National Emergency Nurse’s Week is recognized October 8-14. As an Emergency Treatment Center nurse, this is a time of reflection. Frequently, friends or family will inquire, “How can you work in the Emergency Room?” The answer is simple; being an ER Nurse is the most rewarding, emotionally challenging, and life altering job I’ve ever experienced. How many people have the opportunity to witness life saving miracles, or to hold the hand of someone dying when it has been a long journey and the time has come to move on to the next life?
    At times, working in the ER can be heartbreaking and difficult to bear. Experiencing the death of a young person or child is especially emotional. The most difficult part is watching the devastation of the families and hearing them cry. The wail of a grief stricken family member haunts you for days. Lying in bed at night, it is difficult to sleep because of the echo from the sobbing families’ cries. You always wish more could have been done more for them.
    However, these experiences of being an ER nurse have changed my life in ways I never imagined. I’ve learned not to take my family and friends for granted, and I am blessed to have them. Several years ago, we had a young person with critical injuries being treated in the Emergency Treatment Center. As we worked diligently at the person’s bedside, the mother stood and prayed the most beautiful prayer I’ve ever heard. This young person had an injury that usually results in death within a few minutes. The mother prayed, “Lord, I gave him to God a long time ago, just let your will be done and not mine.” The passion and feeling she put into that prayer still gives me chills when I recall her words. I’m convinced that God heard the unselfish manner in which this mother prayed and He permitted her son to survive his life threatening injuries. The mother was a magnificent illustration of strong faith, and I am honored to have witnessed this miracle.
    The rewards of being an ER Nurse definitely outweigh the challenges. The feeling of having the ability to help others when they are sick or injured is enormous. It is a heartwarming experience to help someone who is having difficulty breathing or to help relieve a patient’s pain; you treat their condition and watch them improve.
    Another benefit of being an ER nurse is the close bond that is formed with your co-workers. ER nurses depend on their coworkers for emotional support; we are each other’s cheerleader. This is the only job that I’ve worked where almost daily on my arrival I receive a warm hug from my coworkers. One of the ER nurses, Tori Wolfe, wrote this poem for ER Nurses Week and it’s a good summary of being an ER Nurse:
      Have you ever…….
    · Laughed with a patient because of the foolishness that landed him in the ER…
    · Sympathized with the mother whose teen just wrecked the car…..
    · Cried with the man that just lost his father….
    · Held the hand of the child whose mom wouldn’t bother….
    · Sat with the lonely old man as his heart faded away…
    · Been filled with pride because your skill gave someone’s mother a new day…
    · Been thanked by the family of someone you didn’t save…
    · Complimented the toddler for being SOOO brave…
    · Cried with the patient when they were told the cancer was worse…
      ………. That’s the reason I am an OLD ER NURSE!!!!!!!!!!

      Authored by Wendy Newsome, interim nurse manager, of the Emergency Treatment Center at Oconee Regional Medical Center.

Oconee Regional Medical Center

821 N. Cobb Street • Milledgeville, GA 31061
PO Box 690 • Milledgeville, GA 31059
(478) 454-3505
Copyright 2006