There was a time, ashamedly, that I thought nursing was an ordinary profession.
Just regular people doing regular work that’s important and necessary, sure, but a bit … regular.
I used to be a journalist at a big media company and that’s the kind of job that has the wow factor in conversation. When you tell people you’re a journalist, they’re always impressed and interested.
Nursing, not so such. I remember someone telling me, to my face, what a downgrade I was making going from journalism to nursing. This is despite nurses being recognised as one of the world’s most trusted professions.
Now I know why nurses are highly regarded because studying a nursing degree, and then critical care, kicked my butt and humbled me in ways I did not see coming.
Nurses aren’t just kind and caring people who follow orders and do the dirty work. They’re highly skilled and educated professionals. What you have to study, and then do, as a nurse has a steep degree of difficulty.
Nurses learn the pathophysiology and pharmacology of hundreds of different conditions and medications, and how the human body works down to a cellular level.
They need to understand everything about their patients’ medical, surgical and social histories, and know what they will need and why. As well as doing their own jobs, nurses are the go-to person for an endless stream of questions from every medical team involved in their patients’ care, as well as physiotherapists, dieticians, the radiography department, and all the family members and friends of their patients.
Nurses spring into action and know exactly what to do at the slightest hint of change or deterioration in a patient.
They sound the alarm for Code Blues, rushing to grab the crash cart and apply the defibrillator pads, start chest compressions, administer resuscitation medications, and run the defibrillator (and not the automatic kind; the kind that requires you to be able to read an ECG and know how to treat different types of deadly heart rhythms).
I have seen a nurse jump up on a bed to start CPR on a patient as we were racing them down the corridor to ICU.
And then, once a major crisis has passed, nurses simply move on with the rest of their already busy shift, effortlessly shifting from full-blown medical emergency to smiling and saying that it’s absolutely no problem to fetch Mrs Smith a cup of tea to settle her nerves before an important scan.
By necessity, nurses have the no-nonsense efficiency of a ninja and every shift is like going to work with the cast of The Incredibles. I literally have “oh wow” moments every day.
After six years of study and training, I’m proud to say I’m an ICU nurse because I know what it takes to become one and I have the utmost respect for my colleagues and what they do. They’re awesome clinicians and so generous and kind.
As someone who had a mid-life career change, I’m older than most of the nurses around me and thought I’d feel like a misfit. But as long as you’re competent, nurses don’t care how old you are, what you look like or where you come from.
Nursing needs to be collaborative because it’s not a job you can do solo. Like players in a team sport, you’re reliant on each other to get the job done. Some tasks require anything from two to five nurses, such as checking blood transfusions or moving an intubated patient with major head or spinal injuries.
The people around you are your teammates, not your competitors, and they get a kick out of watching you reach your potential because it’s good for the whole team.
I thought I’d struggle to find my place in this vastly different new career, but it’s a fantastic path to take mid-life. Nursing is so positive and purposeful and it keeps you mentally sharp and physically nimble. Plus, there are limitless career paths to choose from and it offers a great work-life balance and financial security.
I can see myself still wanting to roll through the doors and work with and be inspired by nurses for many years to come.
There’s a reason they’re the most trusted profession.
