Reflections

Well, things in my life are looking up a little bit. I had an interview this past Monday and was offered the job. It's nice because I worked there before, and I know the residents and most of the staff that I will be working with. I have had the chance this past week to reflect on so many things, as far as being a nurse, what it means to me, and also, is it a good thing to go back to an employer that you once worked for.

So many things to think about, and so many great answers that I came up with. I know that I am in the right field, because I am so passionate about being a nurse. I love helping people, I love being able to do whatever it is to either save a life or make someone's last minutes worth it. It's hard when I lose my patients/residents, but I know that everything happens for a reason, and I know that we all have our time on earth and also the time when God calls us home. Even if we feel that it's not the time for that person to go, you know that some how - you were able to make a difference in the their lives whether it was their last days, months or hours, you can make it special either for them or for their loved ones. To me, being a nurse has brought so many experiences, opportunities and memories that will last me for a lifetime. There have been so many families and patients who have touched my life in one way or another. I am a nurse because I wanted to make a difference in someone's life, and I feel that I have done that many, many times.

Being a nurse is a hard job though, especially in this day and age. We have many responsibilities and many things that we need to make sure that are done correctly in order to prevent harm to our patients, and to build strong relationships with the people we work with and the people we take care of. I try my hardest, and yes, even I make mistakes. However, the mistakes I have made, I have learned from, and take those experiences with me, and those make me a stronger, more dedicated nurse.

This brings me to the next thought...is it a good thing to go back to my past employer. I do believe that it is for so many reasons. When I walked through the door on Monday to have my interview with the Director of Nursing, it was fantastic to have family members come up to me and give me a big hug and tell me how happy they were to see me and when I told them I might be coming back, they told me how happy they were that I was coming back. I made a difference in their lives, and to me, that is what it's all about. This is the best reason to be happy with the decision I made to call my previous employer and ask if there were any openings available for me. It was also such a great feeling when many of my past co-workers came up to me and smiled and said to me "Welcome back." That shows me that I made some kind of impact in their life as well. It's going to be a change for me, because I am used to working day shift, and in this new position I am going to be on the night shift. I will however make it work out for me, and I will adapt to these new hours.

It was kind of a miracle in the making, because when I originally called to speak with the director of nursing, I was told by the office that there were no openings for nurses available. I asked to have the director of nursing call me anyway, and when she did the next day, she told me that I was lucky because there was an opening that had just become available the day before as someone had turned in their 2 week notice. God was watching out for me, and He obviously has a reason for me to go back to this facility. I have no reason to question this.

I am looking forward to the opportunity of making a difference in some of the new patients I will be taking care of, and welcoming back into my life the residents I took care of when I was originally there, as some of them, I have already said hello to, and they remember me. That is a good feeling. It's a warm feeling and one that makes me realize that I made the right choice. When you go into a place with an open mind, you can make it how you want to, and can accomplish anything that you want to. I believe in karma, and I feel that this opportunity that opened for me wasn't a mistake, but just another door that opened for me.