"Do you know the specialty of this floor?" My first thought was, I don't really care. I just want a job. But that's not necessarily what your prospective manager wants to hear in an interview... I was a new graduate nurse. I had already sat for many interviews. At the time, I was still a … Continue reading Fallin’ Out of the Chair

It was the end of my time on the Africa Mercy. I went to the ward one last time to say goodbye to a couple of our Women's Health ladies that were still patients in the hospital. We had shared laughter and tears and dances for several months... As a nurse, patients with complicated conditions … Continue reading Forgive Me

What is a general and plastic surgery nurse doing on a women’s health ward? This question nagged me in the first days of our women’s health rotation. Fortunately, our team leader and fellow experienced nurses did an excellent job educating us about obstetric fistulas and their surgical care. I quieted myself with the sad fact … Continue reading Baby Wipe Extravagance

It was a bustling evening shift. I went around emptying catheters, changing pads, and charting how much fluid has gone into and come out of each healing body. I put in a new IV and did some admission teaching about surgery the next day. I checked on a new postoperative patient’s vitals. Truthfully, it was … Continue reading Just Love.

I probably took 30 minutes to give 5 pills. I quintuple checked the package with the medication on the computer screen. I struggled to open each seemingly graduate-nurse-proof package. My gloves stuck to my sweaty hands. Despite my best efforts, the pills rattled in the medication cup as I shakily handed over my precious collection … Continue reading Proud

They were three little girls in a row for their entire hospital stay. All close to the same age. All burn contracture cases during our plastic surgeries. One had a severe burn on her foot when she was a baby. The scarred tissue froze in place. Now at age 8, her small toes were on … Continue reading Skin

I was involved in a car accident right in the middle of finals during nursing school. Within the same week my TB skin test puffed up positive. The stress, the pressure, and now the fear of having tuberculosis (a disease we just learned about in class) threatened to overwhelm me. I was three-quarters of the … Continue reading Tried and True

When we keep claiming the light, we will find ourselves becoming more and more radiant. What fascinates me so much is that every time we decide to be grateful it will be easier to see new things to be grateful for. Gratitude begets gratitude, just as love begets love.” -Henri Nowen Our plastic surgeries have … Continue reading Radiant

“Wow! You’re tall! Do you play basketball? Volleyball?” I’ve become used to disappointing people with the answer “no” to these questions. Most see it as a waste of natural potential. Others just bemoan that they weren’t given the same gift to use for their basketball career. I’ll be honest, it bothered me in high school. … Continue reading Football.

I stared down at the casket in front of me and felt like a complete failure. My job was to keep these lungs breathing. My goal was to get this tissue the nutrition it needed to heal. My strategy was to time pain and nausea medication for comfortable visits with family and friends. And I … Continue reading The Goodness of God