The "Other" Nurses

Our differences went beyond the social realm; our career goals were as divided as the Red Sea. Every single one of my peers wanted nothing more than to be a hospital nurse. They jumped at the chance to pull chest tubes, start IV’s and change dressings. Community nursing, mental health placements and psycho-social talk made their faces cringe as I bit my lip in anticipation.

During my final practicum I eagerly began applying for new grad positions. I jumped at the chance to enter a program that promised superb mentoring and continual support. At the “new grad learning assessment”, which turned out to be an oral exam, I sat for hours answering questions on cardiac medications, post-operative care, and patient load prioritizing.

At the end of the verbal interrogation that was intended to welcome me into a supporting environment, I instead felt judged, intimidated and like I truly did not belong. I asked about jobs in community or public health, the area that had originally attracted me to nursing. Their bitter response, “not for new grads, no chance”.

Rather than continuing my search for a medical surgical job as recommended, I took a break. I stopped to consider whether I really wanted to be a nurse. I had no desire to work twelve hour shifts, to sprint from bed to bed, answering call bells and serving medications like drinks at a bar; it just was not me. I started waitressing again, making more money in less time, until eventually a door opened and I took a job in the community.

As a nurse working with drug users and other marginalized groups in one of the most notorious areas in North America, I finally feel at home. I can spend unlimited amounts of time talking to my clients, walking with them to the doctor’s office, advocating for them on my lunch break, calling social assistance on their behalf, and taking the time to slowly and progressively get to know each of them as individuals that have spent their lives being stereotyped.

Nothing in my nursing education prepared me for the work that I am doing now. I am constantly learning. There are no IV lines and no call bells. Instead, I find myself in rooms without emergency buttons, taking blood from overused veins and assessing abscesses unlike any shown to us in school. After doubting my career choice for so long, it is a relief to find an area that makes sense to me.

For the past two days I have been taking a pre and post HIV test counseling workshop. I have been inspired by each and every one of my workshop peers to continue in nursing, and to pursue the unique areas that they work in. These are harm reduction nurses, nurses who provide IV medication to drug users who are not allowed in hospitals, nurses working in isolation in the far north in Aboriginal communities and nurses providing STI testing and hormone therapy to trans-gendered individuals. These are the jobs that make me nod my head in approval and admiration.

Just two weeks ago I stood in the registration line to write the national nursing exam. Other nursing students asked where I was working and when I responded that I worked with marginalized groups in this notorious area, they scrunched their faces once again. “When are you going to be able to find a better job?” many of them asked, implying that I must want a job in the hospital. I smiled, recognizing that that they were going to make excellent hospital nurses and I would achieve my nursing goals in the community. At that moment, I came to fully appreciate the vast array of choices that a nursing degree provides and I realized, we all belong.

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About the Author Star is a Registered Nurse, currently working in a marginalized community in Vancouver, BC. When she completed her Bachelor of Human Kinetics many years ago she was faced with a job dilemma. As a personal trainer in a high-end boutique for the rich and famous, she felt her actions were just slightly less than life changing. On a soul searching walk across the north of Spain on the Camino de Santiago, Star made the sudden decision to become a nurse. Three months later she was sitting in a chilly prairie town on her way to a new career. She enjoys freelance writing in her free time and getting out of Vancouver during the rainy months.

Comments

Posted by nursingstudent83 | Feb 18-10 3:11 PM