Nurse Morris Johnson III The word I have chosen to define is nurse. Although it has been suggested the dictionary definition not be mentioned, it is a necessity for the purpose of comparison. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines nurse as, “a person who cares for the sick and infirmed. Specifically: a licensed healthcare professional who practices independently, or is supervised by a physician, surgeon, or dentist, skilled in promoting and maintaining health.” This is the standard definition from the outside looking in. What is the true definition of a nurse? What would a nurse like me define the word nurse to be? Generally, the most inferred meaning of nurse is, men and women who are mostly strangers who take vital signs, pass meds, complete treatments. For patients’ families, a nurse is a person who takes care of their loved ones. To a nurse the word’s meaning is defined as follows: Leader, communicator and professional; an individual who is compassionate, caring and understanding; the adhesive that binds the patient’s experience together; an indispensable asset that safeguards public wellness; at times a patient’s and family’s verbal punching bag; a stubborn mediator between life and death; a unbelievably task oriented, focused prestidigitator; overworked, underpaid and more times than none underappreciated for their efforts; Bearers of the weight of the world on their shoulders, but they take it in stride; purveyors of consistent work ethic and quality under any circumstance; a force that is rarely misdirected by any task faced; a quality control expert that covers their co-workers’ gaps for seamless continuity of care; the day’s best friend or enemy depending on which button you push; strength for the weak when they want to give up; motivation for the strong to keep pushing no matter how bad it gets; hope for those who have lost their own; a shoulder to lean on; an ear to listen to anyone who is having a problem; Empath to families of patients being taken care of; a walking encyclopedia of useless informational facts; the real bosses the doctors work with; the first and lasting impression people have about the medical community; a reliever of pain physically and mentally; a teacher of not only medical issues but of life and experiences; at times a ball of stress wrapped in a calm demeanor; the front line in health care also the last line; the villain who gives shots; the hero who gives stickers after shots; a dictionary of many words when needed; an aura of calm when the proverbial shit hits the fan; an advocate of patient rights and privacies; a predictable attitude based on your approach; a multitasker to the infinite power; continual seeker and sponge for knowledge; an icon of care, confidence and consistency; the back bone of overall patient care; experts of emptying bed pans, foley bags and urinals; a person of very few words and many actions; the worst patients; caffeine addicts; Sleep deprived individual; the epitome of selfless service, honor and integrity; Essential; a lifestyle as it is continual even when not at work; Problem solver extraordinaire; Persons with dark sense of humor; a hero (although they/we deny it). The definition of the word nurse is based on experience and observations of my coworkers daily at my job, and the qualities I try to display. There is no way one can define the word nurse if they have not stepped in the shoes of one. The words in this essay depict but a scratch of the definitive meaning of the word. A dictionary will never be able to give accurate definition to the word nurse, as it holds countless meanings.
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