Reagan Rosenbaum - “Trauma Nurse Discovers Passion for Helping Others” [Lauren Haindfield

Trauma Nurse Discovers Passion for Helping Others

By J1 Reporter Reagan Rosenbaum

“I think the idea of being able to leave the world a little bit better of a place than when you left it is what motivates me to get up in the morning,” replied Lauren Haindfield, a trauma nurse in Chicago, Ill.

Haindfield is 30 years old and stands around 5 foot 7 with dark hair. When she is not working, she enjoys things such as art and taking her French bulldog, Duke, to the dog park. Duke has a habit of playing soccer with a red ball over interacting with the other dogs. Hainfield has to hide said ball from him to prevent this; regarless, he still manages to find it.

In the past few months, she has also taken up the hobby of cooking, where she has finally mastered the perfect chicken parmesan; her secret: the world may never know.

Haindfield hasn’t always seen herself with a future working in the emergency room as a nurse. After graduating from Iowa University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Physiology, her original plan was to go to grad school for perfusion where she would learn how to operate a heartlung machine that pumps oxygenated blood throughout the body during heart surgery.

“But, I realized during transition time that there was so much I could do in nursing,’’ Haindfield said. She went to grad school at DePaul University in Chicago where she did a joint Registered Nurse (RN) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)program. A few years later, she started her career.

She quickly learned that nursing is not for the faint of heart. It is a job that requires critical thinking skills on the spot. “I was worried the older nurses would think I’m stupid,” Haindfield said. Regardless, she has not slowed down, even through the peak of COVID-19 where she considered other alternatives to her current situation.

COVID-19 in the hospitals was a picture drawn with the reference of someone’s worst fear. Hainfield

discussed that typically, there are two patients per nurse in the Intensive Care Unit. During the thick of it all, there were four or five patients who were intubated and alone; she was the only one there with them. It’s hard. There is this “God-complex” in medicine. The truth is, you cannot save “I think the idea everyone”, of being able to Haindfield said. leave the world a Along with COVID-19 better place than during the when you left it is summer of 2020, the what motivates protests me to get up in and riots surroundthe morning,” ing the Black Lives Matter -Lauren Haindfield movement proved a testing situation for not only Hainfield, but also everyone else who was working alongside her. “It was like a scene from a warzone. We were pulling people out of cars and around 30 of them came in with gunshot wounds within a 6-hour span,” Haindfiled reflected. “Seeing what human beings are capable of is one of the most disheartening things.” Regardless of how many people she would see in a day that didn’t want her help or were scared to be around her because she worked in healthcare, Haindfield didn’t stop. She kept going because there was something about helping all of those people that made the gut wrenching reality of her job little more bearable.

While healthcare is one of the most mentally and physically exhausting professions, the doctors and nurses are not doing it for their own benefit. The reward they receive in getting to see their patients overcome their illnesses and injuries is greater than any tangible thing someone could hand them.

Even though doctors and nurses can feel alone in the grand scheme of things, everyone is always there for each other. “It’s like working with a family. It can make even the worst experiences possible to overcome,” Haindfield said.

Now, Haindfield has found herself in a different position in life. She is currently working in a pediatric trauma center while also teaching a few days during the week. “While I do miss the chaos of taking care of adults, kids are much more appreciative,” Haindfield

said. “It’s hard to take care of people who don’t want your help.”

Teaching is something that she never imagined she would enjoy. She described how rewarding it is when you can see the students finally understand the material for the first time. The satisfaction that comes along with having the opportunity to share your knowledge to others can feel very uplifting.

In the world today, many high school students have a desire to enter the medical field in some way. But, they do not necessarily know the steps they should be taking to achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

Haindfield commented on how it does not matter whether someone goes to Harvard or a state school; most programs just want to see students who are well rounded. This includes things such as leadership roles, volunteering opportunities, caregiving experience, and activities that help to show what you’re passionate about.

“People make such a big deal about where you go to school. It’s the credentials you have that matter. Exposure is so important,” Haindfield said.

“But, you also have to be able to deal with not receiving validation.” Haindfield commented. As mentioned earlier, those who are new to the field are expected to know most things. No one is going to be walking around handing out gold stars, lives are on the line.

But regardless of how mentally draining and physically tiring the job of a trauma nurse is, Haindfield has persevered through it all. She has been able to make it so far in a career where burnout is such a real thing because her desire to leave the world a better place than how she found it is so great. She has a passion for helping others, a passion that is going to take her fantastic places in her life.

EMTs thank Haindfield for her work as she opens a new chapter in her life. Photo at a Chicago Medical Center. CWWWurtesy of Haindfield’s Instagram.