A Day in the Life of a Nurse
Physically exhausted, emotionally drained,
my body goes numb as it deals with the pain.
As I walk to my car, thinking back on my day,
I turn to look back as though I've something to say.
But the silence is deafening, the air quickly chills,
and time, for the moments, becomes terribly still.
I'm left there standing as though frozen in time;
the events from the day slowly flash through my mind.

I began my day watching as she drew her last breath,
then comforted her family in mourning her death.
I stopped and I listened as the chaplain quietly prayed,
my eyes swelled with tears when they took her away.
With the passing of Rosie still fresh in my mind,
I glance at my watch and see I'm two hours behind.
Yet no one will know how my morning began,
just that the wait was too long for that needed bedpan.

There were phone calls and call lights, treatments and meds,
questions from families about what the doctor has said.
Then as I'm placed on hold, calling stat consults,
I'm told the lab's on hold with some critical results.
But before I have time to complete either call,
a patient climbs from his bed and takes a bad fall.
More phone calls and call lights, new treatments and meds,
now it's the doctors who want to know what the family has said.

The patient in 20 is demanding more pain meds.
The patients in 30 is demanding to go back to bed.
There's an IV pump alarming, "infusion complete,"
as I explain to the family why he's not able to eat.
Lost in this maze of demands on my time,
the passing of Rosie is still on my mind.
Though the smell of her death is still in her room,
I'm to get a new admission in sometime around noon.

I guess the rest of my day went pretty much the same,
and thinking I may have made a difference eases my pain.
There are some days that are better, some that are worse,
very few understand the demands on a nurse.
I'm physically exhausted, emotionally drained,
but I'll be back tomorrow to do it again.
But as I turn to leave, I feel a warm rush of air,
perhaps it is Rosie saying "Thanks for being there."

TIM HOLLOWAY, RN

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