I became a nurse as the result of poor care as a patient. Most nurses were motivated to join the profession ‘to make a difference’. Same here. More so – to prevent patients from enduring what I experienced.
As a new, young mother (unmarried), I had my first baby on a day when the nursing unit was extremely busy and short-staffed. After a beautiful delivery, I was moved to a crowded postpartum room intended for one patient, but I was the third. Sandwiched between two other patients’ beds, I lay in my bloodied gown from delivery, no call button for a nurse, and my baby brought immediately to me for breastfeeding. After attempting to breastfeed on my own, feeling very uncomfortable in the soiled bed, no support person – I began to cry. In tears is how a wonderful nurse, Beverly, found me. Even though she was not my nurse, she sprang to action. Baby back to the nursery, me to the shower – she changed my bed, rearranged beds so I had a call light – and all with a smile. Beverly took the time to simply care.
At the time I was a flight attendant with a major airline, however, I knew then I wanted to become a nurse like Beverly. Without judgment, to simply come alongside a patient or family in need so that no one under my care would feel as I did.
Now 32 years later, I have founded a company based on the same premise – to simply care. To step in, identify a patient or family’s need, and work it out with them.
In the midst of a very broken healthcare system, I intend to improve the care experience – one patient at a time.