Musings: Seven decades in, I saw what nurses really do
Nurses became a lifeline to this reader. Credit: Getty Images/Brandon Bell
In my nearly 73 years, I had never spent a single night in a hospital. When I told people this, their shocked reactions jolted me into realizing how fortunate I had been.
I have visited many friends and relatives in hospitals, doing my best to take their minds off their health problems with quick jokes or patter about sports, jobs or family matters. I avoided paying attention to the din of bells, beeps and announcements blaring in the background. I paid no heed to the clamor and commotion of nurses hustling through the hallways.
That all changed recently when my wife called 911 to summon an ambulance to take me to St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown. My back pain was so spasmodic and unending that I could not stand, sit or walk. I could only lie in bed, moving my body in incremental inches to find a position that offered a moment of relief.
The hospital was no longer just a place to visit someone — it became my home for five days. The beeps and announcements I once ignored were all around me as I lay in bed. I was no longer immune to the medical ballet of nurses moving in and out of their routines.
As a patient, I carefully listened to the beeps to hear if they were coming from one of the myriad electronics supplying my intravenous fluids, pain relief, muscle relaxers, steroids or other meds.
Nurses who were once indistinguishable to me became my lifeline. Each shift, their names were scribbled next to mine on a whiteboard. We were intertwined in a joint effort to heal. I marveled at their capacity to offer so much aid to strangers. They are caregivers, communicators, advocates, teachers and collaborators.
Their silhouettes approaching from behind the curtains of my hospital bed were a welcome sight. A nurse’s appearance generated an anticipation of a good report about my newly discovered spinal condition or a positive test result — or just a simple “How are you doing?” or “What can I do for you?”
My respect for them grew exponentially during my first personal interaction with nursing — a most noble and selfless profession.
— Scott Hoffman, Smithtown
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