So aside from being a Registered Nurse in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit, I am also a mom to three children five years old and under. Busy is kinda my thing, and I’m totally fine with that. But sometimes I want to sleep. In fact last night I really wanted sleep, but my seven month old daughter wouldn’t listen to reason. I tried to tell her it was important for mommy to get her brain rest, and while I’m under no impression that an infant could understand my needs it did bring to mind a simple, but seldom mentioned fact.
I do get kinda cranky if I don’t get to bed on time before an upcoming twelve hour (or longer) shift, and it does cause me some anxiety when I know I’m not going to get much sleep. I know as humans we all need our rest, but the thing is if I mess up at work people could die.
Listen, I’m not in any way trying to demean other jobs, but I am shedding a little much-needed light on an often overlooked yet highly important topic called on-the-job stress. While I may truly love the profession I have chosen, it doesn’t mean that it’s not difficult, riddled with anxiety-causing factors, and highly demanding. So it’s not that I’m complaining, but I’m simply stating the truth.
And the truth is I work in a profession where I have to pay attention or the consequences could be dire. There are actually a lot of vocations that require a high degree of performance and attention to detail, but I’m just gonna talk about me since that’s what I know best.
So here’s what I know as a nurse. When I go to work I’m responsible for other people’s lives. If I don’t pay attention, they could die. If I make an error or miscalculation, they could die. If I forget something important, they could die. If I do everything right, they could still die. If I don’t perform up to their expectations I could cause a bad score on a patient satisfaction survey, which according to some folks could be almost as bad as death.
So what’s always in the back of my mind when I get ready for work?
Somebody could die.
If I don’t think I’m getting enough rest. Dang, someone could die.
If we’re short-staffed and I’m taking more of a patient load than I personally consider safe. Someone could die.
If I’m paying so much attention to figuring out my computer documentation that I can’t provide quality care. Someone could die.
Sure not every day is a life or death situation. In fact some days are easy, breezy, beautiful. But then other times they’re not. Other times it’s quite the opposite so something as simple as requiring a bathroom break or eating lunch becomes something you can’t possibly take the time to do. Or you guessed it, somebody could die.
In the medical field in general we are given the lofty position of caring for others. It’s serious business and most of the time there is zero wiggle room as far as error goes. If you go to a restaurant and your order is wrong you leave unhappy. If you go to the operating room and your order is wrong you may just leave in a body bag. Nobody wants to think about that, but it’s true.
In my job if I mess up somebody could die, and that is something that is always there. It’s something I cannot ignore. I do have the pleasure of celebrating life, holding hands, and watching the healing process in realtime, and it’s awesome. But there’s always that responsibility and liability issue underlying every step I take or decision I make.
The interesting thing is the large span of tasks I perform on any given day. At one moment I can be completely relaxed as I carry away an empty food tray, but seconds later I can be running into a room where someone’s heart has stopped. The thing is you just never know which it will be from one moment to the next. You perform on this thin line of expectation, jolly and nonchalant as you grab someone a pair of nonskid socks, but forever on ready if chaos ensues.
For this very reason you must always be on-point, ready to proceed in stellar performance, and certainly not caught unaware. So even if it’s a “good” day or “quiet” you are always expected to be able to flip the switch at a moment’s notice. Which doesn’t bode well with illness, nursing shortages, or even simple sleep deprivation. Because someone could die.
So the next time you wonder why your nursing friend or your healthcare worker spouse gets frustrated about menial things like lack of sleep or call-in’s at their job try to keep in mind what’s on theirs. You guessed it. Someone could die.