My Philosophy of Nursing
My Philosophy of Nursing
I am a forty-one year old wife and mother of one twelve year old daughter. I have been a nurse for eighteen years, thirteen of which have been in Oncology. My first job as a nurse was at a nursing home. I knew I did not want to be there long term as my goal was to be an Oncology nurse. I am not sure why I wanted to be an Oncology nurse as I did not have a close family member or friend that had suffered from Cancer, but I knew that is what I wanted to do. I got hired on the Oncology floor at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 1997 and worked there for five years before transferring to the Bone-Marrow Transplant floor. I worked there for about six months before transferring to the new Leukemia/Lymphoma floor where they needed experienced chemotherapy nurses to start the new floor. And well, that is where I still am today.
On the Leukemia/Lymphoma floor we admit all the newly diagnosed patients with Leukemia/Lymphoma, or other blood disorders, that are referred to Barnes. Our patients are usually receiving initial treatment (chemotherapy), receiving a bone-marrow/stem-cell transplant, receiving consolidation chemotherapy (consecutive doses), or being treated for complications after transplant/chemotherapy. I give a lot of chemotherapy, blood products, and MANY antibiotics due to our patients being severely immunocompromised due to their chemotherapy. Most of our patients are severely immunocompromised due to the high dose chemotherapy that they receive and are very susceptible to infection, often leading to sepsis. It is very important to be proactive when caring for this type of patient because bad to worse can happen within minutes. I am also frequently the charge nurse on the floor which includes: supervising RNs and patient care technicians, making assignments, and putting out “fires” throughout the shift.
Nursing to me is a calling to make a difference in the lives of others. I truly find personal fulfillment in caring for others. Nursing is
I am a forty-one year old wife and mother of one twelve year old daughter. I have been a nurse for eighteen years, thirteen of which have been in Oncology. My first job as a nurse was at a nursing home. I knew I did not want to be there long term as my goal was to be an Oncology nurse. I am not sure why I wanted to be an Oncology nurse as I did not have a close family member or friend that had suffered from Cancer, but I knew that is what I wanted to do. I got hired on the Oncology floor at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 1997 and worked there for five years before transferring to the Bone-Marrow Transplant floor. I worked there for about six months before transferring to the new Leukemia/Lymphoma floor where they needed experienced chemotherapy nurses to start the new floor. And well, that is where I still am today.
On the Leukemia/Lymphoma floor we admit all the newly diagnosed patients with Leukemia/Lymphoma, or other blood disorders, that are referred to Barnes. Our patients are usually receiving initial treatment (chemotherapy), receiving a bone-marrow/stem-cell transplant, receiving consolidation chemotherapy (consecutive doses), or being treated for complications after transplant/chemotherapy. I give a lot of chemotherapy, blood products, and MANY antibiotics due to our patients being severely immunocompromised due to their chemotherapy. Most of our patients are severely immunocompromised due to the high dose chemotherapy that they receive and are very susceptible to infection, often leading to sepsis. It is very important to be proactive when caring for this type of patient because bad to worse can happen within minutes. I am also frequently the charge nurse on the floor which includes: supervising RNs and patient care technicians, making assignments, and putting out “fires” throughout the shift.
Nursing to me is a calling to make a difference in the lives of others. I truly find personal fulfillment in caring for others. Nursing is
References: 1.Ray, S. (2009) Building employee retention and engagement through workforce empowerment (pdf document). Retrieved from http://www.hresults.com/documents/BarnesJewish.pdf