bachelor of Science in nursing, I now
have also received a Master in the Science of Nursing, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
My profession as a nurse is one of the things I value most in my life. At
the end of each day, the reward of knowing I made a difference in someone’s
life brings me joy and immense satisfaction. Nursing is the one profession
that allows a high level of human experience and the opportunity to help
another person at their most vulnerable time is a gift that cannot be compared.
I have been at the bedside of a dying woman, alone at the end of her life
and had the experience of her hand reaching for mine and whispering “you
are an angel.” One of my first nursing professors said, “nurses are one
cloud beneath the angels.” I believe she is right.
If you would like a profession that provides rewards like no other, not
to mention the opportunity to practice in many, many different ways, think
about a future as a registered professional nurse. You will make a difference
in this world with every life you touch.
Brenda Petersen, RN, MSN, PNP