My instructor sent this out with our notes and I thought it was so true, I think I may frame it and hang it above my desk to keep me going.
Student Nurses' Prayer
Dear Lord:
I know we go through this every day, but please give me the knowledge as to why I actually wanted to go to nursing school.
Lord, give me the strength to make it through those boring four-hour lectures without falling asleep.
Please give me the patience to make it through clinicals with instructors who can't just give you the right answer.
On the same note, give the nurses the ability to remember what it was like to be a student and give us just a little more respect.
Lord, give me the endurance to read all the assigned readings and be able to remember it when I am taking a test with four right answers.
Lord, give my family and friends the ability to realize I really am on the edge of insanity.
Finally, Lord, give me the vision to see that one day I will be a real nurse and I will never have to wear this ugly uniform again.
Amen.
Personal note: We really do have 3-4 hour lectures and I really do need God's help to stay awake. Our instructors almost always answer our questions with questions. Most of the nurses have been pretty cool but some we came across kinda saw us as free slave labor. I never do the assigned readings but I end up researching one whole subject the whole night through books and the internet. The tests really do tend to have at least 2-3 right answers. Sometimes I feel I've crossed the edge of insanity but I don't question why I went into nursing school. Our uniforms aren't too bad, we could do worse than Teal green scrubs. :)
More fun tidbits that happen to be true, I would hope most nurses follow these:
Every day that I have held a hand but forgotten to chart vital signs, I still may have come out ahead.
If I don’t take care of myself, I can’t take care of anyone else.
It’s usually better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission, especially if I’m taking a Saint Bernard to see a child in the ICU.
Never assume anything to be true until proven so with subjective and / or objective data.
If I don’t get emotionally involved with my patients, it’s time for me to change professions.
Even if I can’t cure, I can still care.
Always ask about the grandchildren’s pictures that are posted on the hospital room wall.
Healing the spirit is as important as healing the body.
A lot of patients get well in spite of us, but even more get well because of us.
A body believes every word you tell it.
I need an open heart and an open mind.
If the patient is lying very very still, check for breathing before you check anything else.
Nurses are extremely respected by the public, so I must always strive to be worthy of that respect.
“Team work” includes offering to help colleagues even if they haven’t asked for help.
A genuine smile and a sense of humor can win over the worst grouch.
